Jacksonville, Florida
Breaking New Ground
The city of Jacksonville, FL was awarded the Well City USA Award from the Wellness Councils of America in 1995. The first city in the United States to achieve this designation, Jacksonville set the standard for Well City projects that followed. And they did it with style.
Planting the Flag
A Well City USA initiative — especially the first Well City USA initiative—is a sizable undertaking, and one that requires both dedication and a vision. Says Kay Gulick, Executive Director of the Wellness Council of Florida and a leader in Jacksonville's Well City effort, "In the beginning, it was interesting to see people's attitudes about the project. Being the inaugural Well City, people initially saw this as some kind of dream goal. They weren't sure that any community, including Jacksonville, could actually do it. But the dream has become a reality."
Support for the Jacksonville Well City project came straight from the top. After being introduced to the Well City idea in 1992, then Mayor of Jacksonville, the honorable Wally Lee, convened a CEO breakfast to roll out the project to the community's top business leaders.
As a relatively new concept in Jacksonville in the early nineties, worksite wellness' potential benefits intrigued Jacksonville's business leaders and they embraced it on a large scale. It didn't take long for them to begin wellness programs in their own companies, and efforts to bring other businesses into the fold began immediately.
Team Players
Twenty-one businesses in the Jacksonville community were a part of the project. These organizations collectively represent approximately 80,000 employees and hail from a wide variety of industry types including financial, industrial, city government, and health care. Some of the leading organizations involved in the project included AT&T, Vistakon, St. Vincent's Hospital, Jacksonville Electrical Authority (JEA), Anheuser-Busch, and Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
"What I think enabled Jacksonville to achieve the goal of Well City USA was the dedication shown by the project's leaders. The people involved in the project were very committed. They really believed in the idea of the Well City model. They thought it would be good for Jacksonville and they just decided to go for it and their efforts have paid off," says Gulick.
Seeking Results
The results of the Jacksonville Well City USA project can be seen in a number of important areas. To begin with, the City of Jacksonville was awarded the Governor's Sterling Award in early 2001. Patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria, the Sterling Award demonstrates the City of Jacksonville's commitment to organizational performance excellence and quality achievement. Additionally, in 1997, Money Magazine ranked Jacksonville the 9th best place to live
in America.
Also to be noted are the efforts of the Smoke Free Jacksonville Coalition, in which the Wellness Council of Florida plays a key role. The SFJC has been recognized for its unique work in eliminating smoking all over Jacksonville, starting with children, and moving into the adult populations at work in Jacksonville's corporate environments.
Finally, on an organizational level JEA, a WELCOA Gold Well Workplace Award winner and leader in the Well City Jacksonville initiative, has expanded its already strong commitment to on-site fitness programming and now has the largest exercise facility in downtown Jacksonville. Their comprehensive wellness programming efforts are also beginning to show a modest return on investment for the company—quite an achievement to reach in just 10 years.
Says Gulick, "It's very exciting to see Jacksonville, and the companies that call this city home, continue to move forward with health and wellness initiatives. The Well City USA project really proved to be the impetus behind a community and a group of companies that continue to lead the way in organizational health and wellness. There are great companies to work for in Jacksonville, and more organizations move here every year. I think Well City USA plays a role in Jacksonville's growth."
Looking Ahead
Jacksonville has set its sights on the next level of community achievement—the Well City Silver designation. With the success they have seen in the past, there's little doubt the Silver designation is within reach. Additionally, Gainesville is expected to reach the Well City mark within the next 18 months. The Gainesville Award would be at the Gold level, and would cover 50 percent of its employee population of 109,428 workers! Not to be forgotten, Tallahassee and Valdosta have also begun their own drives to achieve Well City USA status, and are expected to complete their projects within the next few years.
As the nation? first Well City, Jacksonville has carried the torch for community-wide health and wellness efforts for nearly eight years. Their commitment to improved health and well-being on a community level has inspired numerous other cities throughout the nation to come together in Well City USA efforts of their own, and their continuing efforts are again breaking new ground in the area of community-wide health improvement.
Well City USA Award Stat Sheet
1. City/Project: Jacksonville Well City
2. Month & Year Designated: November, 1995
3. Population:
Current: 788,416
At Project Start: 718,355
Top 5 Industries within Community
1. Wholesale/Retail Trade
2. Services Industry
3. Finance, Insurance, Real Estate
4. Government
5. Transportation, Communication
5. Number of Well Workplaces Participating
Gold: 6
Silver: 8
Bronze: 10
6. Number of Employees within Well City Project: 79,500
Breaking New Ground
The city of Jacksonville, FL was awarded the Well City USA Award from the Wellness Councils of America in 1995. The first city in the United States to achieve this designation, Jacksonville set the standard for Well City projects that followed. And they did it with style.
