Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
Navigate Up
Sign In

A - Z Index | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z| En Español|

Healthiest Maryland : resources

Resources

How to Get Started:

  •  Contact your organization’s health insurance provider.  Providers are an important resource for creating and implementing a worksite wellness plan and could help employers launch or support a wellness program. 
  • Reach out to vendors, consultants, and brokers for help.  While Healthiest Maryland Businesses cannot promote individual organizations, an employer’s insurance company may have recommendations.  The National Committee for Quality Assurance and the URAC are two organizations that evaluate vendor and health plan performance in comprehensive wellness.
  •  The Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) , a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of working Americans, has formulated seven simple steps to create a wellness program at your worksite called the “The Seven C’s of Successful Worksite Wellness Programs .”  

The seven steps are:

Please review each of the “Seven C’s” to gain an understanding of how to implement a comprehensive worksite wellness program.  Click each of the above links for a detailed description of each step.  After completing steps 1-4 within your workplace, please take advantage of the Programming Matrix outlined below to assist you with steps 5-7.


Seven Elements of a Comprehensive Worksite Health Promotion Program


The Wellness Councils of America outlines seven elements of a comprehensive worksite health promotion program, as defined by Healthy People 2020 and the Partnership for Prevention . The elements are:
  • Health Education, which focuses on skill development and lifestyle behavior change long with information dissemination and awareness building, preferably tailored to employee’s interests and needs. 
  • Supportive Social and Physical Environments.  These include an organization’s expectations regarding healthy behaviors, and implementation of policies that promote health and reduce risk of disease.
  • Integration of the Worksite Program into your organization’s structure.
  • Linkage to Related Programs like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and programs to help employees balance work and family. 
  • Worksite Screening Programs ideally linked to medical care to ensure follow-up and appropriate treatment as necessary.
  • Follow-up Interventions that support individual behavioral change
  • Evaluation and Improvement Processes to help enhance the program’s effectiveness and efficiency.

As a member of this initiative, Healthiest Maryland Businesses recommends employers view this Programming Matrix , which was adapted from the Partnership for Prevention and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The matrix outlines steps your business can take to incorporate each of the seven elements described above into your worksite health promotion program.  The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recognizes that businesses vary in size and in the amount of resources available to implement a worksite health promotion program.  Therefore, this matrix outlines “Minimum Steps” to provide a sound foundation as well as “Moderate” and “Comprehensive” steps to build upon the previous steps to create a broad program strategy.  Finally, there will be links embedded within many of the steps that will connect you to tools and resources to help you accomplish each step (coming soon).

​Additional Resources

Please click here to see a list of additional resources including comprehensive guides, informational sources, tobacco cessation aids, and breastfeeding support assistance.