Kanawha Valley, West Virginia
Well City Heads for the Hills
Nestled within the scenic rolling hills of Charleston, WV, Kanawha Valley (pronounced Ka-naugh) is one of the healthiest regions in the nation. In 1996, the Kanawha Coalition for Community Health Improvement (KCCHI) began working with the Wellness Councils of West Virginia (WCWV) to spearhead a drive that would place Kanawha Valley on a short list of Well Cities. After four years of securing and making real the commitment from Kanawha Valley employers, the goal of achieving a Well City USA designation was attained in October of 2001.
The Only Place to Go is Up
The Well City USA movement that took place in Kanawha Valley was the product of a disturbing trend which threatened the health and well-being of many of the Valley’s citizens. “When you look at the top 10 risk factors in the United States, we were leading the pack—and not just in a few of them—but in all of them” said Lew Holloway, Executive Director of the Wellness Council of West Virginia. “So we felt that by working with worksites through the Well City process, we would be able to increase awareness and begin addressing those issues within our community.”
Base Camp
To take on the tall task that lay ahead, the Kanawha Coalition for Community Health Improvement, a community coalition charged with maximizing existing community health care resources, and the Wellness Council of West Virginia, joined forces and began constructing a plan for transforming Kanawha Valley into a Well City USA.
From the very beginning, Kanawha Valley employers were excited about the possibilities a Well City could bring. In fact, it wasn’t long before many of the Valley’s CEO’s were on the phone or meeting one-on-one with other area business leaders, talking about the potential benefits of establishing worksite health promotion programs. “For whatever reason, be it the potential benefits within their own companies, or community benefits like greater economic attractiveness, or just wanting to be a part of such a positive community initiative, one-by-one businesses joined the coalition and worked hard to enlist others in the climb,” explains Holloway.
The Climb
With companies continuing to come on board, the coalition began helping its member companies in creating programs designed to meet the health concerns menacing their employee populations. Holloway outlines the process: “We were able to incorporate results-oriented wellness initiatives into workplaces by conducting Well Workplace Universities, and by making available networking opportunities through our coalition. We would regularly meet with the worksite coordinators driving the programs within the companies to talk about the initiative, or we’d host guest speakers to discuss topics that were of interest at the time.” Holloway believes the regular meetings played a key role in helping to keep everybody on the same page and in getting the group off to a fast start.
The Summit
There is still much ground to be covered, but Kanawha Valley’s designation as a Well City has resulted in a number of companies developing worksite wellness programs, and many worksites are beginning to be transformed.
“We’ve benefited greatly from our association with the coalition,” believes Fred Mixer, Worksite Coordinator for West Virginia’s Workers’ Compensation Division of the Bureau of Employment Programs. “When we started having health screenings, there were some employees who discovered that they had potential health problems simply because health screenings were available to them. Without the screenings they might never have known until the health problems became fully developed. None of this would have ever happened without our wellness program.”
With a healthier Kanawha Valley on the horizon, Holloway is beginning to see some encouraging changes within his community. “We’ve upped the bar somewhat. Now, instead of just one company out there striving to improve its employees’ health and quality of life, we have another 22 companies incrementally doing the same type of things for more than 24,000 Valley employees. Because of this, the opportunity exists for momentum to build, and to continue to improve the community in other ways.”
The View From the Top
Kanawha Valley is well aware that being designated a Well City USA isn’t the end of their work, but rather just the beginning. Kanawha Valley has already expressed interest in achieving a Silver designation and is mentoring the companies currently involved, helping them to further develop their worksite wellness programs. Having already hosted a Well Workplace University earlier this year, Kanawha Valley has started the process of identifying the next generation of companies who will carry the torch to a Silver Well City USA and eventually on to Gold.
“It’s been a rewarding experience to work with our companies and to see the changes that they are experiencing. Risk factors are addressed, people’s health improves, and lives are changed—those are all exciting outcomes to be a part of,” expresses Holloway. “I think it’s an initiative in which more communities should become involved. It’s an achievement that’s very worthwhile.”
