Cancer Fighters Thrive is a quarterly print and online magazine bringing readers practical, innovative and inspirational information about cancer treatment and survivorship.
Issue link: http://cancerfightersthrive.epubxp.com/i/259111
18 cancer fighters thrive | spring 2014 cfthrive.com CTCA IN GOODYEAR, ARIZONA Dee Emon, Chief Nurse Executive and Quality Ofcer for Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA), says that she loves to visit the on-site ft- ness center at CTCA® in Goodyear, Arizona, on any given day and see employees, patients and care- givers all exercising together. "I was in the gym just the other day and I saw one of the department directors working out, encouraging another direc- tor who wanted to lose weight," Emon says, "and at the same time there were patients working out. It's so great to see employees and patients all in the gym together—they develop such close relation- ships." The scene that Emon describes in the gym refects the culture of collaboration and encour- agement that she says marks the spirit of wellness programming for employees at CTCA in Goodyear. In addition to participating in standard screen- ing and health initiatives promoted across all the CTCA hospitals, employees in Goodyear come together ofen to participate in local wellness and ftness events. Recently, Emon says, more than 20 employees participated in a 100-mile road bike race to support cancer research. "These events really build teamwork and collegiality," she says. "And they're so successful because the initiative really comes from the top of the company, from leadership, and is evident all the way through our employees. Wellness has just become ingrained in our culture." Emon is quick to note that, in addition to the many wellness programs related to ftness and nutrition, employees also beneft from opportunities to boost emo- tional well-being. "Taking care of cancer patients and dealing with cancer as your life's work can be emotionally draining," she says, "so we provide opportunities for employees to get together and pro- cess and discuss difcult cases when needed, and we do a lot of individual coaching through our Pastoral Care and Mind-Body Departments." And, she adds, if any particular setting begins to be especially stressful, employees are encouraged to seek out new opportuni- ties in other departments within the hospital. All of these eforts to promote emotional well-being are critical in a health care setting, Emon says. "From an employer's standpoint, we put a lot of emphasis and focus on the mental health of our employees because their ability to actually provide care to patients and caregivers resides in their resilience from a mental health standpoint." According to Emon, all the programs and initia- tives created to promote workplace wellness at CTCA in Goodyear refect the core values of CTCA. "What it comes back to is living the mission and the vision of the company and saying that those values are not reserved for our patients and caregivers only but are embraced throughout the CTCA family, which includes our employees," she says. "What wellness programming really does is support our culture and help us instill hope in our patients." CTCA IN ZION, ILLINOIS Scott Jones, President and Chief Executive Ofcer of CTCA in Zion, Illinois, says that "the importance of creating an environment that promotes and encourages wellness in health care cannot be understated—our patients' safety and recovery depend on it." Wellness initiatives and programming at CTCA in Zion refect this commitment to ensuring that employees have plenty of opportunities to take care of themselves so that they, in turn, can con- tinue to ofer excellent care to patients and families. Alongside the standard wellness oferings provided as benefts at all CTCA hospitals (including annual biometric screening, online health assessments, integrative care oferings, Weight Watchers® and tobacco-cessation programs), employees in Zion recently participated in a Core Performance pilot program. The 12-week wellness program included coaching in nutrition, movement, recovery and mindset and featured group movement classes three times weekly. At the program's end, Jones says, "more than 20 percent of pilot participants reported an improvement in both mental and physi- cal energy; additionally, there was a 31 percent decrease in participants who reported feeling tired at the end of the day." Employees were supported in their eforts to integrate the movement classes into their workday through shuttles that delivered them to the class location (a local park and recreation center) and back to work so that they could ft the classes into their hourlong break period. Jones says that oferings like Core Perfor- mance that help employees maintain physical and emotional well-being refect the organization's commitment to a culture that acknowledges the role that wellness programming plays in allowing employees to "both meet and exceed their patients' expectations for care and be well and present for their own family and loved ones." And the results of wellness eforts are clear in both patient satis- faction scores, which Jones notes were 98 percent last year, and the organization's ability to attract and keep employees (wellness initiatives have led to recognition as a Chicago Tribune Top 100 Workplace Award Winner, a Workplace Dynamics National Top 150 Workplace Award Winner and an Illinois Health- iest Employer Award Winner). Ultimately, Jones says, wellness programming is a win-win—it improves the lives of employees, enhances patients' experience and helps the orga- nization grow and thrive: "By fully supporting our health care team in developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle—physically, emotionally and socially—we can also accelerate advancing new service lines, innovations and clinical expertise to the beneft of our patients." HAPPY, HEALTHY WORKPLACES Wellness programming at two CTCA hospitals refects the organization's culture of wellness. cftSp#23vky.indd 18 2/3/14 11:13 PM