August Briefs
Goodbye, Summer. Hello, Baltimore!
With the end of Summer this week (meteorologically speaking), the HERO team is laser-focused on, and moving full-steam ahead toward, Forum24 in Baltimore Inner Harbor, Oct. 7th-9th! You will not want to miss this annual convening of business leaders, organizational change experts, and health and well-being scientists and practitioners. HERO members will begin the week on Monday morning, Oct. 7th, with the Fall Think Tank on obesity interventions and GLP-1s. For the first time since 2020, the CMO Summit will convene in person on the topic of Food Is Medicine. In addition, leaders in healthcare and higher education will have the opportunity to learn about issues unique to their workforce at the Healthcare Summit and University Summit on Oct. 9th. And of course, all of the great networking you’ve come to expect from HERO events!
HERO has been collaborating with UsAgainstAlzheimer’s for the past year, and we are excited to announce the Brain Health Best Practice Score, part of the HERO Health and Well-being Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer©. Triangle Business Journal recently featured this effort in the Project Life series, which includes articles on employee stress, anxiety and depression. You can read the full article here.
HERO members: You are invited to join HERO President & CEO Karen Moseley in New York on Sept. 18-20, for the Brain Days at the 79th United Nations General Assembly – watch your email for your official invitation or reach out to Karen.Moseley@hero-health.org if you’re interested in attending.
Continue reading for details on these activities and more. HERO has much to celebrate, thanks to the contributions of our members and collaborators!
The HERO Team
Member Updates
HERO Scorecard
We are excited to announce that the Brain Health Best Practice Score is now part of the instant results report for organizations that complete the HERO Health and Well-being Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer©.
This special best practice score is another educational tool, along with three other special best practice scores – mental health; social determinants of health; and diversity, equity and inclusion. All of these scores are derived from existing items in the HERO Scorecard (V5), and organizations that have already completed V5 of the HERO Scorecard should have received an updated results report including the Brain Health Best Practice Score last week.
HERO is fortunate to collaborate with UsAgainstAlzheimer’s in this effort to raise awareness about and identify solutions for promoting brain health across the lifespan.
Thank you to the members and advisors for contributing your expertise to this work:
- AARP
- CDC
- Flow2Thrive
- Mercer
- NEXT Integrative Minds Life Sciences
- ProChange Behavior Solutions
- Sharecare
- UC Denver
- UPenn, Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine
UT Dallas – Center for Brain Health
To learn more, please visit these additional resources:
1. Business Collaborative for Brain Health
2. How it Works and Frequently Asked Questions
3. Understanding Brain Health – Educational and Research Guide
Let us know how we can help, what questions you have, about your experience, and if you would like to be a visible part of the Brain Health Best Practice Score rollout.
For more information on the HERO Scorecard contact:
Colleen.Saringer@hero-health.org
HERO Committees
What’s new with HERO Committees?
People & Culture Study Committee
Next meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 3, 12:10 – 1:00 PM EST
Focus:
- How workplace culture and inclusion efforts impact business performance.
- Identify links between DE&I & Belonging, SDoH, ERG, and Mental Health with workplace culture and well-being.
RSS – Research Study Subcommittee
Next meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST
Focus:
- Develop research study proposals and give guidance, oversight, and expertise to the design and implementation of HERO-facilitated research.
- Develop and disseminate peer-reviewed HERO research studies, HERO Scorecard commentaries & industry research summaries, and keep members up to date on HERO and industry research.
Workforce Mental Health & Well-Being Study Committee
Next meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 1:10 – 2:00 PM EST
Focus:
- Facilitate evidence-based decision making for mental health policies and programs.
- Identify barriers and gaps for employers.
HERO Hub Updates: New Content
HERO Hub Learning Series
The next installation of the HERO Learning Series is available. Log into the HERO Hub to access these sessions, available for a limited time!
Driving Health Equity in the Workplace
Eduardo Sanchez, MD, MPH, FAHA
Structural inequity, discrimination and bias take a heavy toll on the health and well-being of employees, organizations, and their communities. The American Heart Association’s CEO Roundtable leadership collaborative of nearly 50 CEOs working to eliminate policies that lead to workplace inequities collaborated to develop guiding principles and actionable strategies to guide organizations on their journey to health equity. The Driving Health Equity in the Workplace resources were developed by a writing group of business leaders and experts. They are based on scientific evidence, market research, best practices, and examples from leading organizations. The aim is to help end historical structures and workplace cultures that treat people inequitably. As champions for health equity, the AHA continues to add to this body of work with new examples and resources for employers and employees, working to ensure every person achieves the opportunity for a healthy life.
Visit www.heart.org/workplaceequity.
It’s almost gone…Catch it before it disappears!
