Health Collaborative seeks business input

Submitted information

The Van Wert County Health Collaborative is working together to improve the health of individuals and families in the Van Wert community, with a focus on increasing awareness and improving health risks, including obesity and substance abuse in adults and youths. To that end, the committee is seeking assistance from local employers.

The Van Wert community has identified obesity (lack of physical activity and unhealthy lifestyle choices) as a major health risk impacting local residents. These individuals also comprise the workforce for many local businesses and often impact productivity and profitability. Because employees spend the majority of their waking hours at their place of work, a company’s environment has a large impact on healthy lifestyle choices (smoking, physical activity, healthy food choices, etc.).

This year marks the initial year of the Van Wert Community Health Improvement Plan, and the collaborative is collecting information regarding what wellness resources are currently available to local employers. Even if an organization does not currently have a wellness program, this input is still needed to develop baseline data for the county, and help determine the collaborative’s focus for the future and how best to serve local businesses.

Local employers and business leaders are asked to complete a survey taht should only take a few minutes. Those companies that do not have a wellness program have only six questions to answer.

Businesses are asked to complete the survey by September 30.

Those taking the survey can find it at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CHIPWorksiteWellness.

For more information about the survey, contact Anne Dunn, employee health coordinator at Van Wert County Hospital, at 419.238.2390.  To review the Van Wert County Health Needs Assessment or Community Health Improvement Plan, visit: http://www.vanwerthospital.org/community/community-health-improvement.