Get healthy—practice wellness in the workplace

 
















Nancy Stanley, AORN Senior
Exhibit Sales Executive helps
unpack the new Sterile Processing
Department at The Children's
Hospital in Denver, Colo.






Team AORN. AORN staff who
participated in the Susan G.
Komen Race for the Cure,
Oct. 7 in Denver.

Rose Seavey and members of her
staff in the Sterile Processing
Department at The Children's
Hospital in Denver take
time to stretch everyday.




Members of AORN's
Wellness and Retention Committee


Katie Cooke
Patti Hamilton
Kelley Kadlecek
Janet Knox
Audrey Lang
Debbie Robichaud Stephen
Cathy Sparkman
Marisa Tapia
Stacy Thivener

Do you take time to practice wellness and good health in your workplace? AORN wants to hear about it. As part of an effort to make employee wellness a priority, AORN Connections wants to feature members who are instituting wellness initiatives in the workplace. To share your story, send an email to AORNnews@aorn.org. 


 
Employers increasingly are promoting health and wellness of their employees as a key driver of positive workplaces, and AORN is no exception. Earlier this year, AORN established a Wellness and Retention Committee responsible for promoting health, wellness outreach and satisfaction among its Denver headquarters staff. The committee's charge included finding creative ways for AORN employees to care for others, as well as for themselves.

"It is challenging for all of us to find the time to take care of ourselves on a daily basis, and make good behavior a habit when the majority of our time is spent at work," acknowledged Debbie Stephen, AORN governance coordinator and chair of the new Wellness and Retention Committee. "However, we are encouraging health and wellness for AORN staff because we need to take time to care for ourselves, whether we are eating healthy, exercising, or reaching out to our community."

Value of helping others
With encouragement from Executive Director Linda Groah, RN, MSN, CNOR, CNAA, FAAN, and other members of AORN's executive staff, the employee wellness committee has made community outreach a priority. For example, last month, a team of AORN staff members volunteered to help out as The Children's Hospital of Denver moved from its downtown location to a new suburban campus in Aurora, Colo.

"Helping set-up the new Children's Hospital gave us an entirely new perspective; it helped us to see all that goes into making a hospital work and how our members are so integral in that process," said AORN staff member Nancy Stanley, AORN Senior Exhibit Sales Executive.

Another recent outreach opportunity for AORN employees involved raising funds for breast cancer research. AORN's Facility Relations Manager Patti Hamilton organized Team AORN, 12 AORN staff members who participated in the 2007 Race for the Cure.

"I have walked in the Race for the last four years and wanted to do more," said Hamilton, a two-time survivor of breast cancer who knows first-hand what a worthwhile cause the race supports. "I was very lucky both times to be diagnosed early and, thanks to AORN, had excellent (health) insurance. The proceeds from the walk help women who don't have insurance get mammograms and care."

Team AORN's efforts raised $905 for the cause, a total that included significant donations by AORN staff. The initiative actually proved a "two-fer" for the committee, involving not just a rewarding community outreach program but also a healthful avenue toward wellness by participating in the race's 5K walk/run.

Spotlighting personal health
Outreach is an integral part of wellness at work, but AORN's committee members also believe giving employees the time and resources to care for themselves is essential to the staff's mental and physical health. With encouragement and support from Human Resources, a Weight Watcher's club was launched to provide a community support group for staff members to focus on healthy eating and reaching target body weights.

In the first six weeks, participants collectively lost more than 175 lbs., while also creating a new community support group of staff from various AORN departments. "Workplaces are increasingly adopting a wellness attitude because instituting health practices increases employee health and happiness, which can lead to higher productivity and retention" Stephen said.

One healthcare facility that has successfully incorporated wellness into employees' lives on the job is The Children's Hospital. Earlier this year, the facility's Sterile Processing Department, led by department director and AORN member Rose Seavey, RN, MBA, CNOR, ACSP, instituted daily health and wellness routines. So far, results have been impressive, as the group collectively shed more than 900 pounds of body weight.

"Our group begins each morning with a stretch called a 'morale booster', then throughout the day, we avoid elevators, instead choosing the stairs, and follow with another stretch later in the day," Seavey noted. The group also is working on finding ways to maintain their weight losses and reward staff members who reach personal benchmarks.

"We are like a family; we work closely together and push each other. We share our successes, and our 'little' secrets,'" Seavey said. "We look forward to bringing in healthy food for the team, and the benefits have snowballed-we are happier, more energized, and we aren't as tired at the end of the day."

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