For the HERO team, May is typically the month in the middle…when we take a collective, though quick, breath between the February Think Tank and the Fall Think Tank and Forum…when we’re still ruminating on the robust discussions in San Diego and building the July Research Meeting agenda. As you read on, you’ll see that the organization’s business of committee work and collaborations, webinars and writings, projects and presentations, continues strong. One collaboration that merits the spotlight is the EEOC consensus group that HERO convened with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), the American Heart Association (AHA), and Population Health Alliance (PHA) to respond to the proposed rules on employer wellness programs. On May 17, the EEOC released the final rules to amend the ADA and GINA as they relate to employer wellness programs. The consensus group met this week and identified several areas of alignment between the consensus recommendations and the final rules: (1) how the EEOC defined a reasonably designed wellness program; (2) privacy protections were responsive and respectful of the group’s recommendations; (3) clarification around group health plan coverage and calculation of incentives/inducements; (4) guidance on the non-commercial use of data originated from the group’s guidance paper; and (5) proactive enforcement of the regulations. The strength of the consensus group’s recommendations has signaled the need for an ongoing policy group, so stay tuned for future details.
HERO Research Meeting
Join HERO and our special guest presenters at the annual HERO Research Meeting on July 19th in Bloomington, MN, as we discuss “Pursuing Well-being and the Big How.” This annual HERO members gathering–including top thought leaders, industry innovators, and experienced managers from best practice companies–features an intimate, small group format to discuss emerging research in the workplace health and well-being field and inform HERO’s research agenda for 2017. This year’s focus will be on how HERO pursues the research priorities our members are most interested in, particularly around the topic of well-being.
Learn more and register today!
HERO Forum
The 2016 HERO Forum on Leading in Well-Being: Workplaces Influencing the Health of Employees, Families & Communities will be in Atlanta, GA, September 27-29, at the Loews Atlanta Hotel, and the agenda is coming into focus.
We are excited about the educational program that has developed from the 2016 theme and the high quality submissions we received for presentation. For the general sessions, we’re pleased that Dr. Michael Roizen of Cleveland Clinic has accepted our invitation to provide the Tuesday keynote, Next Jump Co-CEO’s Charlie Kim and Meghan Messenger will talk about engagement and culture, and Dr. Jack Groppel returns this year to discuss engagement and performance. You’ll see a mix of new and familiar faces in the general session panels: one on leading in well-being moderated by Dr. Vic Strecher; another on employees, families and communities led by Dr. Seth Serxner; a research panel moderated by Dr. Ron Goetzel; and a panel discussion on the EEOC, incentives and engagement facilitated by Tami Simon. The Health Project will continue its tradition of recognizing the winners of the C. Everett Koop Award. Many of the breakout sessions have been confirmed and will be organized into tracks around the topics of well-being, measures that matter, families and communities, influencers, global health promotion and the future of work and the workplace. With too many speakers to name here, please take a minute to meet them via the Forum website and current agenda.
You’ve told us that networking is vital to your positive experience at Forum, so we’ve lengthened breaks and added opportunities to connect with your industry colleagues through networking roundtables and walking discussions. We also know that you’re an active group, so you’ll have plenty of chances to move whether it’s in the morning exercise classes, the lunchtime walk or yoga, or the StayWell Fun Run/Walk, and you’ll have access to the Ergotron standing desks (which will be raffled to attendees).
Two pre-conference events will take place on Monday, September 26. The 4th Annual University Summit for Faculty and Staff Health & Well-Being will present Innovations in University Health & Well-Being: Emerging Trends, Practices and Sustainable Programs, and the 2nd Annual Healthcare Summit will feature Hospitals Leading in Well-Being: Are You as Healthy as Your Community? There is a separate fee to attend.
Learn more and register today!
Fitbit Captivate Conference
If you’re in San Francisco June 7-9, 2016, you can catch up with HERO’s vice president of research, Jessica Grossmeier, and other industry experts, such as HERO member Cara McNulty of Target Corporation, at the Fitbit Captivate Summit. Jessica will be sharing how investing in wellness drives business performance. Check out the Fitbit website for more information or to register.
The National Wellness Conference
Hopefully she’s resting up now, because HERO’s own Jessica Grossmeier will continue her speaking circuit with an appearance at the National Wellness Conference on June 27th-29th in Saint Paul, MN. Learn more and register here if you would like to join!
Health Equity and Prosperity Movement
On August 4th and 5th, the University of Maryland will host hundreds of leaders from the business, non-profit and government sectors who share a vision of health equity and prosperity. To participate, you need to commit to conducting “Health Equity and Prosperity” vision dialogues leading to strategic action. This event is presented with support from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Find more information here.
