There are still a few spots left - enroll by Friday, January 19, 2018.

Media Release from Sawtooth Mountain Clinic - Tuesday, December 16, 2017

Grand Marais, Minn. – Sawtooth Mountain Clinic and the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) are pleased to announce the second cohort of the North Shore Workplace Wellness Collaborative.

The goal of this collaborative is to help employers in Cook County and Grand Portage develop or improve upon an existing employee/workplace wellness initiative. The planned start date is late- January 2018 and the group will meet monthly through December. Employers will learn how to better engage employees by creating a ‘culture of health’ that supports healthy behaviors.

Creating a workplace wellness initiative is an important step an employer can take to increase productivity, improve morale, and better manage health care costs. Plus, most of the best practice recommendations take little to no financial resources on the part of your organization – just staff time to plan and implement. Participating employers will receive 12 months of free consultation, along with tools and templates to ensure success.

Any size employer is welcome. Whether your organization has a wellness initiative in place or is new to this type of work, you are invited to learn more and participate. 

For more information or an application, contact Hartley Newell-Acero at 218-387-2330 or [email protected]. Applications are due by January 19, 2018.

Are you wondering if this collaborative would be a good fit for your worksite? Read through this list and find out:

Is This A Good Fit For My Organization?

Organizations that have — or are willing to develop — the following characteristics are more likely to succeed in this project and build a sustainable workplace wellness initiative.

 1.    The organization has leadership that:

• is committed to building a workplace wellness initiative
• provides staffing for this project and the organization’s workplace wellness initiative (about six hours each per month for a primary contact plus a wellness planning team)
• provides a minimal budget, if needed
• approves:
• the wellness planning team decisions to improve employee wellness within
  your organization
• improvements in the organization’s approach to work site wellness based upon
  best practices and research

·       has the authority to make changes to policy and the environment

·       positively influences initiatives, policies and communication

2.     Role of the participating organization

The primary contact and the organization’s planning team will:

·   complete a work site assessment (provided by the project)

·   have one or two team members attend monthly collaborative meetings

·   actively discuss and plan related activities

·   be willing to learn about and understand the best practices and research recommended by project consultants

·   spend six to eight hours a month (including project meetings) to

o   establish goals with internal stakeholders

o   implement the goals

o   track progress (format provided by the project)

·   share experiences with others (cohort leader and other participating organizations)

3.     Next steps for your organization

·   Determine whether your organization has the characteristics listed above or will develop them in the next two to four months.

·   Confirm that your organization will participate in this project.

Contact Hartley Newell-Acero (218-387-2330 or [email protected]) for an application to register your organization for the project.

Registration deadline:

January 19, 2018