• Healthcare provider-patient relationships
• An individual’s exposure to, search for, and use of Worksite Wellness Program information
• Effective counseling and patient education for behavior change
• Content of public health messages and community campaigns

Effective health communication should have these attributes:

• Accuracy: content is valid and error-free
• Availability: delivered or placed where the intended audience can access the information
• Balance: content presents benefits and risks of potential actions
• Consistency: content is locally consistent over time and is also consistent with information from other reliable sources
• Evidence-based: content and methods of delivery are based on relevant scientific evidence
• Reach: content gets to or is available to as many workers as possible in the target population
• Reliability: content source is credible; content is kept up-to-date
• Repetition: delivery of/access to the content is continued over time, to reinforce the impact with the audience and to reach new members of the target population
• Timeliness: content is provided when the audience is most receptive to, or in need of, the specific information
• Understandability: reading, language levels, and format are appropriate for the specific audience (i.e., Employees, Family Members, Garrison leadership, etc.)

What the research says about health communication

• Health communication best supports Wellness when multiple communication methods are used to reach specific audiences.
• Effective Wellness and communication initiatives should reflect an audiencecentered perspective, and reflect the preferred formats, contexts, and way of communication for the intended audience.

Material adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010. 2nd ed. With Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health. 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, November 2000.
http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/HTML/Volume1/11HealthCom.htm

Strategy #5: Using a small number of targeted priorities maintains Worksite Wellness Program focus.

• Needs assessment data can be used to identify leading health needs and also high risk populations.
• Choosing a handful of specific health needs on which to focus will maximize efficient use of resources.
• Keeping the Worksite Wellness Program focus small will avoid duplication of other ongoing installation Worksite Wellness Programs.

Strategy #6: Use standardized processes whenever possible.

Reduce the amount of variation within your Worksite Wellness Programs by standardizing all the processes needed for Worksite Wellness Program planning and implementation. For example:
• Use the same spreadsheet format for data collection so that the columns are in the same order. This way you can compare information more easily.
• Reuse the same forms for enrollment and attendance. Change the heading as needed.
• Look at other Wellness Programming processes (like registration, evaluation, marketing, etc.). What parts of those processes can be standardized?
• The Wellness and Prevention Initiatives website (http://chppmwww. apgea.army.mil/dhpw/Population/HPPiFunction.aspx) has many standardized Worksite Wellness Program resources in a variety of topic areas.

Strategy #7: Worksite Wellness Program delivery methods should be flexible and adapted to population needs.

• Delivery of products and services may depend on: unit needs, training requirements, other scheduling considerations (such as work/duty schedules, school scheduling, etc.), participant preference, and/or availability of staff or space.
• Be flexible: the same produce/service delivery methods may not work for every population.
• Some units may want services provided to them as close as possible to the unit location; other units may prefer as many services as possible bundled together at once (regardless of location).
• Take Wellness and preventive medicine beyond the walls of the employer in order to meet leadership and employee needs. Answer the question: “How can we best help leadership and Employees to fulfill their mission?”

Strategy #1: Communication with leadership is essential

• Assess leadership priorities.
• Report Worksite Wellness Program outcomes back to leadership in a timely manner.
• Equal investments of support from both the medical and line community will result in enhanced Worksite Wellness Program success.

Strategy #2: Worksite Wellness Program planning must be driven by information.

• Determine specific needs of the target population.
• Focus on the health status of the population as a whole to identify the top health concerns.
• Data should drive decisions regarding which health needs should be addressed first.

Strategy #3: Use electronic information collection and reporting as often as possible.

• Centrally collected information in an electronic format is essential for determining population health needs.
• Electronic reporting is also very valuable when communicating Worksite Wellness Program outcomes to leadership and other stakeholders.
• Flexible reporting capabilities allow information to be presented as information that can support decision-making, in formats that decision-makers prefer.

Strategy #4: Multidisciplinary collaboration enhances employee health and maximizes available resources.

• Collaboration between health disciplines increases effectiveness of Wellness and preventive medicine initiatives.
• Don’t forget to look outside the employer for collaboration partners.
• Optimized Worksite Wellness Program outcomes can be met by coordinating the activities of medical professionals, cadre, community agents, and funding sources.
• Bundling services together also provides the additional benefit to units by conserving training and mission time.
Implementing these strategies can improve Worksite Wellness Program effectiveness and optimize available resources.