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The Vision of the Well City USA Initiative

Imagine a workplace that made time during the workday for its employees to go for a jog or play a pick-up game of basketball; gave its employees longer lunch times so they weren't forced to eat fast food; or that encouraged, and in some cases, actually rewarded its employees and their families for getting and staying healthy.

Now, imagine that these companies were actually more progressive, more productive, and more profitable than those companies who didn't offer such opportunities.

And lastly, imagine a community that's not just home to one of these workplaces, but dozens and dozens of them--a home to tens of thousands of people who get up each day and go to work in a healthy company.

Sound like fiction? Well it's not.

Well City Explained

Even though these Well Cities may sound more like a futuristic, fictitious village from Huxley's Brave New World than they do the typical, 21st century city or town, a handful of these cities already exist today, and more and more are giving chase. In fact, seven communities, including Jacksonville, FL; Omaha, NE; Chattanooga, TN; Hobart, IN; Lincoln, NE; Kearney, NE; and Kanawha Valley, WV, embarked on a journey that placed them on a shortlist of America's Healthiest Cities.

Sponsored by the Wellness Councils of America, these cities became Well Cities through an initiative known as Well City USA. Evolving out of the Well Workplace Awards Process, Well City USA is an initiative designed to engage entire business communities in improving the health and well-being of their workforce.

Similar in approach to Well Workplace, the primary requirement for achieving a Well City USA designation is that 20 percent of any community's working population must be employed by either Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum designated Well Workplace Award winning companies.

Why Well City?

In working to achieve our mission of creating a healthier American workforce, we concentrate our workplace wellness efforts in several strategic areas, including producing leading-edge health information, promoting corporate membership, partnering with communities to establish local business coalitions, and building and recognizing Well Workplaces.

Embodying all of these approaches under one initiative, Well City USA allows us to take our mission beyond the "one employee or one workplace at a time" approach to worksite wellness, to entire communities and beyond. Ultimately, we see the Well City USA initiative sparking the creation of Well States and Well Regions where every workplace offered its employees structured health promotion programs, and where every community made prevention a priority--resulting in the improved health of our entire nation.

The vision of the Well City USA initiative is an evolution to Well States, and ultimately to the creation of a Well Nation--a nation where every workplace offers its employees a structured health promotion program. A nation where every community makes prevention a priority.

Employees Benefit

Over the past seven years, the Well City USA initiative has proven itself to be an effective community based approach to health promotion. To date, tens of thousands of employees in hundreds of workplaces go to work each day in a Well Workplace. And from these workplaces have emerged countless success stories of lives saved and improved quality of life.

Workplaces Benefit

And beyond employee health, the businesses participating in the projects have also experienced some benefits of their own. Many of these businesses have been able to demonstrate significant return on their investments. Through their health promotion programs, these businesses are hoping to see reduced health care costs, improved productivity, less turnover, better recruitment ability, and a whole host of other benefits that previously were issues over which they had little control.

Understandably, there have been workplaces, especially those with higher turnover rates, hesitant to invest in health promotion for the fear that when they invest in an employee that turns over--especially to a competitor--they're giving up their competitive advantage. But, Well City USA answers this fear in two ways. First, research has demonstrated that worksite health promotion programs tend to increase job satisfaction, thereby reducing turnover in the first place. And second, if an employee does turnover, the person replacing them is already most likely healthier as a result of a previous health promotion program, thereby maintaining the level of competitive advantage.

Communities Benefit

On a community level, the cities that have achieved a Well City USA designation have also seen their communities change before their very eyes. In fact, they would all agree that their designation has acted as a catalyst to further health and well-being throughout their communities. Many of the cities, have included community-wide health and fitness centers in their master plans. Chattanooga, TN for example has begun building and integrating walking and biking trails into their community's design.

And, from an economic development standpoint, these cities are looking to leverage their designation so that it becomes a major talking point when working with companies and organizations that are looking to locate in their area. With health care costs continuing to rise, relocating a business where it can draw its employees from a healthier population has some obvious benefits, and Chambers of Commerce are taking advantage of their cities newfound health.

Leading Well

Becoming one of America's Healthiest Cities is something that only a select few have experienced. In order to achieve this elite designation, community leaders, business people and health care professionals must unite their efforts towards a common goal--20 percent of their population employed by a well workplace. To achieve this feat takes a great deal of heavy lifting.

There's no doubt that each of the Well Cities struggled at some point through the course of their project. Admittedly, a handful of communities were unable to complete their journey. But those that did emerged as leaders of a trend that will include cities throughout the nation.

On this site you'll find links to seven of these cities and their journey to becoming a Well City USA. We are very proud of their accomplishments, but at the same time, we challenge them to continue their leadership by setting the bar higher for the many Well Cities that are sure to follow.