Employee Wellness Newsletter : Workplace Wellness Program Ideas: Health Screenings

Job Site wellness screenings can take a variety of forms. Common assessment components may include:

• Blood Pressure (BP) and pulse rate.
• Cholesterol (typically a finger-stick total cholesterol test, either fasting or non-fasting).
• Blood glucose (diabetes screening).
• Height and weight.
• Percent body fat and/or BMI (body mass index).
• Fitness level.
• Bone density.
• Posture assessment.

Considerations when offering workplace screenings:

• Health screenings must be conducted by qualified, and at times, licensed individuals.
• Wellness screenings must be conducted in a location that allows for privacy and confidentiality.
• Time for discussion and explanation screening results must be given as part of the screening process.
• A process must be in place for referral for participants whose results are indicative of a need for further medical assessment.
• Screenings can be very costly to the overriding wellness budget OR there may be no expenditure to the program if participants are willing to cover the expenditure of the assessment themselves. By way of example, blood lipid and glucose testing usually expenditures twenty to twenty-five dollars per person, per exam. Employees may be willing to pay for screening in exchange for the convenience of having the screening at work.
• It generally works best to have scheduled appointments at intervals sufficient to allow time for the assessment and a brief discussion of results. Therefore, a registration and scheduling process must be devised.
• Some types of evaluation, such as fitness testing, require participants to bring casual clothes in which to do the testing. Workers ought to be notified of the need to dress in a specific manner for the evaluation.
• To ensure high attendance at assessment activities, it is advisable to begin promotion of the event with reminders to staff members.
• Supply employees with “screening preparation” instructions to remind them how to prepare for the most accurate evaluation results.

Resources for worksite screenings:

1. Consult with a wellness consultant or health evaluation company.
2. If employee participation is meager for on-Site health screenings, or if offering additional workplace evaluation is an option, check with the neighborhood health or outreach department of your local hospital, health education department, occupational health department or workplace health department as to screenings they might offer.
3. Local health clubs may also have qualified employee for some types of screenings, such as fitness testing or body fat measurement.