Your organization is invited to join our Wabasha County Worksite Wellness Collaborative.

Any size employer is welcome to join! Whether your organization has a wellness initiative in place or is new to the concept, we invite you to learn more and participate. Investing in the health of your employees is an important step for all employers to take.

Wabasha County has funding from the State of Minnesota. Those funds are being used to continue our Wabasha County Worksite Wellness Collaborative and support employer projects with potential funding.

The goal of the collaborative is to recruit interested employers to guide them in building an employee worksite wellness initiative where employees can find ample healthy options at the workplace. Healthy options can include:

• having healthy foods available in meetings and events, in vending, and through a snack station
• supporting walking meetings and walking breaks
• offering a place for nursing moms to express milk
• supporting employees to quit tobacco

How the Collaborative can help

If you have concerns about health care costs, productivity, absenteeism, improving employee morale, this collaborative can help you create smart strategies to engage employees in their own health. If you already have well-rounded wellness initiatives, your organization would also be an excellent member of our collaborative. Please network with us and share out at our virtual collaborative meetings.

Join our next Zoom meeting on October 30, 2021 to learn more about our Worksite Wellness Collaborative.

Send your wellness champions our way.

If you’d like to learn more about partnering with Wabasha County SHIP and/or joining our Collaborative, email Tina Moen, SHIP Coordinator or call 651-565-5200. Find some of our partner resources here.

Workplace Well-Being is a SHIP strategy launched during the 2020-2021 grant cycle.

Studies have shown that a job can be a major contributor to stress, with significant impacts on employee health and happiness. Keeping all staff protected from chronic stress and poor mental health will benefit both employees and employers. Support employees and their families in their mental and emotional well-being and safety by offering worksite policies and conditions that reduce job stress and/or enhance safety.

In order to be successful in reducing or preventing job stress, a multi-faceted approach is needed. A combination of organizational change, employee education, and access to resources regarding stress is often the most useful. Use your wellness team, management contacts, and employee feedback to plan and implement these strategies.

Choose one of the following options:

1. SAFE WORK SPACES: Create safe workspaces for your employees and reduce employee safety concerns and/or provide resources for remote workers.

1. REDUCE STIGMA: Take action against mental health stigma in your workplace.

2. ASSESS STRESS: Assess and address primary causes of job stress at work.

3. CREATE LIFE-FRIENDLY POLICIES: Develop written policies that addresses employee safety, flexible work schedules, job demands, equitable pay, sick leave, parental leave of absence, teleworking or other employee-friendly needs.

4. WORK WITH AN EAP: Contract with an employee assistance program (EAP) to provide free counseling and/or address emotional/mental well-being needs.

5. INCREASE SKILLS: Provide resources for employees to increase their resilience and stress management skills.

6. MAKE SPACE FOR QUIET: Create a “Quiet room” or space for relaxation, meditation or prayer and/or provide resources for remote workers.

7. CONSIDER REMOTE WORKERS: Support remote workers through both job and personal transitions as teleworking becomes more standard in workplaces.

8. GET CONNECTED: Find ways to increase employee connectedness.

9. CONNECT EQUITY AND WELLBEING: Understand how equity and low wages create inequity in health outcomes.

10. CREATE A PSYCHOLOGICALLY SAFE WORKPLACE: As we work in difficult circumstances, provide safe spaces to talk, share concerns & support each other.

To access free tools and resources for the above 11 options, please email your SHIP Coordinator, Tina Moen or call her at 651-565-5200. SHIP is a state-based program that works at the local level to support healthier communities by expanding opportunities for active living, healthy eating and commercial tobacco-free living.

Lake City Public Schools Receives State Breastfeeding-Friendly Recognition.

Lake City Public Schools has been named a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for its contributions to the health of parents and their babies.

MDH recognizes workplaces and county health departments that have demonstrated their commitment to supporting breastfeeding employees by creating a workplace lactation support program. The recognition program was created and is supported by the state Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) and the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP).

This designation acknowledges Lake City Public School’s commitment to acting as a model for the community by supporting healthy families and receiving the business benefits of supporting nursing employees. The designation is achieved by adopting a written policy and educating staff about it; ensuring adequate break time for breastfeeding employees; providing a clean, private place to pump breast milk; and demonstrating a strong commitment to supporting breastfeeding in the workplace.

Breastfeeding is a foundational way to ensure that babies receive optimal nutrition during the first formative years of life. Studies show that infants who are breastfed have better health outcomes as they grow.

Wabasha County SHIP has provided grant funding to three Wabasha County employers, supporting the implementation of designated breastfeeding rooms.

Allowable expenses can include chairs/rockers, tables, bulletin boards, lamps, portable locks, portable partitions/screens, mirror, small refrigerator for breastmilk, breast pumps, signage, and paint for repainting breastfeeding rooms.

To learn how to apply for recognition, visit Minnesota Department of Health’s website. If you’d like to learn more about partnering with Wabasha County SHIP, email Tina Moen, SHIP Coordinator or call 651-565-5200.

SHIP is a state-based program that works at the local level to support healthier communities by expanding opportunities for active living, healthy eating and commercial tobacco-free living. Find some of our partner resources here.

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