Matt Frye/Sun GazettePark Hill School District Health Enhancement Coordinator Kristina Brand leads a group of 12 in yoga Oct. 1. The school district recently opened a new fitness center for employees on the first-floor of the district building.
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Healthy staff, healthy schools at Park Hill
By Ray Weikal
A three-year-old health and wellness program is starting to pay some important dividends at Park Hill School District.
During a Sept. 25 Board of Education meeting, school district officials reviewed their efforts to help employees live healthier lives. The program is having a real impact on employee recruitment, retention and attendance, and it could eventually lead to health insurance discounts, said Mark Frost, assistant superintendent for human resources.
“We’ve had, I think, some lifestyle changes as a result of the work that we have done,” Frost told the Board of Education.
The school district’s health and wellness program includes several main components, including health screenings and risk appraisals, employee coaches known as “Health Champions,” a new fitness center, and advice provided by Health Enhancement Coordinator Kristina Brand.
Brand and district Wellness Team member Megan Carlson outlined the results of a health risk assessment conducted earlier this year.
The assessment was done to make employees aware of how their lifestyle choices impact their health, Brand said. It will also be used by the Wellness Team to create programs and services to help the employees.
Altogether, roughly 40 percent of the district’s employees contributed to the assessment in some way, Carlson said.
On average, Park Hill School District employees reported about two health risks per person. The top risks were high body weight, blood pressure and cholesterol, lack of physical activity and use of medications for relaxation.
About 17 percent of the employees who participated in the health assessment reported using legal drugs to relax. That’s higher than average, Brand said.
“Quite frankly, this was odd,” she said.
It’s not surprising that so many employees use medications to relax given that public education can be a very demanding occupation, Frost said. About 15 percent of the participants reported that stress is a health risk.
“Education is a very high stress job,” he said. “I think, maybe, depression is tied to this also.”
As a result of the health assessment, the district will focus on helping its employees loose weight, exercise and manage blood pressure and stress, Brand said.
“We want to provide the awareness and the resources to make that convenient,” she said.
An employee fitness center is scheduled to open at the district administrative center sometime in the next few weeks, Frost said. Staff members are already participating in yoga classes, group jogging at English Landing Park and weekly volleyball games.
Health and wellness programs are becoming common among large employers, including school districts, in the Kansas City area, Frost said. He claimed that these programs can have a $3 to $5 return on investment over time.
“If you want a high-quality staff, then you need a comprehensive support program,” Frost said.
Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or rayweikal@npgco.com.
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During a Sept. 25 Board of Education meeting, school district officials reviewed their efforts to help employees live healthier lives. The program is having a real impact on employee recruitment, retention and attendance, and it could eventually lead to health insurance discounts, said Mark Frost, assistant superintendent for human resources.
“We’ve had, I think, some lifestyle changes as a result of the work that we have done,” Frost told the Board of Education.
The school district’s health and wellness program includes several main components, including health screenings and risk appraisals, employee coaches known as “Health Champions,” a new fitness center, and advice provided by Health Enhancement Coordinator Kristina Brand.
Brand and district Wellness Team member Megan Carlson outlined the results of a health risk assessment conducted earlier this year.
The assessment was done to make employees aware of how their lifestyle choices impact their health, Brand said. It will also be used by the Wellness Team to create programs and services to help the employees.
Altogether, roughly 40 percent of the district’s employees contributed to the assessment in some way, Carlson said.
On average, Park Hill School District employees reported about two health risks per person. The top risks were high body weight, blood pressure and cholesterol, lack of physical activity and use of medications for relaxation.
About 17 percent of the employees who participated in the health assessment reported using legal drugs to relax. That’s higher than average, Brand said.
“Quite frankly, this was odd,” she said.
It’s not surprising that so many employees use medications to relax given that public education can be a very demanding occupation, Frost said. About 15 percent of the participants reported that stress is a health risk.
“Education is a very high stress job,” he said. “I think, maybe, depression is tied to this also.”
As a result of the health assessment, the district will focus on helping its employees loose weight, exercise and manage blood pressure and stress, Brand said.
“We want to provide the awareness and the resources to make that convenient,” she said.
An employee fitness center is scheduled to open at the district administrative center sometime in the next few weeks, Frost said. Staff members are already participating in yoga classes, group jogging at English Landing Park and weekly volleyball games.
Health and wellness programs are becoming common among large employers, including school districts, in the Kansas City area, Frost said. He claimed that these programs can have a $3 to $5 return on investment over time.
“If you want a high-quality staff, then you need a comprehensive support program,” Frost said.
Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or rayweikal@npgco.com.