INTRODUCING THE HEALTHIEST 100 WORKPLACES IN AMERICA
Witham Health Services
Resilient in a Time of Crisis
November 15, 2021
Ranking: #5
Headquarters: Lebanon, Indiana
Full-Time Employee Count: 970
About: Witham Health Services is the preferred healthcare provider of Boone County, a northwestern county of the Indianapolis area. Witham Health Services has landed on the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America three years in a row.
Trina Rose, Wellness Coordinator for Witham, shares a bit about what makes wellness at Witham top ten worthy.
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Q: What specific element of your program is moving the needle for your well-being program and positively affecting your employees' health?
A: More than anything, employees need to know you care. You are invested in their well-being as much as they are. You celebrate their successes and you are there for them through their failure and heartbreaks.
Mental health has never been more important or talked about than right now. If we don't help our employees in times of need, we'll never move the needle on their physical health. We start with their mental health and mindset. This year, we had to get creative with our wellness events. As a healthcare industry, our employees are tired and have been pushed farther than ever before.
This year, we started a book club and encouraged our participants to write their own life story to share what they have overcome. We encouraged them to set goals for their next chapter of life and share the experiences that have gotten them to this point. This was an extremely impactful event and helped everyone realize what they are most capable of.
We absolutely needed those reminders starting in March of 2020 and still need them today. Fear and information overload can take over. We remain positive, hopeful, and ready to rise to any challenge that comes our way. We are stronger because of COVID and value our health more than ever.
“Witham Health Services has shown a steady decrease in healthcare costs as more associates take part in our program. The most appreciated is the organizational programs that create incentives and excitement.” – Raymond Ingham, CEO
Q: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, how did your organization work to create a "Pandemic Plan" and what factors did you take into consideration when making these decisions? What effects of this plan are still in motion today and/or in the foreseeable future?
A: As a hospital and the healthcare provider for our community, we didn't have a choice but to rise to the challenge of COVID-19. We created a hospital at our local fairgrounds to handle any overflow we may have. We ordered ventilators, stocked up on our PPE, and had an "all hands on deck" approach. Every single employee in our organization stepped up to help wherever they could be of service, even if it was outside of their normal job duties.
Our leadership team guided and supported us through the most uncertain times we have ever seen. We always felt our safety was first and foremost. We took our temperatures, screened each other, wore masks, gowns, protective eye covers. We sanitized continuously and studied the CDC guidelines. We looked to science and history to guide us through.
Our wellness program never missed a beat and supported our staff through motivation and inspiration. We knew we could help this crisis end and everything we did each day during it mattered in order to achieve this goal. We still host in-person fitness classes, events, and presentations, but also host these online for those who prefer that option.
Q: What makes your well-being program stand out? Relatedly, what statistic best captures the success of your program's effectiveness in the past 12 months?
A: Our ability to continue to serve and to have the engagement and participation in the most trying of times is remarkable. We boast over 93% participation. We are proud to be one of Indiana's Healthiest Employers and One of the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America. We work tirelessly to continue to improve and grow our program. It reaches far beyond our employees. We work with our local schools, government, city, and community leaders to make Boone County the healthiest and happiest place in the world. We are all on a mission to create a culture of health.
We have bike trails, walking paths, regular farmer’s markets, free group classes, community gardens, and so much more. It is truly a team effort!
“Our Wellness program's flexibility is one of its best features. There are any number of ways employees can participate from classes to self-guided activities. It does not matter if you are an introvert or an extrovert, the variety of events sponsored by the wellness program make it easy for anyone to be a part of it.” – Emily Rogers, Vice President of Support Services
Q: What strategies has your organization developed to ensure offering diverse and inclusive wellness programming?
A: Witham Health Services realizes that our employees come from a variety of backgrounds and have a unique set of values and life experiences. Our program looks to enhance each employees overall health and wellness journey with programs that can be done at the worksite, at home, or one-on-one with a team member. We offer programming across all facets of wellness. Mental health, resiliency, stress management, optimal nutrition, movement clinics, book clubs, exercise programming, and much more have always been accessible to all our employees regardless of where they are in their own journey.
Q: As people have been avoiding care during the pandemic, how is your organization encouraging employees to get their preventive visits?
A: Education, education, education! Unfortunately, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, as well as a variety of other chronic conditions, do not magically go away during a pandemic. We were vigilant to stress annual physician visits and preventative exams to keep our staff safe and healthy.
To view the rest of our top 10 winners, check out our Healthiest 100 blog posts here!
Interested in comparing your program to that of the national dataset? Purchase your individualized Benchmark Report today!
