Professional Development

As an athlete, I have always had a passion for physical fitness, however, while obtaining my education, my interests and passion evolved to total health and wellness encompassing all pillars of a healthy lifestyle. I achieved a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with an emphasis in Corporate Fitness and a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology; graduating Summa Cum Laude. Certifications achieved throughout my career include various fitness certifications, program leadership certifications in weight management and smoking cessation and various WELCOA certifications including achieving Faculty designation. The program leader and WELCOA certifications have definitely been valuable assets in enhancing my career.

Demonstrated Success

The State of Nebraska tied its wellness programming to a richer and less expensive health insurance benefit. State employees and spouses must complete three steps annually to meet the criteria for the Wellness Health Plan. Participants must complete: 1) a biometric screening (3 options - onsite, physician visit, home kit) 2) a comprehensive health assessment that addresses physical activity, nutrition, stress, biometrics, absenteeism/presenteeism, lifestyle choices of alcohol and tobacco use, and mental health 3) enroll in and complete the criteria for one wellness program of their choice (walking program, cardio program, personalized lifestyle program, lifestyle coaching or condition management coaching).

Requiring employees and spouses to meet all three steps to qualify for the wellness health insurance plan has been the best intervention in improving a culture of wellness throughout the State of Nebraska workforce and in managing costs of claims. The wellness programming has been instrumental in achieving a return on investment of 2.7 to 1, and a cost savings of 4.2 million with reduction in claims. Behavior change is extremely evident with the reduction of high risk factors. When comparing plan years 2 -4 to plan year 5, we see the following:

# of risks                                                    Year 2 - 4                     Year 5

0 - 2 (Low risks)                                             73.9%                      78.6%

3 - 4 (Moderate risks)                                   21.7%                       18.4%

5+ (High risks)                                               4.4%                           2.9%

The number of low risks are increasing and high risks are reducing which is ultimately what we want to see. The average number of risks per participant also has shown a statistically significant change from 1.7 (plan year 2 - 4) to 1.53 for plan year 5. Specifically 6 risk factors have significantly reduced for the State population: physical activity, fruits & vegetables, tobacco cessation, seat belts, stress, and health perception. Thus, more of the State population is physically active, eats more fruits and vegetables, wears seat belts, views themselves as healthier and fewer are smoking and experiencing stress. This also reflects the culture change that our population is experience along with the increases in participation (outlined in the Innovation response).

All 7 benchmarks have been very beneficial in helping our team sustain an award winning wellness program. We have been very fortunate in having an extremely supportive Governor who not only supports our efforts but "walks the talk". He participates in our walking program and never fails to pull out his pedometer at every press conference or meeting to show his step count for the day and challenges others to join him. We have created a large network of Wellness Champions across the entire State to add to our wellness team along with partnerships with cafeteria vendors, EAP, Benefits team and Health & Human Services team. We utilize the opportunity to increase our team to help promote and support our efforts whenever possible. Bi-weekly meetings with our HealthFitness and Benefits teams occur to continually review the status of the annual operating and strategic business plan. Data is collected and evaluated by HealthFitness and reviewed by Aon-Hewitt as a consultant for the State of Nebraska. Outcomes are provided in an annual report presented to the State including several supplemental reports addressing wellness program engagement, Health Assessment key findings and participation, risk factor analysis, individual program results and personalized messaging results. As well, an ROI analysis is completed every 2 years. These meetings and outcomes assist in choosing appropriate interventions and making necessary adaptations and modifications to our programming. It has been and continues to be our goal to create a supportive environment for the workforce in all areas and levels with directors, wardens, HR's, employees all volunteering as champions to promote and support a culture of wellness.

Leadership

I specifically ‘walk the talk’ by exercising regularly, eating healthy, and consistently participating in wellness programs such as lifestyle coaching, stress management webinars, sleep studies, and other health management programs. I also act as a role model for my four wonderful children, who are all very active in health and wellness; fitness director, personal fitness trainer, athletic trainer to be. My work experience with my current position at HealthFitness and our client (State of Nebraska) has allowed me the opportunities for education from resources such as HealthFitness cornerstones and WELCOA’s 7 benchmarks. If I were to give advice to other practitioners in the field it would be to focus your efforts on overall wellness to include physical activity, nutrition, stress, tobacco cessation, financial, well-being, etc. to increase performance, health, engagement and get positive results with your participants and organization.

Innovation

To implement innovative solutions and generate better results, we have :

a) Enhanced programming and criteria annually
b) Outreached eligible population with creative and repetitive communications
c) Provided well-rounded wellness programming including biometrics, health assessments, wellness programs in all pillars of health, and preventive personalized messaging
d) Provided opportunities to improve the culture of health through recognition, health fairs, health education presentations, and engaging activities
e) Established a Wellness Champion network

These items listed above have aided in producing an ROI of 2.70:1 for the client. Behavioral and cultural change are evident in several areas. The client has seen an increase in participation numbers in all programs each year:

                                                                                  2009                      2013

Biometric Screenings                                           6,443                     8,340

Health Assessments                                              4,969                   10,049

Walk This Way                                                        3,670                     6,380

Empowered Coaching                                          3,385                     3,430

Cardio Log (began 2012)                                      1,726                      2,125

The Wellness Champion network has significantly increased from 2010 (3 champions) to 2014 (133 champions).

Compelling Vision

The workplace is shifting toward a focus of high performance which can be achieved by focusing on employee health and wellness. By increasing engagement and education for employees, we can drive positive results by improving the culture of health. The new themes in wellness programming include mindfulness, purpose, hope, well-being, vitality, health and happiness. I believe we need to educate our populations to take small steps to achieve their wellness goals for a healthier and happier lifestyle not only in the workplace, but also within their families and community. In the next 5 years, I plan to be instrumental in helping individuals to understand the importance of small steps and helping them to begin that process to live a lifestyle of health and wellness.