SHIP stories
Comprehensive workplace wellness addresses healthier ea ng, physical ac vity and tobacco‐free worksites and access to cessa on materials. 
SHIP has helped 940 worksites engage in worksite wellness reaching poten ally 154,000 employees. Wellness: Customized to fit
Dawn Rainey, human resources manager, has been
with Custom Alarm for thirty-four years and when she
brought a wellness program to her management she
explains, “I didn’t have to work hard to get a jump
start to kick off our program.”
Custom Alarm was no stranger to wellness and had
already gone smoke-free two years prior with the
help of the Statewide Health Improvement Program
(SHIP). With further support and planning, Rainey
figured she could add more options at work to ensure
employees were getting more physical activity and
healthier food.
In order to develop worksite wellness and institute it as
a sustainable program, getting participation and
changing the way people thought about wellness was
key.
“One of our best practices that worked really well for
us was creating policies that ensured the sustainability
of the program,” explains Rainey.
The Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) works to
improve health through better nutrition, increased physical
activity and decreased commercial tobacco use and exposure.
Find out more at www.health.state.mn.us/ship
Some of the new strategies include going tobaccofree, providing cessation materials, offering yoga
classes and holding smoothie days. One tool that has
been especially helpful and is making a significant
impact on their male employees are biometric
screenings. These screenings, which provide information
on current and potential medical issues, are given to
employees who wish to use them. Males tend to not go
to their doctor as much as females, so they are really
enjoying this opportunity to learn about their health
without an extra trip.
When looking to add worksite wellness or enhance an
existing program, Rainey shares, “The more people
championing wellness throughout the company the
more buy-in you will receive from decision-makers.”
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10/2013