Arbuckle Memorial Hospital earns first Oklahoma WorkHealthy Hospitals Gold Medal
Posted on: 4/16/2014
On Thursday, April 3, Arbuckle Memorial Hospital, Sulphur became the first hospital in Oklahoma to receive Gold Medal recognition for Physical Activity from Prevention Partner’s WorkHealthy America℠.
Collaborating with Prevention Partners in North Carolina, OHA adopted WorkHealthy America℠ , an initiative that was created in North Carolina and has been enormously successful there. Beginning in July 2013, Oklahoma has tailored this initiative, entitled WorkHealthy Hospitals, to fit Oklahoma hospitals’ needs for worksite health improvement.
Arbuckle Memorial became fully engaged in WorkHealthy Hospitals on Jan. 16 and has proven to be a dedicated leader by implementing a substantial amount of enhancements in a very short time. This success is due in large part to Pam Chitwood, marketing/PR, wellness and auxiliary coordinator. Her effective and energetic approach to wellness led to many of the changes that their employees benefit from now.
Chitwood credits Arbuckle Memorial CEO Darin Farrell as being the strong support system behind her leadership to promote and operationalize the enhancements. “He has had the confidence in me and the WorkHealthy initiative to willingly approve the process and all of the changes that go with it,” she said. Other staff members have also been involved in the process.
Through WorkHealthy Hospitals, OHA assists hospitals to improve the health of their employees through four components: Culture of Wellness, Nutrition/Food Environment, Physical Fitness and Tobacco Free Environment. Consultation is provided to make permanent system and environmental changes that will sustain health improvement and assure long range results.
When OHA asked Chitwood for feedback on her experience with the WorkHealthy Hospitals initiative, she said, “I was concerned that being a small hospital (25-bed critical access), WorkHealthy might not work for us. I was wrong! WorkHealthy has made us look at policies and actually get the ball rolling in several areas that we had never thought about looking before! Thanks WorkHealthy for helping everyone!”
Arbuckle Memorial is also currently working with OHA’s Hospitals Helping Patients Quit (HHPQ) initiative to implement an evidence-based tobacco cessation model for patients and employees. This OHA initiative was a five-year grant funded through the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) to support Oklahoma hospitals in leading a tobacco free culture in their communities through reducing illness, disability and death due to tobacco use. HHPQ was newly funded by TSET for another five years beginning July 2013.
Through consultation and education, OHA assisted Arbuckle Memorial Hospital’s administrative and wellness staff to implement the following:
- A variety of policies for employees including the areas of physical activity, nutrition and tobacco freedom.
- Campus-wide policy communication and enforcement.
- Working closely with hospital staff to tailor WorkHealthy America℠ resources to their own organization.
Prevention Partners conducts “validation calls” for Gold Medical awards to verify that all standards are met. Arbuckle’s Gold Medal award has also been recognized nationally and been reported to the CDC. The CDC, which endorses WorkHealthy America℠, monitors the progress of these efforts nationally in conjunction with Prevention Partners.
Congratulations to Arbuckle Memorial Hospital for setting the Gold Medal standard in hospital physical activity environments for Oklahoma! (Sydney Tomlinson)