An organization’s greatest resource is its employees. I have a deep appreciation for the men and women who come to work for UnityPoint Health each day, in our hospitals and clinics, and in patients’ homes delivering in-home care and hospice services. They are the ones who bring our mission to life, delivering outstanding healthcare to those who need it.
Delivering care in our hospitals, clinics and patients’ homes isn’t the only way we work to keep the community well. We also partner with local companies, working with them to provide access to our network and find ways to keep their employees healthy. This summer, UnityPoint Health is taking an important step forward in our efforts to keep the workforce healthy with the acquisition of Optimum Health Solutions.
Optimum Health Solutions provides an array of important services that help organizations keep their employees well. One of the foundational components of these services is employee health screenings, which provide employers with data that guides the development of a workplace wellness program. Using predictive modeling, the data identified through health screenings highlight the serious health risks and opportunities that exist in an employee population. With this information, Optimum Health Solutions partners with the employer to design a custom wellness program. The goal is to improve the health of the workforce, decreasing healthcare costs to the employer and improving the overall wellness of the workforce.
The most impactful part of a workplace wellness program is health coaching. Optimum Health Solutions provides a health coaching program that helps employees make small, manageable changes aimed at achieving important health and wellness goals. During one-on-one sessions, coaches identify the individual’s health-related patterns and personal health risks to help them set realistic goals. They also discuss gaps in care, how to follow the instructions of a healthcare provider, and provide motivation. Employees who participate in coaching have access to resources that help them stay on track, like an online wellness portal that syncs with wearables like FitBit and Apple Watch.
Keeping an organization’s workforce engaged is an important part of our approach. Achieving health and wellness goals can be an intimidating task. That’s why Optimum Health Solutions partners with employers to create campaigns and challenges that make staying well fun. And while these programs are fun, they’re rooted in best practices that are proven to help groups of employees improve their overall health. Many of these programs are self-directed, and include incentives and educational opportunities. Customization allows the employer to help workers lose weight, quit smoking, manage stress, or improve any number of other health factors identified as opportunities for their workforce.
When I speak with leaders in our community, we often talk about ways to keep our teams healthy and engaged. It’s because we really care about those who dedicate their lives to the organizations they are a part of. Helping them stay well isn’t just good for individual employers; it’s good for our community. That’s why bringing Optimum Health Solutions into the UnityPoint Health family makes sense. It’s one more way we’re serving the region, helping people in the communities we serve live their healthiest lives. iBi
