The Well Workplace Nebraska objective is to educate worksites on how
to implement effective and individualized health promotion programs
specific to unique characteristics and priority health concerns of each
business throughout central and western Nebraska . It is under the
umbrella of The Wellness Council of the Midlands (WELCOM), the nation’s
oldest corporate health promotion organization. WELCOM and Well
Workplace Nebraska are active partners with corporations, small
businesses, wellness oriented non-profit organizations and initiatives,
and state and local health departments in identifying barriers and
resources for health promotion. WELCOM is a 501(c)3 non-profit serving
the city of Omaha and the state of Nebraska through the Well Workplace
Nebraska initiative.
Initially funded by the Excellence in Health Care Cash Fund for the
first three years (2000-2003), Well Workplace Nebraska has been
sponsored exclusively by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska for the past
four years. Over the past seven years, this project has introduced and
created the Well Workplace© model in 12 rural Nebraska communities in
Central and Western Nebraska including Hastings, Grand Island, Kearney,
Scottsbluff, Gering, Aurora, Wayne, Norfolk, Columbus, McCook, Chadron
and the O’Neill-region.
The goal of Well Workplace Nebraska and both of the affiliated Nebraska
Wellness Councils, WELCOM ( Omaha ) and WorkWell, Inc. (Lincoln) is to
train companies on the 7 Benchmarks of Health Promotion Model which is
unique to the Wellness Council parent organization and its affiliated
councils. These Benchmarks include: 1. Capture Senior Level Support 2.
Create Cohesive Wellness Teams 3. Collect Data to Drive Health Efforts
4. Craft An Operating Plan 5. Choose Appropriate Interventions 6. Create
a Supportive Environment 7. Consistently Evaluate Outcomes. The Well
Workplace University© Training program ensures that the businesses
acquire the basic knowledge of implementing a worksite wellness program
aimed at achieving results and not simply providing wellness activities.
The process ultimately transforms the culture of the participating
company to one that supports and encourages healthy behavior for all
employees and their families.