March 22, 2012 — The commitment to better health was recently taken to new heights at Cleveland Chiropractic College (CCC) with the installation of a wellness team on campus.
Comprised of faculty and staff members from the college, the concept of the team was initiated by CCC’s Management Council as a way to encourage and promote better living among faculty and staff at the college. During their first meeting, an ambitious mission statement was outlined for the group, seeking to “build a culture that empowers individuals to take responsibility for achieving their personal best in health and wellness.”
During its inaugural year, the group will introduce itself to the college community and enact a multifaceted, strategic plan of action. In addition to developing communications, the group will implement some of the steps utilized by the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA). Areas of focus will include initiating health and wellness programs and collecting data to drive better health efforts.
Dr. Karen Doyle, director of the Master of Science in Health Promotion degree program at the college, is the chairperson for the wellness team. She believes the teamwork aspect is critical to the success of the mission, a fact that was supported in research done by James Collins and Jerry Porras for their bestselling book Built To Last. The text provides a master plan for how to develop an organization that will outperform the competition and achieve dominance in their field.
“Teams are critical when implementing a sustainable, results-oriented worksite wellness program,” Doyle said. “A key factor in companies that were literally ‘built to last,’ was reliance on teams rather than on individuals.”
Ultimately, the endeavor will not only benefit the faculty and staff, but the college as a whole. Clevelanders will have the opportunity to become familiar with the team, its mission and the wellness goals for the campus. Additional research will help them streamline their approach and improve their odds for success.
“We need to determine the health and wellness needs and interests of Cleveland employees before we implement opportunities that address these issues,” Doyle said. “We also need to understand Cleveland employees’ perspective of the campus environment as it relates to health and wellness.”
Members of the team will serve a two-year term. They include: Dr. Geracimo Bracho, Dale Marrant, Dr. Brittany Gorres-Martens, Dr. Michael Mitchael, L.C. Primers, Dr. Dan Redwood, Sarah Shelnutt, Dr. Arley Wisner and Doyle.
Source: Cleveland Chiropractic College, cleveland.edu