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| Nearly 500 State Workers Race Across America For Health | ||
| 08/31/2007 | ||
Nearly half of the workforce at the state Employment Department will race each other starting September 5th to see who can arrive at the Atlantic Ocean first. 38 teams will undertake the “virtual” walk 2,972 miles from Astoria to New York, part of the Department’s HealthWorks wellness efforts designed to improve the physical and emotional health of staff. “I’m absolutely astounded at the response,” says HealthWorks Coordinator Tom Fuller. “We started out with one office challenging another and it has since mushroomed into a statewide contest.” The Department purchased 500 pedometers that have been loaned to staff to keep track of their miles. Each team of 12 will collect miles on Mondays. The first team to reach the shores of the Atlantic gets a healthy lunch catered through donations from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP), which will also provide other prizes. One team even has a virtual welcome party waiting for them in New York, thanks to the college-aged son of one participant, who plans to have footage of New York and a web cam at the ready when his dad’s team crosses the finish line. HealthWorks is part of a statewide effort to improve the health of state workers. “It’s sad but true,” says Fuller, “that state workers are more likely to be obese, have high blood pressure, diabetes, and perform less physical activity than private sector workers. We’re out to change that.” HealthWorks has organized wellness clinics, seminars, displays, and fitness programs. The program’s values are “Activity, Nutrition, and Awareness.” The program was recently featured in a statewide publication for working with its food service provider to offer healthy eating alternatives. Volunteer committees from the Department’s field and central offices oversee the program, which is in its first year of operation. Nationally, wellness programs have shown to have a positive return on investment through reductions in health care costs, reduced absenteeism, and increased productivity. “Though the effort is designed to be fun,” says Fuller, “there is a serious side to it too. We want to improve the health of workers for their sake, as well as to be good stewards of public resources by reducing the demand, and thus the cost, of health care. HealthWorks is a part of a statewide wellness effort overseen by the Public Employees Benefit Board, and the Healthy Worksites Initiative. Teams for the Walk Across America have been organized in field offices around the state, as well as the Department’s central office in Salem. Photo opportunities may be available in different parts of the state on Wednesday, September 5th. For information and interviews, please contact Tom Fuller at the above phone/email. List of offices: Salem Central Office, Salem Field Office, North Portland, Gresham, Newport Eugene UI Call Center, Hermiston/LaGrande/Baker, Metro UI Call Center, Oregon City, Eugene, Redmond, Astoria , Klamath Falls, Albany, Beaverton , Roseburg, Bend UI Call Center, Hillsboro. For a large photo of some of the walkers from the Salem Central Office, click HERE |
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