RLC awarded Gold recognition for Worksite Wellness program

INA, Ill. (Oct. 28, 2014) - Rend Lake College is leading the way in employee health and wellness, thanks to the “We Choose Health” grant, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yesterday, RLC received the highest recognition - Gold - for the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Illinois Healthy Worksite Designation.

The Illinois Healthy Worksite Designation was created in 2014 to recognize workplaces with healthy practices that benefit employees and employers alike. The 3-year award includes three achievement levels, Gold, Silver, and Bronze, to be based on criteria met by the organization.

“Everyone at Rend Lake College is excited to be awarded Gold recognition, and I’m proud of the Worksite Wellness Committee and the progress they’ve had here with promoting employee health,” said RLC President Terry Wilkerson. “It’s important to promote faculty and staff health and wellness for our long-term success and for the well-being of RLC as a whole.”

At RLC, the Worksite Wellness Committee was formed to improve the health and happiness of employees by helping them reach wellness goals through motivation, encouragement, and informational activities. Some of the activities include Lunch-N-Learn, Walk-N-Talk, monthly challenges, ongoing newsletters, and much more.

RLC Faculty and Staff participated in the Walk-N-Talk kickoff event in June. During the weekly Walk-N-Talks, co-workers spend their lunch catching up with others while improving their cardiovascular health. Click on the image for a larger view.

“RLC has promoted worksite wellness for years, and we recently formed a committee whose mission is to improve wellness at Rend Lake College and increase awareness,” said Lori Ragland, Dean of Community and Corporate Education. “Some of the programs and activities the Worksite Wellness Committee puts together include weekly ‘Walk-N-Talks’ through campus, monthly ‘Lunch-N-Learn’ workshops that cover a variety of health-related topics, and a newsletter sent out to all our faculty and staff. They’ve done a great job since the committee’s inception, and I’m excited to see so many faculty and staff participating.”

RLC met the criteria in all three levels to receive Gold recognition. These qualifications include:

• Promoting and supporting healthy nutrition at work;
• Providing and encouraging opportunities for physical activity at work;
• Developing a 12-month Health and Wellness Calendar and an ongoing communication plan to promote employee health and well-being;
• Demonstrating a commitment to employee health and well-being by making it part of the organization’s mission statement, goals, and operations;
• And developing lifestyle and disease management strategies, and measuring their success annually.

RLC Culinary Arts Instructor Jeff Fairbanks demonstrates some easy and healthy recipes during a monthly Lunch-N-Learn event for RLC Faculty and Staff. Click on the image for a larger view.

“With health and obesity constantly in the headlines, it’s great to see the faculty and staff here at RLC coming together to support one another in creating and maintaining healthy lifestyles,” said Kim Robert, Dean of the Allied Health Division. “It’s a wonderful community to be a part of and we encourage everyone to participate.”

RLC is one of only five organizations to receive recognition in Southern Illinois. The other four are Southern Illinois Healthcare in Carbondale with Gold recognition, and Clinton County Government Offices in Carlyle, Jackson County Health Department in Murphysboro, and United Stationers in Greenville, all with Bronze recognition. There were 10 other organizations who received Gold, 14 received Silver, and 13 others who received Bronze.

RLC and the other winning organizations will be honored at the State Capitol on Nov. 19, along with 32 other organizations who previously qualified for recognition in April of 2014.

The Illinois Healthy Worksite Designation was created as part of the statewide “We Choose Health” community transformation grant, which was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and overseen by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Its purpose was to make communities healthier and reduce chronic disease.

Worksite Wellness was one of the strategies selected to achieve the goal in Illinois. The Illinois Healthy Worksite Designation was created to engage employers throughout the state in worksite wellness best practices.

For more information about Worksite Wellness at RLC, contact Ragland at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1367 or visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rlcwellness.