St. Lucie Public Schools Wellness Program Summary 2012‐2013 School Year

1.  Weight Watchers at Work program

a.  28 participants in the Fall and 43 participants in the Spring b.  Total pounds lost since beginning At Work program last Spring: 1,254.60 c.  15 participants are enrolled for the summer

2.  Onsite Group Fitness Classes a.  19 classes during the year (Zumba, Yoga, Boot Camp, Kangoo Jumps, and

Kickboxing), with over 500 employees participating 3.  Incentive Program

a.  Fall participation: 65 achieved bronze, 40 achieved silver, and 19 achieved gold level status

b.  Spring participation: 39 achieved bronze, 29 achieved silver, 20 achieved gold, and 8 achieved royalty level status

4.  Preventive Screenings a.  Mammography Day: 9 participants b.  Skin Cancer Screenings at various locations: over 200 participants c.  Spinal Screenings at 4 locations: about 75 participants d.  Vision screenings at health fairs: 48 participants

5.  Health Education a.  Weekly emails provided on varying health topics including weight loss,

better sleep, disease prevention/awareness, and stress management. b.  Monthly newsletters provided on varying health topics including

Arthritis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Stress Management, Heart Disease/Stroke, Hypertension, healthy recipes, and exercises.

6.  Lectures, Workshops, and Webinars a.  Monthly Lunch ‘n Learn lectures at the District Office (approximately 10

people per lecture attended) b.  Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction workshop (11 people participated) c.  Diabetes lecture for the Transportation compounds and District Office: 50

participants d.  Mindful Eating webinar, as well as Florida Blue and EAP webinars offered e.  Healthy Eating on a Budget, presented to Maintenance department: 4

participants f.  Lectures presented to Transportation compounds: (approximately 2‐3

participants per lecture)

7.  Meetings, presentations, and school visits a.  Attended 13 school staff meetings, 2 Principal’s meetings b.  Visited the 3 transportation compounds almost monthly throughout the

year. Brief presentations were made on upcoming wellness program activities as well as face‐to‐face interactions with staff and a few lectures.

c.  Attended one DAC meeting, one Maintenance department meeting, monthly Safety meetings, 5 Board meetings, 2 Bookkeeper/Secretary’s meetings, IRSC Healthcare Management meeting, the St. Lucie County Diabetes Education annual Advisory Group meeting, Morningside Elementary Parent’s Day Health Fair, SLW Centennial’s Student Health Fair, School Improvement Plan Project Charter meetings, St. Lucie County Tobacco Prevention committee, the St. Lucie Children’s Wellness Consortium, and monthly new hire orientations and celebration.

d.  Participated in the School District Employee Wellness Committee for the state

e.  Presented twice on the Notebook with Janice Karst f.  Served as Chairperson of the School Health Advisory Council

8.  Wellness Champions a.  Twenty‐nine schools/locations had Champions this past year that

promoted the Wellness Program to their staff. For next year, we have 38 school/work locations with Champions.

9.  Flu Vaccines – All schools/work locations had 1‐2 flu shot sessions on their campus between August and October for employees if they were interested.

10. Student Interns – oversaw 6 student interns from Indian River State College 11. Staff Sports

a.  Kickball – 76 participants b.  Volleyball – 67 participants c.  Basketball – 75 participants

12. Chair Massages – offered as a reward for the school/work location that had the most complete newsletter quizzes. Reward offered to FLN, VGE, OH, Mariposa, and WCE.

13. Diabetes Grant – Received approximately $35,000 from the state to screen, risk stratify, and educate employees who are at risk for Diabetes, have Diabetes, or have a Chronic Disease.

a.  Diabetes Prevention: 16‐weeks of core courses followed by 6‐8 monthly courses (25 participants)

b.  Diabetes Management: 2‐hour course followed by monthly support groups (15 participants)

c.  Chronic Disease Self‐Management course: 6‐week course (10 participants)

14. Employee Health Fairs a.  Seven health fairs provided in January b.  435 employees participated c.  Critical values found in 11 employees d.  Top 4 risk factors: Diabetes, lack of exercise, overweight, and poor

nutrition

15. Walking Paths – paths created at 16 schools/work locations 16. Policy Revision – revised the Wellness Policy and Tobacco Policy, and created an

Employee Wellness Policy 17. HealthyWages Weight Loss Challenge: 20 participants lost 320 lbs. combined.

Ranked 5th out of 200 teams nationwide. 18. Summer 2012 Fruit and Vegetable Challenge at the District Office: 264

participants 19. Awards ‐ Silver level for Coordinated School Health; Gold level Fit‐Friendly

award from the American Heart Association; finalist for the Worksite Wellness award and the South Florida Business Journal Healthiest Employer award.

20. Became a part of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation 21. Positive claims data results after one year of having a Wellness Program in place

a.  Total insurance payments decreased b.  Total high cost payments decreased c.  Total inpatient claims decreased d.  Total cancer preventive screenings increased

22. Results of Needs Assessment a.  Approximately 25% of our employee population completed the

survey b.  Employee health fairs, wellness newsletters, and onsite exercise

classes were ranked as the most effective programs/activities c.  There is a high interest in the wellness program providing dietitian

appointments, offering Quest lab visits in addition to health fairs for rewards, and self‐defense classes.

d.  90% read the Wellness Wednesday emails e.  More than half feel that their workplace could do a better job of

providing healthy snacks in break rooms and at staff meetings. f.  43% get 0‐2 hours of exercise each week. g.  Half feel that they make sound nutritional decisions. h.  Most feel that the wellness program is doing a good job of

encouraging them and providing a variety of programs to meet everyone’s needs.

23. Plans for the 2013‐2014 School Year a.  Add a greater variety to the onsite group fitness class options (i.e. self‐

defense for women and exercise for those with limitations) b.  Onsite skin cancer screenings at other locations and Mammo Day c.  Work with Keiser University to provide dietitian appointments to our

employees d.  Offer less health fairs, but give employees one month to go to any

Quest and have their blood work completed with the same rewards e.  Increase number of local businesses that provide discounts to healthy

resources for our employees f.  Cooking classes, more nutrition education g.  Create email groups that are support groups for various conditions h.  More Diabetes prevention/management and Chronic Disease courses i.  Offer walking challenges between schools

j.  Pilot “Serenity Days” at schools/work locations as rewards k.  Increase participation in the incentive program and at lectures l.  Greater focus on Stress Management tools (via lectures, EAP,

workshops, etc.) m. Utilize Wellness Champions more, to promote the program to their

employees. A stipend and PD points are being considered as a reward for champions.