Health Links launched its initiative in Eagle County on March 1, 2014 to help small and large businesses set up and scale workplace wellness and safety programs in order to improve the health, safety and well-being of Colorado workers and the economy. Health Links has two major components: expert advising for businesses looking to start or improve workplace wellness and safety programs, and certifications for those organizations that already have such programs in place. Health Links is being made available to Eagle County businesses through the efforts of the Healthy Communities Coalition, a group of community members and leaders dedicated to advancing opportunities for healthy eating and active living for all who live in Eagle County.
Health Links™ is an innovator inside of an already growing national trend of workplace wellness. It is one of the only programs in the U.S. to support workplace wellness programs for small businesses and to offer advising for businesses that want to start or improve a workplace wellness and safety program. Health Links is making Colorado a leader in this field, which will help Colorado businesses gain competitive advantage and help boost Colorado’s economy.
Health Links also offers local advising and a network of local resources to businesses that participate. “Local coordinators and partners are the cornerstone of this program,” says Lili Tenney, Co-Founder of Health LinksTM. “Our team brings evidence-based ideas and technical assistance, but it’s really the businesses that know what will work best in their business culture.” Already 26 local advisors from Eagle County and surrounding communities have been trained and are ready to support organizations to “bring wellness to work.”
“Health Links is designed with both the business and its employees in mind,” said Dr. Lee Newman, a professor at the University of Colorado Denver’s Anschutz Medical Campus and the program’s co-founder. “We know from research that a company thrives in many ways when its employees are given the opportunity to make their health and safety a priority.”
Small and large businesses in Eagle County can apply to meet with an advisor to start or improve their own workplace wellness and safety programs. Health Links will assist them in starting their programs and connect them to other businesses and vendors that will help them succeed. Businesses can find application directions at www.healthlinkscolorado.org.
Additionally, Colorado businesses that already have wellness and safety programs have the opportunity to apply for Health Links certification, which will grant them access to a Healthy Business Network and vendors that also prioritize employee health and safety.
“We look forward to seeing how Health Links can help Colorado’s employees achieve personal health and the state’s small businesses reach financial success,” Newman said. “Furthermore, as employers start to learn more about the Affordable Care Act, it will be important for them to understand how wellness not only benefits their employees but also their bottom lines in shifting the trend lines of health costs.”