Sierra Trading Post Launches Wellness Program

Don’t worry, we’re not torturing our employees (though it certainly looks that way). Catalog designer Curtis Heideman is just getting blood drawn for his annual health screening at Sierra Trading Post.

If we could get him to work on his expression a bit, he’d be the perfect promotional model for our new Employee Wellness Program. (Psst, Curtis – it’s supposed to be educational, not terrifying.)

While Curtis works on looking less like he’s got a needle in his arm, wellness coordinator Jen Boland (pictured on next page) stopped by the Blogging Post to give us the low-down on Sierra Trading Post’s new Employee Wellness program…

“Each year Sierra Trading Post brings Interactive Health Solutions into the office to conduct a basic blood screening for all employees covered under our insurance plan. The program is voluntary, of course, (though Curtis may need to be strapped down) but gives our employees an assessment of their health including cholesterol levels, glucose levels, blood pressure, BMI, and basic blood counts.

Like most organizations, Sierra Trading Post has seen a rapid increase in health care costs. While many of our employees are active and healthy, we’ve also seen an increase in the rate of diabetes, asthma, heart disease and cancer along with the rest of the country.

The good news is that these diseases are largely preventable through diet and exercise. But people who don’t exercise regularly may not know where to start. That’s where I’ll come in with the tips, information and motivation to help get people started on a path to health and wellness.

Each month we’ll be launching a new initiative to help our employees take steps to better health. We’ll also be making healthy changes to our espresso bar menu and vending machine choices.

As we launch this program, we’ll be inviting you to participate with us, follow our employees’ achievements and even ask me questions about starting a wellness program in your organization (or your home). Stay tuned!”