An on-site clinic fosters a culture of health within an organization. It can motivate people to make simple changes that improve overall health across a whole population, even for people who never set foot inside the clinic.
Here are some of our favorite stories about on-site clinics inspiring a culture of change.
Every Vera clinic has a Whole Health Council where employee representatives, HR leaders, and Vera staff gather to discuss ways to promote better health and improve clinic operations. A City of Kirkland employee named David joined his Whole Health Council to help other employees find the motivation to improve their own health.
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Not long after joining, David noticed something in the office. The candy dishes. Candy dishes near the reception area were tempting everyone who walked by to have an unhealthy treat. So, David went to his Whole Health Council and proposed an initiative to remove all the candy dishes from the office.
The initiative passed, and the candy dishes were removed, but the story didn’t stop there. A secretary who sat near one of the dishes was inspired by the move to make her own change. She committed to eating healthier and lost 20 pounds without ever stepping foot inside a clinic.
Joe has Type 2 Diabetes and works at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Before he visited his Vera clinic, an unhealthy diet exacerbated his diabetes. But he wasn’t the only one with a bad diet.
His wife and their nine children were eating the same things. When Joe’s experience at his Vera clinic empowered him to change his behavior, those changes trickled down to his family. His new, healthy diet became his family’s new healthy diet.
The Northern Arizona Public Employees Benefit Trust (NAPEBT) is made up of several public agencies who share a Vera clinic. To encourage employees to complete their Annual Whole Health Evaluation, their Whole Health Council designed the Inter-Agency Wellness Challenge. Better health and the promise of a rainbow unicorn trophy inspired employees to visit the clinic for their evaluation.
The competition doubled the number of employee preventive visits compared to the previous year. And while we can’t deny the value of a unicorn trophy, it’s safe to say that everyone who visited their clinic came away with the prize of better health.
Each of these stories illustrates how behavior change unlocks the ability to improve health. At Vera, we’re experts in empowering people to change their behavior. Read more about our approach to behavior change in our eBook: Sick Care Is Doomed To Failure.