Well City USA Award Stat Sheet
1. City/Project: Kanawha Valley Well City
2. Month & Year Designated: October, 2001
3. Population:
Current: 120,000
4. Top 5 Industries within Community:
1. Services
2. Trade
3. Government
4. Transportation, Communications, Utilities
5. Finance, Real Estate, Insurance
5. Number of Well Workplaces Participating:
Gold: 6
Silver: 5
Bronze: 12
6. Number of Employees within Well City Project: 24,000
Well City Heads for the Hills
Nestled within the scenic rolling hills of Charleston, WV, Kanawha Valley (pronounced Ka-naugh) is one of the healthiest regions in the nation. In 1996, the Kanawha Coalition for Community Health Improvement (KCCHI) began working with the Wellness Councils of West Virginia (WCWV) to spearhead a drive that would place Kanawha Valley on a short list of Well Cities. After four years of securing and making real the commitment from Kanawha Valley employers, the goal of achieving a Well City USA designation was attained in October of 2001.
The Only Place to Go is Up
The Well City USA movement that took place in Kanawha Valley was the product of a disturbing trend which threatened the health and well-being of many of the Valley’s citizens. “When you look at the top 10 risk factors in the United States, we were leading the pack—and not just in a few of them—but in all of them” said Lew Holloway, Executive Director of the Wellness Council of West Virginia. “So we felt that by working with worksites through the Well City process, we would be able to increase awareness and begin addressing those issues within our community.”
Base Camp
To take on the tall task that lay ahead, the Kanawha Coalition for Community Health Improvement, a community coalition charged with maximizing existing community health care resources, and the Wellness Council of West Virginia, joined forces and began constructing a plan for transforming Kanawha Valley into a Well City USA.
From the very beginning, Kanawha Valley employers were excited about the possibilities a Well City could bring. In fact, it wasn’t long before many of the Valley’s CEO’s were on the phone or meeting one-on-one with other area business leaders, talking about the potential benefits of establishing worksite health promotion programs. “For whatever reason, be it the potential benefits within their own companies, or community benefits like greater economic attractiveness, or just wanting to be a part of such a positive community initiative, one-by-one businesses joined the coalition and worked hard to enlist others in the climb,” explains Holloway.
The Climb
With companies continuing to come on board, the coalition began helping its member companies in creating programs designed to meet the health concerns menacing their employee populations. Holloway outlines the process: “We were able to incorporate results-oriented wellness initiatives into workplaces by conducting Well Workplace Universities, and by making available networking opportunities through our coalition. We would regularly meet with the worksite coordinators driving the programs within the companies to talk about the initiative, or we’d host guest speakers to discuss topics that were of interest at the time.” Holloway believes the regular meetings played a key role in helping to keep everybody on the same page and in getting the group off to a fast start.
The Summit
There is still much ground to be covered, but Kanawha Valley’s designation as a Well City has resulted in a number of companies developing worksite wellness programs, and many worksites are beginning to be transformed.
“We’ve benefited greatly from our association with the coalition,” believes Fred Mixer, Worksite Coordinator for West Virginia’s Workers’ Compensation Division of the Bureau of Employment Programs. “When we started having health screenings, there were some employees who discovered that they had potential health problems simply because health screenings were available to them. Without the screenings they might never have known until the health problems became fully developed. None of this would have ever happened without our wellness program.”
With a healthier Kanawha Valley on the horizon, Holloway is beginning to see some encouraging changes within his community. “We’ve upped the bar somewhat. Now, instead of just one company out there striving to improve its employees’ health and quality of life, we have another 22 companies incrementally doing the same type of things for more than 24,000 Valley employees. Because of this, the opportunity exists for momentum to build, and to continue to improve the community in other ways.”
The View From the Top
Kanawha Valley is well aware that being designated a Well City USA isn’t the end of their work, but rather just the beginning. Kanawha Valley has already expressed interest in achieving a Silver designation and is mentoring the companies currently involved, helping them to further develop their worksite wellness programs. Having already hosted a Well Workplace University earlier this year, Kanawha Valley has started the process of identifying the next generation of companies who will carry the torch to a Silver Well City USA and eventually on to Gold.
“It’s been a rewarding experience to work with our companies and to see the changes that they are experiencing. Risk factors are addressed, people’s health improves, and lives are changed—those are all exciting outcomes to be a part of,” expresses Holloway. “I think it’s an initiative in which more communities should become involved. It’s an achievement that’s very worthwhile.”
Well City USA Award Stat Sheet
1. City/Project: Kanawha Valley Well City
2. Month & Year Designated: October, 2001
3. Population:
4. Top 5 Industries within Community:
1. Services
2. Trade
3. Government
4. Transportation, Communications, Utilities
5. Finance, Real Estate, Insurance
5. Number of Well Workplaces Participating:
6. Number of Employees within Well City Project: 24,000
