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
spring 2014 | cancer fighters thrive 19 cf thrive. com FOR A FREE PRINT SUBSCRIPTION GO TO CFTHRIVE.COM are looking back at ourselves—the CTCA employees—to make sure that we are in check, that we are whole and that we are taking care of ourselves," says Deborah Dunlea, Talent/Wellness Partner at CTCA. "Taking care of our personal wellness and well-being will ensure that we will continue to provide quality care for our patients and their caregivers." Dunlea says that wellness initiatives under way at the corporate offces and at the fve CTCA hospitals around the country refect the organization's commit- ment to providing employees the oppor- tunity to embrace seven dimensions of wellness. "When you talk about wellness, people assume it's mostly physical, but at CTCA we embrace seven dimensions over- all—physical, social, professional, spiritual, mental, emotional and fnancial," Dun- lea says. "Having a sense of well-being in each dimension will help us become fully engaged and fully performing employees. It is all about balance." To help employees fnd balance across these dimensions, CTCA has partnered with Healthyroads®, a provider of corpo- rate wellness programming, to offer ben- efts like one-on-one phone-based lifestyle coaching and annual on-site biometric screenings. Internally, employees have access to on-site dining halls offering fresh and organic foods, on-site or discounted gym memberships, nutrition classes and spiritual and mind-body counseling. Most important, Dunlea says, is the overall cul- tural shift the organization has embraced as it focuses on promoting employee wellness and well-being: "We have to be sure that at the end of the day our employees have something to give back, not only to them- selves but to their families, so they can get up and do it again tomorrow." The success of wellness programming at CTCA is due in large part to the modeling of wellness at the executive level, which then inspires participation and fuels a healthy culture. "We have strong executive pres- ence and endorsement in our wellness pro- gramming, as well as midlevel management support, which tells our employees that it's okay for them to take the time to care for themselves," Dunlea says. "The more employees feel that their personal wellness and well-being is supported and endorsed by CTCA from the top down, the sooner it will become ingrained in our culture and will become a natural way of life." Ultimately, Dunlea says, wellness pro- gramming for employees leads to contin- ued excellence in the care CTCA provides to patients and their families. "The intense nature of health care calls for increased vigilance to self-care among employees so that they feel balanced and well themselves and can be fully present with the patients they care for each and every day," she says. "It is paramount when we are taking care of patients that we are at our best. If I were a patient at CTCA, it would be an added comfort to me knowing that I am being treated at a place that is not only commit- ted to keeping me healthy and well but is equally committed to the health and the wellness of the men and the women who serve the organization." Reference 1. Mattke, S., Hangshenh, L., Caloyeras, C.Y. et al. (2013). Workplace Wellness Programs Study. U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. RAND Health. Jennifer Tatum (left) and Sarah Andrews from the Growth department at CTCA in Tulsa are regular running buddies. cftSp#23vky.indd 19 2/3/14 11:13 PM