Planting the Flag
A Well City USA initiative — especially the first Well City USA initiative—is a sizable undertaking, and one that requires both dedication and a vision. Says Kay Gulick, Executive Director of the Wellness Council of Florida and a leader in Jacksonville's Well City effort, "In the beginning, it was interesting to see people's attitudes about the project. Being the inaugural Well City, people initially saw this as some kind of dream goal. They weren't sure that any community, including Jacksonville, could actually do it. But the dream has become a reality."
Support for the Jacksonville Well City project came straight from the top. After being introduced to the Well City idea in 1992, then Mayor of Jacksonville, the honorable Wally Lee, convened a CEO breakfast to roll out the project to the community's top business leaders.
As a relatively new concept in Jacksonville in the early nineties, worksite wellness' potential benefits intrigued Jacksonville's business leaders and they embraced it on a large scale. It didn't take long for them to begin wellness programs in their own companies, and efforts to bring other businesses into the fold began immediately.
Team Players
Twenty-one businesses in the Jacksonville community were a part of the project. These organizations collectively represent approximately 80,000 employees and hail from a wide variety of industry types including financial, industrial, city government, and health care. Some of the leading organizations involved in the project included AT&T, Vistakon, St. Vincent's Hospital, Jacksonville Electrical Authority (JEA), Anheuser-Busch, and Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
"What I think enabled Jacksonville to achieve the goal of Well City USA was the dedication shown by the project's leaders. The people involved in the project were very committed. They really believed in the idea of the Well City model. They thought it would be good for Jacksonville and they just decided to go for it and their efforts have paid off," says Gulick.
Seeking Results
The results of the Jacksonville Well City USA project can be seen in a number of important areas. To begin with, the City of Jacksonville was awarded the Governor's Sterling Award in early 2001. Patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria, the Sterling Award demonstrates the City of Jacksonville's commitment to organizational performance excellence and quality achievement. Additionally, in 1997, Money Magazine ranked Jacksonville the 9th best place to live
in America.
Also to be noted are the efforts of the Smoke Free Jacksonville Coalition, in which the Wellness Council of Florida plays a key role. The SFJC has been recognized for its unique work in eliminating smoking all over Jacksonville, starting with children, and moving into the adult populations at work in Jacksonville's corporate environments.
Finally, on an organizational level JEA, a WELCOA Gold Well Workplace Award winner and leader in the Well City Jacksonville initiative, has expanded its already strong commitment to on-site fitness programming and now has the largest exercise facility in downtown Jacksonville. Their comprehensive wellness programming efforts are also beginning to show a modest return on investment for the company—quite an achievement to reach in just 10 years.
Says Gulick, "It's very exciting to see Jacksonville, and the companies that call this city home, continue to move forward with health and wellness initiatives. The Well City USA project really proved to be the impetus behind a community and a group of companies that continue to lead the way in organizational health and wellness. There are great companies to work for in Jacksonville, and more organizations move here every year. I think Well City USA plays a role in Jacksonville's growth."
Looking Ahead
Jacksonville has set its sights on the next level of community achievement—the Well City Silver designation. With the success they have seen in the past, there's little doubt the Silver designation is within reach. Additionally, Gainesville is expected to reach the Well City mark within the next 18 months. The Gainesville Award would be at the Gold level, and would cover 50 percent of its employee population of 109,428 workers! Not to be forgotten, Tallahassee and Valdosta have also begun their own drives to achieve Well City USA status, and are expected to complete their projects within the next few years.
As the nation? first Well City, Jacksonville has carried the torch for community-wide health and wellness efforts for nearly eight years. Their commitment to improved health and well-being on a community level has inspired numerous other cities throughout the nation to come together in Well City USA efforts of their own, and their continuing efforts are again breaking new ground in the area of community-wide health improvement.
Well City USA Award Stat Sheet
1. City/Project: Jacksonville Well City
2. Month & Year Designated: November, 1995
3. Population:
Top 5 Industries within Community
1. Wholesale/Retail Trade
2. Services Industry
3. Finance, Insurance, Real Estate
4. Government
5. Transportation, Communication
5. Number of Well Workplaces Participating
6. Number of Employees within Well City Project: 79,500