Leslie Hammer, PhD, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at OHSU; Oregon Health Workforce center, Portland State University
Research evidence indicates that psychosocial stressors such as low supervisor support and high work-life stress are negative occupational exposures related to poor psychological and physical health, negative work outcomes, and adverse effects on families. These associations suggest that Occupational Health Psychology and Total Worker Health® interventions such as leadership support trainings may be helpful in mitigating effects of workplace psychosocial stressors on health and well-being.
Would other members of your organization be interested in viewing these resources?
Don’t have a log in? Contact Tris at pat.rohner@hero-health.org.
Remember: member organizations receive an unlimited number of log-ins, so pass it along.
UPCOMING EVENTS
October will be here before you know it.
Register NOW!
There’s quite a bit happening at HERO Forum24 that you don’t want to miss! Our agenda is full of learning from expert speakers of leading organizations, offering insights you can take with you and plenty of networking and fun.
Hear from Dr. Richard Safeer, CMO, Johns Hopkins Medicine and Forum speaker on what to expect at Forum24.
Up to 40 Continuing Education Credit Hours Available
HERO Forum24 offers up to 40 continuing education (CE) credit hours for CHES/MCHES through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC). Credits are available for all general sessions, breakouts, and learning labs.
REGISTRATION
MORE INFORMATION
With thanks to Forum24 sponsors:
Mercer, WebMD Health Services, Dario, TELUS Health, Truven by Merative, Ochsner Connected Health, and Sword Health.
Sponsored by Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES) to receive Category I contact education contact hours. Provider ID#101039
2024 HERO Healthcare Summit
The HERO Healthcare Summit convenes annually with healthcare leaders to address issues unique to the healthcare workforce.
Championing Healthcare Workplace Safety and Well-Being: Addressing Violence, Harassment, and Mental Health
October 9, 2024
12:00 – 5:00 pm ET (Lunch Included)
In Conjunction with HERO Forum24
REGISTRATION
Sponsored by:
2024 HERO University Summit:
The HERO University Summit brings thought leaders together from Universities across the country to address issues affecting faculty and staff health and well-being from an employer perspective.
Where You Belong.
Explore Drivers of Belonging for Faculty and Staff in Higher Education
October 9, 2024
1:00 – 5:00 pm ET (Networking Lunch @12:00 pm ET)
In Conjunction with HERO Forum24
REGISTRATION
Sponsored by:
2024 Fall Think Tank
Lifestyle, Environmental, and Pharmacological Interventions for Obesity: How Employers Can Strike the Right Balance with GLP-1s
October 7, 2024
9:00 am – 12:00 pm ET
A free members-only event in conjunction with HERO Forum24
This Think Tank will explore the benefits and drawbacks of GLP-1s and similar drugs, illustrate how employers are integrating them into their health benefit offerings (or not), and delve into the opportunities to more systematically integrate lifestyle as medicine into benefit strategies as a precursor of, adjunct to, or substitute for pharmacological interventions.
REGISTRATION
2024 HERO CMO Summit
When Food is Medicine, What is the Physician’s Role?
October 7, 2024
9:00 am – 7:00 pm ET
A convening only for Chief Medical Officers, Chief Health Officers, and Corporate Medical Directors.
The HERO CMO Summit is designed to address the specific needs and interests of corporate Chief Medical Officers, Chief Health Officers, and Corporate Medical Directors. HERO will convene this important gathering with two sessions, beginning with the morning Think Tank (above) followed by the afternoon CMO-only discussion on how to integrate Food Is Medicine interventions into the clinical workflow and the organizational benefits structure. These two sessions are offered in conjunction with HERO Forum24. If you would like to attend days 2 and 3 of Forum24, we are offering a 40% discount on registration.
REGISTRATION
Sponsored by:
HERO Swag Store
With summer on its way out, check out the HERO Swag Store for all your fall weather needs! From sweatshirts and pullovers to vests and more, we have it all!
Visit the HERO Store today!
Members: Log in to the MEMBERS ONLY store for discounts on all HERO swag.
HERO RECOMMENDS
Resources and Readings
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- Health Action Alliance: National Employer Summit on The Aging Workforce, Sept. 10, 2:00-3:30 PM ET. This virtual presentation will feature business leaders and experts with practical ideas and solutions focused on menopause-friendly workplaces, financial health, and working caregivers.
- CNN Health: Featuring Exercise is Medicine (EIM) initiative managed by ACSM. This article and the EIM website link to resources for healthcare providers, universities, communities, and individuals promoting physical activity as integral to optimal health and the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions. Don’t forget to sign and promote the CEO Pledge for Physical Activity, a signature initiative of the Physical Activity Alliance.
- HBR: Stakeholder Capitalism Still Makes Business Sense. Corporate social responsibility priorities, such as climate change and DEI, have undergone much scrutiny since the Business Roundtable commitment five years ago. Polman and Winston analyze the progress and “not so good news” and call for courageous action and bold, decisive leadership.
- 2025 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey. Executive Summary from the annual survey from Business Group on Health predicting the 2025 trends in employer-sponsored health care.