PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

I received my Master’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of South Florida in 2011, and became a Certified Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM EP-C) in 2008. I continue my education by attending various symposiums and courses through organizations such as WELCOA, the American College of Sports Medicine and the Wellness Council of Tampa Bay just to name a few. After developing a passion for physical activity and realizing the numerous benefits it offers everyone, I decided to pursue a career in the industry. Since graduating with my Masters, I have served as the Onsite Wellness Coordinator for Pasco County School District.

DEMONSTRATED SUCCESS

One of the most successful programs I’ve worked on is Pasco Go Healthy, an employee wellness program through Pasco County Schools addressing chronic disease management and health plan cost-containment. Through Pasco Go Healthy, I head up a committee of individuals with different occupations throughout the District, including a school board member, union representative, and assistant superintendent. We strategically plan and implement yearly wellness goals based on data analytics from health claims, Health and Wellness Center utilization, employee interest and satisfaction surveys and best practices within the wellness industry. The committee and I meet monthly to discuss what is working, what isn’t working, and next steps. At the end of the year, we evaluate our efforts based on updated data analytics and employee feedback. Our goals this year addressed communication channels, obesity, emotional & financial wellness, stroke & heart attack prevention, diabetes prevention & management, and tobacco cessation.

Through our Pasco Go Healthy wellness program:

• The onsite Health and Wellness Centers (HWC) have achieved a utilization rate of 68% of eligible employees for primary healthcare.  Copayments for medical office visits and generic medications are waived at the HWC, resulting in a net saving of $5,689,941 to employees and $42,037,608 (cost avoidance) for the District since inception.
• The District’s employees have closed care gaps for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes have decreased by 60%, 63% & 50% respectively.
• With the support of the School Board Members, Superintendent and USEP (employee union), the District has become 100% tobacco free.

The District has also received the following recognitions:

• Healthiest Employer (Tampa Bay Business Journal)
• Platinum Fit-Friendly Worksite (American Heart Association)
• Organization Health Champion (American Diabetes Association)
• Silver Award from the Florida Tobacco Cessation Alliance
• Ranked 35th among the Top 100 Healthiest Workplaces in America (Healthiest Employers)

LEADERSHIP

I serve as a leader and a role model in the Health Promotion Industry by putting my client’s employees first. I firmly believe that wellness is something we do for employees and not to them. By continuing to further my education and maintaining my understanding of current research and best-practices, I am able to incorporate this information into our practice to keep our programs fun and relevant. By collaborating with an excellent committee whose goal is to support employees and provide them with the best resources and programs available, we as a team have developed a reliable program that employees can trust. Though many things become trendy, we strive to put forth programs that are fun but also have strong educational components and are evidence based. By doing so, my client’s employees don’t have to worry about shifting through fads and gimmicks to try and find something that works for them. They can focus on what’s really important- their health and quality of life.

INNOVATION

Something I have done differently that has generated great results is to maintain the focus our wellness program on a strategic plan. Many wellness programs fail to have a guide for their programs, instead relying on monthly observances to dictate what programs are delivered and when. However, this method does nothing to drive and sustain an employee culture of wellness. By following a strategic plan, our programs have defined objectives and supporting tactics to drive initial success and maintain lasting results. Another thing I’ve done differently is work with the organization’s IT department to incorporate cutting edge technology into our programs. So far we’ve written logic and built an online wellness portal customizable to my client’s organization and needs. We are also developing an app to help employees create tiny habits in order to adopt various behavior changes. Tailoring our program to correctly reflect our changing employee population will maintain the relevance of our program and yield better results.  

COMPELLING VISION

I think the biggest threats, which could also be considered opportunities, the industry will face over the next 5 years will be innovations in technology. This will be an exciting time for wellness, generating all new opportunities and advancements in the industry. However, it will also be important to validate the integrity each new system and device actually provide. From what we understand of the still relatively-new activity trackers, the accuracy of individual devices and the security systems in place to protect them from being compromised can vary widely. It will be important to make sure we use future innovations wisely and develop procedures and precautions to safely maintain our participants’ information.