Recent Wednesday Webinars with HERO
Have you missed out on recent Wednesday Webinars? HERO members can view recordings of these webinars in our Resource Center. Not a member yet? Don’t worry! We’ve recapped these webinars on our HERO blog to give you a glimpse into what we discussed with our guests.
AJHP Global Health Promotion Webinar
In this month’s webinar with the American Journal of Health Promotion, Paul Terry hosted guests Dr. Tsitsi Masvawure, Visiting Lecturer at the College of the Holy Cross, and independent
research consultant, along with Wolf Kirsten, Co-Founder & Co-Director at Global Centre for Healthy Workplaces, and President of International Health Consulting. Health promotion professionals in the US have embraced a “culture of health” as a prerequisite to affecting positive individual improvements in health and well-being, and the power of culture is featured prominently by these guests. If you missed the live webinar, you can still access the recording in the AJHP video archives.
Seeking Companies for Healthy Culture Case Studies
HERO, in collaboration with workplace wellness experts, is seeking companies from a variety of industries, business types and sizes to participate in a case study project. These case studies will focus on employers who have developed and actively fostered a healthy culture in the workplace; one that is intentionally designed with elements and indicators that support employee health and well-being. The HERO Culture of Health Study Committee is leading this work. Last week, the committee released a brief survey to HERO members to generate interest as a kick-off to the process. If you have not seen the survey, please let us know. For more information, contact the study project coordinator, Jessica Grossmeier at jessica.grossmeier@hero-health.org.
2016 Roundtable on Obesity Solutions
In April, the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions held a workshop about “The Role of Business in Multi-Sector Obesity Solutions: Working Together for Positive Change”? If you weren’t able to attend, you can still watch the webcast here.
Global Healthy Workplace Awards and Summit
The GHW Awards Summit is on June 7th in Washington DC. This is the 4th annual event, and this year will be hosted by The American University. You can register here, and apply for the awards here.
Global Alliance Announces Plan for Congressional Commitments to Move American Health
The Global Alliance for Health & Performance has announced an ambitious initiative to secure from every member of Congress a signed commitment to promote physical activity as a means for combatting what is considered a national health care crisis. The Congressional Commitment to Physical Activity was developed by the Global Alliance as a distinctive way to garner leadership and support in the fight for a healthier America. Three Congressional members, Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and representatives Robert Dold (R-IL) and Ron Kind (D-WI), were the first to sign the commitment, signaling their agreement to three basic tenets: be physically active themselves, encourage and make it easy for their staff to be physically active, and underscore and demonstrate to their constituents the importance of adequate physical activity to better health. The Congressional Commitment Campaign is a key strategy of the Global Alliance for Health and Performance, which was jointly founded by HERO member Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions, Inc. and the American College of Sports Medicine. The Congressional Commitment is aligning with other related efforts that, together, are building momentum in promoting better health through physical activity, such as the recent launch of the new U.S. National Physical Activity Plan and the Surgeon’s General Call to Action on Walking and Walkable Communities.
HERO Research Industry Review
Colleen Saringer of Alliant Employee Benefits released a new Industry Research Review for HERO entitled “Safety Culture Intervention Case Study May Inform Potential Approaches to Culture of Health Interventions.” You can read the review here.
HERO Scorecard Commentary
On a quarterly basis HERO partners with members to tap into the growing HERO Scorecard database to glean insights about employer use of health and well-being best practices. This quarter features a commentary by Stefan Gingerich from StayWell, titled “Strategies for Wellness Champion Networks Vary by Employer Size.” Check out the HERO blog for more information.
“Well-Being in All Policies”
In a recent article published in Preventing Chronic Disease, authors Thomas Klottke, Matt Stiefel, and Nico Pronk look at how we can improve people’s lives through cross-sectoral collaboration in well-being policies. Read on here.
“Winning with Wellness”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a report stating that “workplace wellness programs help improve our nation’s health.” You can read the full report here.
In last month’s HERO Brief, we welcomed spring and all of the new life and change that it brings. This month, I’ve found myself wondering if I live in West Coast Washington instead of the DC region, with measurable rainfall 19 out of the last 23 days and average temperatures in the mid-60’s. Our “rainy day” fund has been tapped to replace my raincoat, and two umbrellas have been retired having failed their mission. In the movies, rain always signals change ahead. The Moseley family will embrace change this summer as we relocate to central Pennsylvania for my husband’s next military assignment, challenging me to remember my 2016 resolution “Let. It. Go.” And I’m reminded again how fortunate I am to work for an employer that supports flexible work arrangements and shows concern for my well-being. In this season of change for HERO and personally, I am comforted and grateful for HERO’s constant laser focus on advancing the health and well-being of employees, families and communities.