WorkWell Kansas is ... working well.

Armed with a new round of funding, Dr. Elizabeth Ablah is adapting the workplace wellness initiative to reach even more Kansans. One goal: over the next three years, at least 150 more worksites will have worksite wellness plans with at least one new wellness policy, system, or environmental change.  

"We want outcomes," Ablah said. "We want change."  

Ablah, who's on the faculty of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at KU School of Medicine-Wichita, was recently notified that the WorkWell program will receive a $1 million grant from the Kansas Health Foundation.  

Launched four years ago, WorkWell Kansas has conducted workshops attracting around 500 participants from nearly 300 worksites. Schools, hospitals, local government entities, and manufacturers have been the most heavily involved, although members from other fields have also participated.  

The program is built around goals such as increasing physical activity, eating healthier, not using tobacco, and managing mental health, stress, and chronic disease. The first three, Ablah notes, are modifiable behaviors which have huge impacts on health.  

But simply sharing information does not change behavior, she said. It has to be shared with the right people, and in the right way.  

Going forward, Ablah said the changes in WorkWell Kansas will include:  

• Shorter, half-day workshops targeted toward a specific topic, such as physical activity or tobacco use, to allow more people to attend.
• Workshops targeted toward specific industries and geographic regions. "We want sectors and regions to connect," Ablah said.
• Encouraging worksites to send "wellness teams" to these workshops, and get more engagement by top executives. "We want to get the people involved who have a role in changing the culture of the workplace," said Ablah.
• A beefed-up WorkWell website, with searchable resources and interactive features. That will help participating worksites "find the evidence-based resources they need to move in the direction they want to go," Ablah said.  

Some important lessons were learned during the program's first four years. One is that the people who tend to get involved in worksite wellness initiatives are those who already have a reputation for living healthy lives. But workplace wellness committees need to include a variety of people in order to succeed.  

Another is the concept that people "like to be liked" more than they want to ruffle feathers by suggesting behavioral changes, Ablah said. But they also don't want to be seen by their larger community as lagging behind the times. Competition or cooperation with other worksites in implementing changes can be powerful motivators.  

What kind of WorkWell Kansas success stories does Ablah hope to see more of in the future? The Kansas Health Foundation provides one. In addition to funding the program and requiring many of its other grant participants to participate in it, KHF has adopted a healthy foods policy for its headquarters in downtown Wichita that ensures access to healthy foods and beverages for its employees and visitors.  

"This is them actually walking the walk," Ablah said.  

Another success story can be found in Cathy Harmes, human resources director for the city of Manhattan. Concerned about increasing health insurance costs for its employees, the city of Manhattan started a tobacco initiative that included a sustained educational campaign to reduce tobacco use, provided subsidized nicotine replacement therapy and counseling for people wanting to quit using tobacco, instituted a policy to support a tobacco-free workplace, and made educational materials available.  

In Ablah's words, it's, "WorkWell Kansas' first phase in action." Stay tuned for more.