By Elizabeth Stinchfield, Technical Writer
“The event was lots of fun!”
“Thank you so much for giving us an opportunity to obtain a flu shot and learn more about health.”
“Thank you for another great fair!”
Above are just some of the comments the Wellness Committee received regarding this year’s Health Fair. And we agree! With the addition of new resources and vendors, Life Care Centers of America’s Health Fair continues to grow and improve every year.
“As a health care company, Life Care must have associates who understand the need for personal health – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually – in order to deliver the highest quality of care to our residents,” said Beecher Hunter, Life Care president. “Life Care’s 2012 Health Fair served to remind us all of the urgency of attention to the state of our fitness and the opportunities available to maintain and improve our well-being. Life Care’s Wellness Committee did an excellent job of presenting an array of experts, services and products to make us better in the pursuit of our roles and goals.”
For 2012, the Wellness Committee changed things up a bit. One way was with the development of a Health Fair website, which allowed associates to easily sign up for Health Risk Assessments and flu shots.
“The new registration process ensured our associates were able to easily register for the HRA and flu shot, in a fair process to get the time that worked best for them,” said Ron England, training manager and Wellness Committee member. “A special thank you goes out to Pete Schwager, web developer at The Media Center, for his efforts.”
The Health Fair itself also received a new look with the help of The Media Center and Graphic Services designer Jamie Philpott.
“With this being our third year, the Wellness Committee felt it was time to brand the event so that it became more recognizable when mentioned in different avenues, such as Village Square and Life Care Today,” said Elizabeth Stinchfield, technical writer and Wellness Committee member.
The website for the 2012 Health Fair also let associates know who would be attending the event. From Jumpin’ Junction and BB&T to Smoothie King and Apple Tree Natural Foods, vendors from around Cleveland, Tenn., and beyond participated in this year’s event. While some were returning favorites, a few new companies joined the fun this October, including Verizon Wireless, Susan G. Komen, Sam’s Club and Front Runner.
“I really appreciate that Life Care goes the extra mile to ensure our wellness by providing free flu shots and health assessments not only for associates, but spouses as well,” said Christina Cannon, compliance specialist. “The Wellness Committee did a great job of inviting a diverse group of vendors to cover the many different physical, financial and social wellness issues.”
“The Health Fair showed me the resources that are available in order to make improvements to my overall well-being,” explained Emily Maynard, operations assistant and bookkeeper. “I learned a lot from my HRA results and consultation. Life Care associates benefit from being able to compare results with years past to not only see changes on the outside but also on the inside of the body. Everyone likes to see results when they make a change, and the assessment helps keep you on the right track.”
Vendors were just as thrilled to communicate with associates.
“BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee was able to provide helpful information to Life Care associates, as well as have one-on-one discussions with them regarding their benefit questions and concerns,” said Kristie Hasting, major accounts coordinator at BCBST.
Lori Dodd, YMCA director of corporate membership, agreed:
“The YMCA is very appreciative of the opportunity to discuss wellness and our variety of healthy workout options. This is one of the best organized and associate-attended health fairs we participate in.”
One of the reasons Life Care’s Health Fair keeps getting better is the feedback we receive from associates who attend the event.
“We’re excited that our 2012 fair served more than 300 individuals,” said Kelley Falcon, vice president of human resources and chairman of the Wellness Committee. “Our goal is to make the fair as beneficial as possible to all attendees. The associate surveys are an important tool that allows us to know what works and what doesn’t; already, we’ve received suggestions that will be incorporated into next year’s event.”