Canary Health Partner Corner: Salt Lake County

This month we’re pleased to share insights from one of our newer partners – Salt Lake County.  Salt Lake County covers about 800 square miles and is home to more than 1.1 million people.  The County is a diverse government employer with more than 30,000 employees.  In collaboration with the Utah Department of Health, Salt Lake County began offering Better Choices, Better Health® (BCBH) in late 2018.

 

Anni McKinnon, Program Manager for the Healthy Living Program at Salt Lake County, took time to answer our questions and describe their reasons for, and early impacts of, offering Better Choices, Better Health to their population.  Thank you Anni for the following insights.

 

Canary Health: How did you evaluate the program to decide to offer it to employees?

Anni: We read the results and feedback from participants to understand how the program was developed and evaluated. It was important that employees could improve their health, interact with others, and set goals during the program instead of just watching some videos.

 

Canary Health: How does Better Choices, Better Health(BCBH) fit into your larger wellness/well-being initiatives?

Anni: Our employee wellness program is an incentive-based work-site wellness program that promotes healthy behaviors and healthy lifestyles, to encourage a healthier work environment and lower healthcare costs. We offer a variety of health programs, classes, and events throughout the year to increase awareness, education, and provide encouragement to employees working towards healthier lives. BCBH follows these same principles.

 

Canary Health: What do you think the employees like best?

Anni: The ability to participate in the class during a time that works best for employees varying schedules, and still receive peer support. Also, having a program that addresses their concerns and allows them to reflect on their individual health and connect with others who understand their real-life situations.

 

Canary Health: How will you evaluate the program in the future to decide to continue to offer it?

Anni: We plan on conducting 3-month and 6-month post-evaluation questionnaires and focus groups to see how employees have implemented what they learned during the classes, and if they have seen changes and improvements at 3 and 6-months post-class.

 

Canary Health: What do you like most about the program?

Anni: BCBH was able to fill a gap that we were not providing for our employees–the support for those with chronic conditions.