Effective Wellness Program Strategies - Part 1

Evaluation of successful Corporate Health Promotion Programs has revealed several primary Wellness Program strategies to increase Wellness Program effectiveness and impact overall Soldier health.

Strategy #1: Communication with leadership is essential
• Assess leadership priorities.
• Report Wellness Program outcomes back to leadership in a timely manner.

Strategy #2: Wellness Program planning must be driven by information.
• Determine specific needs of the target population.
• Focus on the health status of the population as a whole to identify the top health concerns.
• Data should drive decisions regarding which health and wellness needs should be addressed first.

Strategy #3: Use electronic information collection and reporting as often as possible.
• Centrally collected information in an electronic format is essential for determining population health and wellness needs.
• Electronic reporting is also very valuable when communicating Wellness Program outcomes to leadership and other stakeholders.
• Flexible reporting capabilities allow information to be presented as information that can support decision-making, in formats that decision-makers prefer.

Strategy #4: Multidisciplinary collaboration enhances employee health and maximizes available resources.
• Collaboration between health disciplines increases effectiveness of Wellness and preventive medicine initiatives.
• Don’t forget to look outside the organization for collaboration partners.
• Optimized Wellness Program outcomes can be met by coordinating the activities of medical experts, cadre, community agents, and funding sources.
• Bundling services together also provides the additional benefit to units by conserving training and mission time.
Implementing these strategies can improve Wellness Program effectiveness and optimize available resources.