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Home My WebLink About5.F.3. Acceptance and Allocation of SHIP Worksite Wellness Grant City of Shakopee r MEMORANDUM WW"AN"r TO: Mayor and City Council Mark McNeill, City Administrator FROM: Kris Wilson, Assistant City Administrator ,J SUBJECT: Acceptance and Allocation of SHIP Worksite Wellness Grant DATE: July 30, 2010 Introduction The City Council is asked to accept a $5,000 grant from the Carver - Scott Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) and to allocate the funds for use by the Employee Wellness Committee. Background The City, in its capacity as a local employer, was contacted by the Scott County Public Health Department earlier this year to see if we would be interested in participating in a worksite wellness program they are operating with funds received from the State under the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP). An overview of the SHIP program is attached for your information. Given that we had been considering a wellness program for employees, staff saw this as a good opportunity to get started. By participating in the SHIP workplace wellness effort, the City agreed to participate in an employee survey and environmental assessment conducted by the Wilder Foundation, develop an action plan for addressing some or all of issues identified by the survey, and then take steps to implement that action plan. The City has broad discretion to develop and implement its action plan, so we are not committing to each and every recommendation or to any significant financial outlay by the City. Following each step, participating worksites receive a monetary payment. The three payments will total $5,000. Council is asked to authorize acceptance of the $5,000 and allocate it for use by the Employee Wellness Committee. The Committee is in the process of developing a plan, but possible uses include: supporting expenses associated with the Employee Garden, bringing in speakers on wellness topics such as nutrition, preventing back injuries, etc; purchasing token prizes for wellness activities such as the Medica "Get Moving" Challenge; a health fair, or making enhancements to employee break rooms to encourage healthy eating and physical activity. Budget Impact There is no negative budgetary impact to the City. This is an excellent opportunity to provide a little seed money for the new Employee Wellness Committee without taking it from the General Fund. Relationship to Vision This is a housekeeping item (F). Requested Action If the Council concurs, it is asked to offer a motion accepting $5,000 from the Carver Scott Statewide Health Improvement Program and allocating it for use by the Employee Wellness Committee. CARVER SCOTT The Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) SHIP, an integral part of Minnesota's nation - leading 2008 health reform law, strives to help Minnesotans lead longer, healthier lives by preventing the chronic disease risk factors of tobacco use and exposure, poor nutrition and physical inactivity. SHIP seeks to create sustainable, systemic changes in schools, worksites, communities and health care organizations that make it easier for Minnesotans to incorporate healthy behaviors into their daily lives. Changing Policies, Systems and Environments The community that surrounds a person greatly influences behavior choices. Research has shown that people's health is related to both the physical and social environment in which they live. Environments, social norms, policies, regulations and laws impact behaviors of individuals. These social and physical environmental elements can promote, support and reinforce healthy behaviors and contribute to the reduction of obesity in the state of Minnesota. SHIP plays an important role by focusing on policy, systems and environmental changes to make sustainable changes designed to curb the state's obesity and tobacco crisis. SHIP Activities in Carver and Scott Counties The Carver -Scott SHIP staff, in collaboration with its Community Leadership Team, has selected the following interventions for implementation in Carver and Scott Counties. • Worksites: Implement a comprehensive employee wellness initiative that provides health assessment with follow -up coaching; ongoing health education, and has policies and environment supports that promote healthy weight and healthy behaviors. • Health Care: Develop relationships among health care providers and community leaders and build partnerships to facilitate active referral of patients to local resources that increase access to high quality nutritious foods, opportunities for physical activity, and tobacco use cessation. • Schools: Implement comprehensive nutrition policies including: breakfast promotion; healthy lunch and snacks, including classroom celebrations and incentives, fundraising, concessions, and vending; school gardens; and Farm -to- School initiatives. • Communities: Implement policies and practices that create active communities by increasing opportunities for non - motorized transportation (walking and biking) and access to community recreation facilities. CARVER SCOTT ■ - SHIP aLT HimprovemenTprogram www.carverscottship.org Worksites The Statewide Health Improvement Program The Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), an integral part of Minnesota's nation_ leading 2008 health reform law, strives to help Minnesotans lead longer, healthier lives by preventing the chronic disease risk factors of tobacco use and exposure, poor nutrition and physical inactivity. SHIP seeks to create sustainable, systemic changes in schools, worksites, communities and health care organizations that make it easier for Minnesotans to incorporate healthy behaviors into their daily lives. SHIP Activities in Worksites A key component of SHIP includes implementing comprehensive employee wellness initiatives. Worksites in Carver and Scott Counties are invited to work with Carver -Scott SHIP on the following activities: ❑ Conduct a Worksite Assessment Partner with the Carver -Scott SHIP evaluation team to conduct a x Worksite assessment of workplace culture, policies and current wellness activities. • Establish Healthy Catering and Vending Policies Create nutrition guidelines for on -site catering and replace unhealthy food and beverage items in vending machines with more nutritious alternatives. • Allow Flexible Work Schedules to Accommodate Physical Activity Identify ways that employees can adapt their work schedules throughout the week to make it possible for them to be physically active during the day. • Modify Facilities to Support Physical Activity Make changes to the worksite to promote physical activity such as creating safe and accessible stairways, installing bike racks, fitness equipment, showers and lockers. • Accommodate and Support Breastfeeding Mothers Provide private rooms for expressing breast milk and refrigerated storage and work with new mothers to establish flexible schedules that make it possible for them to pump during work. • Create a Tobacco Free Worksite Establish guidelines that prohibit the use of tobacco on -site including all buildings and grounds. • Connect Employees with Tobacco Cessation Resources Help employees that would like to quit using tobacco products with tobacco cessation benefits and services. Changing the Environment in which People Work A healthy, motivated employee is vitally important to a workplace as a whole and has a significant impact on an employer's bottom line. An investment in worksite health promotion improves employees' health, productivity and quality of life, assists in the management of the cost of health care benefits and insurance and creates a desirable work environment. About 80 percent of all employers with 50 or more employees now offer some form of health promotion program.' 0 SHIP Funding for Worksites �« To assist worksites in Carver County and Scott County that are interested in implementing comprehensive employee wellness initiatives, financial assistance through SHIP is available. Worksites that partner with Carver -Scott SHIP will be expected to complete the three steps outlined below and can receive financial assistance for each Step. Worksite Wellness Activities 1. Conduct an assessment (or review a current assessment) to identify existing worksite wellness initiatives, culture, and policies. 2. Create an action plan that outlines activities the worksite will implement as part of a comprehensive employee wellness initiative including: health assessment with follow -up coaching, ongoing health education, and policies and environmental supports that promote healthy weight and healthy behaviors. 3. Implement action plan and work with the Carver -Scott SHIP evaluation team at Wilder Research to collect data and evaluate the success of SHIP activities. Technical Assistance and Support An evaluation team at Wilder Research will be available to worksites to assist in conducting an assessment, collecting data and evaluating the success of SHIP activities. Additionally, Carver -Scott SHIP staff will be available to provide ongoing technical assistance and support on worksite wellness. For more information on the implementation of the Statewide Health Improvement Program in Carver and Scott Counties, visit www.carverscottship.org or contact sbrainard- marsh @co.scott.mn.us. 1 MDH (2009). SHIP and Worksites Working to Reduce Chronic Disease in Minnesota. Retrieved from http: / /www.health. state. mn .us /healthreform /ship /about /SHI PWorksitesFactSheet.pdf