Effective Wellness Program Strategies - Part 2

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 #5: Using a small number of targeted priorities maintains Wellness Program focus.

• Needs assessment data can be used to identify leading health and wellness needs and also high risk populations.
• Choosing a handful of specific health and wellness needs on which to focus will maximize efficient use of resources.
• Keeping the Wellness Program focus small will avoid duplication of other ongoing company Corporate Health Promotion Programs.

Strategy #6: Use standardized processes whenever possible.

Reduce the amount of variation within your Corporate Health Promotion Programs by standardizing all the processes needed for Wellness Program planning and implementation. For example:
• Use the same spreadsheet format for data collection so that the columns are in the same order. This way you can compare information more easily.
• Reuse the same forms for enrollment and attendance. Change the heading as needed.
• Look at other Wellness Program processes (like registration, evaluation, marketing, etc.). What parts of those processes can be standardized?
• The Wellness and Prevention Initiatives website (http://chppmwww. apgea.army.mil/dhpw/Population/HPPiFunction.aspx) has many standardized Wellness Program resources in a variety of topic areas.

Strategy #7: Wellness Program delivery methods should be flexible and adapted to population needs.

• Delivery of products and services may depend on: company needs, training requirements, other scheduling considerations (such as work/duty schedules, school scheduling, etc.), member preference, and/or availability of staff or space.
• Be flexible: the same produce/service delivery methods may not work for every population.
• Some company’s may want services provided to them as close as possible to the company location; other companies may prefer as many services as possible bundled together at once (regardless of location).
• Take wellness and preventive medicine beyond the walls of the organization in order to meet leadership and employee needs. Answer the question: “How can we best help leadership and Employees to fulfill their mission?”