September 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 41

By Maggie Cooper

PUBLI C H E ALTH

Healthy Worksites, Happy Employees
improving Community health through
Worksite Wellness

ark anD recreation agencies have long

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been involved in ensuring that citizens live healthy and active lives
with plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Because of the national increase in obesity rates and chronic diseases, park and recreation agencies
have started looking at new ways to keep their communities healthy.
Agencies have always had a direct and obvious impact on children
through school partnerships, sports, and afterschool programs, but
they often have difficulty reaching large numbers of adults. In an effort
to improve the health of adult citizens in their communities, many agencies have started non-traditional partnerships with local businesses to write
and implement worksite wellness plans. These plans vary, but all should aim
to increase physical activity and improve nutrition, as well as promote the abundant amenities that the park and recreation agency can offer the community.
Health improvement efforts at worksites have traditionally focused on programs, such as health fairs
and lecture series, to help create work environments
that support healthy lifestyles. But today, communities are approaching worksite wellness efforts in a
more integrated way by adopting plans that make the
work environment, policies, and programs support
healthy behaviors. Park agencies, armed with their
expertise in providing community support and outreach, as well as the knowledge that chronic diseases can increase insurance premiums and decrease
productivity for employees, have the ability to influence leaders to adopt these plans in both the private and public sectors. Park agencies should lead
by example by passing their own worksite wellness
plans, either within their own agency or the entire
local government.
Once a park and recreation agency has successfully implemented its own wellness plan, it should
create template plans that other worksites may adopt.

Worksites and their employees vary greatly, so attention should be given to making the site feel comfortable with its wellness plan. What works in a small
doctor's office may not be feasible in a large hospital.
By allowing a worksite to mold its own plan, employers are more likely to promote the plan and, in turn,
more employees will benefit from the policies.
Writing a wellness plan does not have to be difficult or complicated. A good plan should promote
healthy behaviors such as healthy eating, increasing physical activity, reducing tobacco use, and promoting stress management. An agency can address
these behaviors in numerous ways. Something as
simple as creating attractive and safe stairwells or
allowing time during the work day for exercise can
increase physical activity. Employers can also create incentives to get employees active by offering a
free gym membership or additional time off for all
employees that visit the gym more than x times per
month. Many offices focus on nutrition by adopting

www.NRPA .ORG

SEPTEMBER 2011

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September 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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