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7. Omaha, NE |
Omaha, Nebraska  The Road to Wellness Located in the nation's heartland, the City of Omaha, Nebraska is home to the NCAA College World Series. In collegiate baseball, competing for a chance to play at the College World Series has become known as "the road to Omaha." As making it to Omaha to play in college baseball's national championship game is a journey down a long, hard road, the City of Omaha embarked upon its own journey in 1992—the road to wellness. And in 1996, Omaha arrived at its destination—Well City USA. For almost 20 years, employers of all sizes in the Omaha metropolitan area have been working diligently to create safe and healthy workplaces. But, becoming one of the nation's healthiest business communities didn't happen overnight, and it didn't happen by accident. The Journey Begins Omaha set its sights on becoming one of the nation's healthiest business communities in 1992. The journey down the road to wellness began by first engaging CEOs and other senior level leadership from a variety of industry types and sizes—including Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, small businesses, and government entities. Business, community, and health leaders were invited to attend an executive level "summit" to become familiar with and explore the benefits of workplace wellness. At the conclusion of these gatherings, business leaders were then asked to make a commitment to join the project. To their credit, Omaha business leaders agreed to make the journey. Having secured the necessary executive buy-in, Omaha-based business leaders had to study the road map to success. Road Map to Success Hosted by the Wellness Council of the Midlands, these business leaders and health practitioners attended several Well Workplace Universities to better understand how to design and deliver results-oriented worksite wellness programs. “They understood that if they were to be successful in creating healthy corporate cultures, it had to be done right,” says Howie Halperin, Executive Director of the Wellness Council of the Midlands. After completing the training, each participating company went back to their organization and began developing and delivering worksite wellness programs. They were just beginning a journey that would take over four years to complete. Reaching the Destination In the case of the Omaha project, when all was said and done, over 48 companies representing more than 80,000 workers took part in the initiative—and some big hitters were a part of it. In fact, of the 20 largest employers in the Omaha metro area, 10 are Well Workplaces. And, of the five Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Omaha, three are Well Workplaces (Union Pacific Railroad, ConAgra, and Mutual of Omaha). Says Halperin, “It’s a huge undertaking. You’ve got to be dedicated—very resolved to making it happen. Some companies were starting from scratch—others were more advanced at running their wellness programs. Getting everyone together was tough, but Well City isn’t just some cheap certificate; it’s not just a nicety. It’s real, and the companies that have done this deserve to be commended.” The results of Omaha’s commitment to improved health are evident. Since the Well City USA designation, both Nebraska and Omaha have received some envious accolades. In 2001, Nebraska was rated 6th in the nation for health care by Health Care State Rankings, a reference guide that provides statistics on health care facilities, providers, insurance and finance, disease, mortality, and physical fitness. Consider that Forbes magazine has designated Omaha as one of the top 15 metropolitan regions in the nation in both economical prosperity and quality of life. Additionally, Redbook magazine named Omaha one of the 10 best cities for working mothers. And finally, for the second year in a row, Omaha has fallen within the top 20 as one of America’s fittest cities as ranked by Men’s Fitness magazine. For many of the businesses participating in the project, they too, were starting to see some encouraging results in their own workplaces. Union Pacific, the nation’s largest railroad employing nearly 48,000 people nationwide, has taken their wellness program seriously, and is experiencing serious results. As a result of investing approximately $2.3 million annually, the railroad estimates that more than $40 million in health care expenditures have been saved. On the Road Again As one of the nation’s fastest growing cities, achieving a Silver Well City USA designation will prove to be at least as challenging as attaining the bronze, if not more so. But again, Omaha expects to complete this journey and reach its goal by 2004. “We are holding several Well Workplace Universities per year, and our coalition continues to grow steadily,” says Halperin. “With a city that has been growing and developing as fast as Omaha, the project has been a very exciting one. We are confident that our project will continue to grow and develop as the city does.” Well City USA Award Stat Sheet 1. City/Project: Omaha Well City 2. Month & Year Designated: December, 1996 3. Population: 4. Top 5 Industries within Community: 1. Services 2. Trade 3. Government 4. Manufacturing 5. Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 5. Number of Well Workplaces Participating: 6. Number of Employees within Well City Project: 83,000 |
