Setting Company Health and Wellness Program Priorities
Most companies do not have the Company Health and Wellness Program resources to address all of their health/wellness needs at once. Priorities must be set to determine the most pressing health/wellness needs. Use the steps below to prioritize company Wellness needs.
Assess the health/wellness needs of the population.
Collect data about the health/wellness needs in the community. How?
• Community- or target group-specific surveys
Identify health/wellness needs and at-risk populations.
Use the data to establish leading health/wellness needs and also high risk populations. For example:
• Obesity and overweight
• Injury prevention
• Self care
Reduce the list.
Not every health need can (or should) be addressed. Use the following questions to determine which health/wellness needs should be addressed first.
• How does the health need impact operational readiness? How big is the impact?
• What are the Senior Management priorities? How does the health need fit into those priorities?
• What are the behavioral factors affecting the health need? What is the proof that a behavior change will make a difference? Has the behavior been successfully changed by other Employee Wellness Programs?
• What other social, physical, or environmental factors influence the health need or the target population?
• Is the health need a greater problem at the local level than in the U.S. population as a whole?
• Does the company have the subject matter expertise and resources to address the health need?
Develop Company Health and Wellness Program recommendations.
Only a handful of specific health/wellness needs should be focused on in a given year. Keep the following in mind as recommendations are developed as to which specific health/wellness needs will be addressed:
• Avoid duplication of other ongoing Employee Wellness Plans whenever possible. Identify Employee Wellness Plans already addressing the health need and/or the target population.
• Identify and assess available resources. Build on existing services whenever possible.
Use the recommendations to offer tailored, targeted, integrated interventions to address the prioritized list of health/wellness needs. Prioritizing health/wellness needs will keep Employee Wellness Plans focused, maximize efficient use of resources, and align Wellness efforts with Senior Management goals and priorities.
References
• US Department of Health and Human Services, Planned Approach to Community Health, http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/PATCH/index.htm.
• Implementing a Comprehensive Community Wellness and Well Being Program, presentation by CHPPM-EUR at the 2006 Force Health Protection Conference
