Fulton County is pleased to announce that they are the recipients of a Wellness Grant for 2014 from the County Employee Benefits Consortium of Ohio (CEBCO). The award of $5,760, will be used for implementing a variety of wellness initiatives for county employees who are enrolled in CEBCO, the county’s insurance provider.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant,” states Laura Howell, Director of Organizational Development for Fulton County. “Fulton County has a long history of providing wellness to their employees. However, over the last few years, we haven’t been able to provide as many wellness initiatives as funding sources have diminished. So receiving this award is exciting for us as we feel that it is beneficial for employees to have access to healthy lifestyle activities as well as to have access to education on a variety of topics related to health.”
Howell notes that a wellness committee, comprised of various county employees and community members has been re-instated and has begun planning 2014 initiatives. The committee is currently comprised of Howell, Sharon Morr, Director of Corporate and Community Health Promotion at Fulton County Health Center, Rachel Kinsman, Health Education Coordinator/Public Information Officer for the Fulton County Health Department, Melissa Welker, OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, and Toni Schindler, Director of Marketing and Communications for Fulton County Commissioners.
Events slated for 2014 include an Onsite Wellness Coach who will be available to meet with employees in one-on-one sessions to encourage healthy lifestyle choices. There will be quarterly Lunch and Learn Sessions highlighting Onsite Coaching, DermaScan, Local Foods and Healthy Holiday Eating. The committee is also working on implementing facility walking routes at different county building sites and will work with Geographical Information Systems to design user friendly maps. They will also be designing stairway signage that will encourage stair use. The yearly biometric and body fat composition screenings will be available again in late 2014.