Health Links (HL): Why is the health and wellness of your employees important to you?

Blake Medical Center (BMC): As a hospital, we are committed to the health and wellness of our entire community. One important way to improve the wellness of our community is to help our employees improve their own wellness. Our team members help take care of people every day, we need to do the same for them.

(HL): How will you/do you know your program is successful?

(BMC): The most impactful measure of success is the feedback of our employees. Our employees regularly complete surveys and provide input on many important issues, including employee wellness. Based on that feedback, we continually improve and expand our wellness offerings, including the latest addition, a new 24 hour employee fitness center.

(HL): What obstacles did you have to overcome to get your program started? How did you overcome them?

(BMC): Being in the healthcare industry, we are very fortunate to have a leadership team that embraces the wellness culture. The biggest obstacle is keeping up with all of the wonderful ideas our employees share with us!

(HL): Do you incorporate safety along with your wellness program? If so, what does this look like?

(BMC): We have a very robust safety program at Blake Medical Center. From online training and in person training to safety fairs and ongoing inspections, safety is a top priority.

(HL): What tip/advice would you give to a business that is considering starting a workplace wellness program?

(BMC): Starting a program takes time and you can’t implement everything at once. Brainstorm, prioritize and get constant feedback from your employees. When possible, include your team members in the decision making and the implementation of various wellness components, having everyone on board really makes the difference.