By SARA WIDNESS

Workplace wellness programs in Vermont are alive and thriving, with much of the credit going to the Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports.

Now in its 15th year, the council annually sponsors work-site wellness initiatives to tap into competitive spirits while helping employees achieve healthier lifestyles. During 2008, about 50 work sites won awards from the program.

Suzanne Kelley is physical activity coordinator for the Vermont Department of Health (VDH), which encourages Vermonters to be healthy and prevent obesity in a strategy adopted in 2006. Her department provides technical assistance and resources to implement anti-obesity strategies at work sites and schools.

Although Vermont ranks second to last in terms of the percentage of its population who are obese, Kelley said that curve is rising. The fact that Vermont has fewer fast food outlets than other states helps, but the state is, she said, “very rural in nature.”

Wellness programs of all types help contribute to one of the healthiest work forces in the nation. Springfield Medical Care Systems (SMCS) carries out its own in-house wellness initiatives, while Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) has won the council’s award for three consecutive years.

Janet Lyle, chief of human resources at SMCS, said her organization provides employees with an annual health-risk assessment that includes personal analysis and goal setting. By meeting goals, employees receive a break on health benefit premiums. If an employee enrolls in Weight Watchers, SMCS pays 50 percent of the membership fee; if goals are met, SMCS reimburses the remaining 50 percent.

Workers also are eligible for employer-assisted gym memberships. For example, the hospital pays $35 of the $46 membership cost at the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center in Springfield. SMCS’ latest endeavor is the 6/10th mile walking path at the hospital; the path also is open for public use.

Christine Rivers, wellness program spokesperson at CVPS, said the utility company has focused on wellness programs since 2003, when 188 participants joined a competitive walking program. Since then, she’s been part of a volunteer team that meets several times monthly to discuss company wellness initiatives including employee health risk assessments that target weight management, cardiac health, stress management and improving overall physical activity.

The goal, she said, is to tailor a major annual program that addresses the assessments. In 2008, 190 employees and spouses joined the CVPS “biggest loser” weight-loss contest. The result? Over a 12-week period, a total of 2,026 pounds disappeared. Three grand prizes of $1,000 were awarded.

The 2009 program is a 12-week “biggest winner” initiative with people logging times, distances and frequency of physical activities, working their way up the endurance-goals ladder.

“Our focus is balancing employee desires and company goals to reduce health care costs,” she said. CVPS has 550 employees in 10 districts throughout the state.

Organizations don’t have to go it alone. Jennie Nixon Carter is executive director for the Rutland Area Physical Activity Coalition (RAPAC), which works to reduce obesity in children and adults by developing lifelong commitments to sports such as walking, running and biking. Carter coordinates programs for employers including Rutland Regional Medical Center and Haven Health Care.

RAPAC draws from medical, planning, recreation and health care communities for a several-pronged approach to increasing physical activity. The organization advocates improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure throughout Rutland County, and helps schools and communities create safe biking and walking routes to school. It directs a free and ongoing program called Walk Rutland that pairs newcomers with seasoned walkers. It also offers classes in bicycle maintenance and introduction to mountain bike riding.

“We love to get any business that’s interested enrolled and help them do walking programs,” Carter said. “We help them introduce the program and get a team up and running and also hand out pedometers.”

At the Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC), which employs approximately 1,300, Sarah Narkewicz, coordinator of the employee wellness program, said the hospital’s current wellness program reflects a five-year history of walking and strength training in collaboration with the state Department of Health’s Get Moving Vermont initiative to combat obesity. Last year, more than 200 employees lost an average of eight pounds over 12 weeks in the region’s biggest-loser challenge.

Also ongoing at the hospital is a Rutland Recreation Department-staffed strength training session.

“People enjoy it because it’s right at work,” she said, noting RRMC’s workforce is primarily women. Strength training helps prevent osteoporosis and reduce bone loss, and, in the process, it increases muscle mass, which enhances metabolism and helps with weight loss.

This past summer, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) delivered fresh produce to RRMC for workers who have signed up to be part of the CSA program.

“The beauty of this program is that it’s win-win for farmer and employee,” said Narkewicz. “This fresh local produce is not treated with chemicals and pesticides and is the most nutritious and healthiest food for your family. People who are participating appreciate that value.”

Wellness programs aren’t confined to the private sector. VocRehab Vermont, headquartered in Waterbury, considers wellness intrinsic to the organization’s overall strategy, said John Howe, human resources manager.

“Our division won an award in 2009 as one of the best places to work in Vermont, not because of our pay package, because we don’t pay as well as private industry,” said Howe. “But, wellness has a lot do with the work environment; with employees liking their job, feeling valued and empowered and being given tools to do their jobs.”

Howe said wellness nurses meet with staff to assess those at risk for cardiovascular diseases. VocRehab also has a confidential employee assistance program that encourages staff to call one of four staff counselors in confidence to help resolve issues at home or in the workplace.

“The other piece I think that’s critical about wellness: our employees have a structure where employees can provide feedback to top manages about their jobs,” he said. “This is a stressful business, especially in this economy with so many people asking for help. It can feel very challenging for our employees.”

“We’ve had some amazing results, even in this economy, because staff are so strategic in how they devote their time to resources,” he added. “Some of our outcomes even better than last year, because our staff do such a great job.”

Erin McEnaney, a human resources generalist for The Orvis Company said its 250 associates who work and live around the company’s headquarters in Sunderland, VT, receive discounts on fly fishing classes and can join weekly yoga and meditation sessions held there.

Orvis also assembles teams for Race for the Cure. Through the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, it participates in Trek for Health. The company’s annual blood drives are open to the public, and staff can receive flu shots hosted at a flu clinic in the Sunderland and Rod Shop locations. The shots are covered by insurance.

With a change in insurance carriers, she said workers can now access online resources to help them monitor their health. Considerations include a smoking cessation program. There’s an on-site gym in the Sunderland office, and employees are encouraged to form weight loss teams to support each other.

Through its Employee Assistance Program, Orvis can tap into mental health counselors who assist staff with anxiety and other issues. This program also delivers an electronic newsletter that Orvis distributes to its team.