Kearney, Nebraska
A Rural Community Where Health IS Central
Kearney, NE (pronounced car-knee) is a small agricultural community located almost exactly in the center of the United States. In addition to its location nationally, Kearney’s leadership in creating healthy communities is even more central.
Designated a Well City USA in 2000, Kearney’s journey toward the award began in 1997 when community health leader Good Samaritan Health System contacted the Wellness Council of the Midlands for direction in achieving Well City USA status. Having seen other, larger, communities in Nebraska receive the award, business leaders in Kearney knew that the Well City USA designation was something they wanted, and they got right to work.
Digging In
As the organization spearheading the Well City USA initiative, Good Samaritan Health System immediately set up a task force to recruit local business to join the effort. They experienced little resistance.
Says Howie Halperin, Executive Director of the Wellness Council of the Midlands and one of the project’s leaders, “Kearney really wanted to take on the Well City USA project. They were bent on making sure they reached the designation, and the organizations involved really didn’t have any doubt that they would make it. Having Good Samaritan Health System there, they felt their community was already wellness-centered, and they knew that businesses were the best place to promote health and well-being.”
Soon, Good Samaritan’s task force had gathered over 20 businesses representing over 9,000 employees to begin the process of making Kearney a Well City.
Eye on The Prize
Kearney’s approach to Well City took on a lasting vision. The focus of local businesses throughout the initiative was not on attaining the award itself—although that would ultimately validate their efforts. What the Kearney companies wanted to do was ensure that the businesses involved in reaching Well City USA status had well-crafted health programs in place that would stand the test of time. As a result they focused on building results-oriented health promotion programs into the worksite, knowing that if they did this, the Well City USA Award would soon follow.
Halperin explains. “The Well City designation is great and it’s the capstone to a lot of hard work, but the focus in Kearney was on setting up solid wellness programs, not on the award. We wanted to put the pieces in place to ensure that wellness initiatives would be around for the long haul. The award is great, but if that’s all you’re shooting for, it won’t be long before all the good things you’ve done dry up and blow away.”
Finding Results
Kearney’s hard work hasn’t dried up. In fact, it’s alive and well. Most of the companies originally involved in the project continue to grow their programs, focusing their efforts on stress management, cardiovascular disease, nutrition, and physical activity—issues particular to small, agriculturally based communities.
Kearney Orthopedic and Fracture Clinic, long a healthy company in Kearney, has recently begun the hard work of measuring return on investment from its wellness program. In addition, Kearney’s flagship wellness activity, “Walk Out On Your Job”, continues to thrive. “Walk Out On Your Job,” is an annual event in which nearly every employee in every company participates. It entails spending the afternoon walking for exercise and is a staple occurrence in Kearney’s recipe for a healthy community.
The Silver Well City USA project is also on the agenda, but just like the current Bronze designation, the focus is not on attaining a new, higher level award, but rather on continuing to set up results-oriented wellness programs.
Looking Ahead
The Well City USA initiative in Kearney has not only served to transform the community into a more health conscious group of people, but it has also acted as a springboard to establish community-wide health initiatives throughout the state of Nebraska.
Stemming from the success experienced in Kearney, the Wellness Council of the Midlands has received funding to take the Well City model into other communities as well. The cities of Hastings, Grand Island, and Aurora are looking to become Nebraska’s next Well Cities.
“The Kearney project has really been a satisfying one for everyone involved,” says Halperin. “Not only was Kearney able to incorporate healthy lifestyles into the community, but they got their wish. Other communities are looking to Kearney as a leader in building health and wellness into the civic environment at large. Kearney has been able to set itself apart as a model to follow for other smaller communities looking to get healthy. You really can’t ask for much more.”
Well City USA Award Stat Sheet
1. City/Project: Kearney Well City
2. Month & Year Designated: December, 2000
3. Population:
Current: 29,000
At Project Start: 25,000
4. Top 5 Industries within Community:
1. Manufacturing
2. Construction
3. Transportation, Communication, Utilities
4. Trade, Wholesale, Retail
5. Finance, Insurance, Real Estate
5. Number of Well Workplaces Participating:
Gold: 4
Silver: 4
Bronze: 13
6. Number of Employees within Well City Project: 9,000
A Rural Community Where Health IS Central
Kearney, NE (pronounced car-knee) is a small agricultural community located almost exactly in the center of the United States. In addition to its location nationally, Kearney’s leadership in creating healthy communities is even more central.
Designated a Well City USA in 2000, Kearney’s journey toward the award began in 1997 when community health leader Good Samaritan Health System contacted the Wellness Council of the Midlands for direction in achieving Well City USA status. Having seen other, larger, communities in Nebraska receive the award, business leaders in Kearney knew that the Well City USA designation was something they wanted, and they got right to work.
Digging In
As the organization spearheading the Well City USA initiative, Good Samaritan Health System immediately set up a task force to recruit local business to join the effort. They experienced little resistance.
Says Howie Halperin, Executive Director of the Wellness Council of the Midlands and one of the project’s leaders, “Kearney really wanted to take on the Well City USA project. They were bent on making sure they reached the designation, and the organizations involved really didn’t have any doubt that they would make it. Having Good Samaritan Health System there, they felt their community was already wellness-centered, and they knew that businesses were the best place to promote health and well-being.”
Soon, Good Samaritan’s task force had gathered over 20 businesses representing over 9,000 employees to begin the process of making Kearney a Well City.
Eye on The Prize
Kearney’s approach to Well City took on a lasting vision. The focus of local businesses throughout the initiative was not on attaining the award itself—although that would ultimately validate their efforts. What the Kearney companies wanted to do was ensure that the businesses involved in reaching Well City USA status had well-crafted health programs in place that would stand the test of time. As a result they focused on building results-oriented health promotion programs into the worksite, knowing that if they did this, the Well City USA Award would soon follow.
Halperin explains. “The Well City designation is great and it’s the capstone to a lot of hard work, but the focus in Kearney was on setting up solid wellness programs, not on the award. We wanted to put the pieces in place to ensure that wellness initiatives would be around for the long haul. The award is great, but if that’s all you’re shooting for, it won’t be long before all the good things you’ve done dry up and blow away.”
Finding Results
Kearney’s hard work hasn’t dried up. In fact, it’s alive and well. Most of the companies originally involved in the project continue to grow their programs, focusing their efforts on stress management, cardiovascular disease, nutrition, and physical activity—issues particular to small, agriculturally based communities.
Kearney Orthopedic and Fracture Clinic, long a healthy company in Kearney, has recently begun the hard work of measuring return on investment from its wellness program. In addition, Kearney’s flagship wellness activity, “Walk Out On Your Job”, continues to thrive. “Walk Out On Your Job,” is an annual event in which nearly every employee in every company participates. It entails spending the afternoon walking for exercise and is a staple occurrence in Kearney’s recipe for a healthy community.
The Silver Well City USA project is also on the agenda, but just like the current Bronze designation, the focus is not on attaining a new, higher level award, but rather on continuing to set up results-oriented wellness programs.
Looking Ahead
The Well City USA initiative in Kearney has not only served to transform the community into a more health conscious group of people, but it has also acted as a springboard to establish community-wide health initiatives throughout the state of Nebraska.
Stemming from the success experienced in Kearney, the Wellness Council of the Midlands has received funding to take the Well City model into other communities as well. The cities of Hastings, Grand Island, and Aurora are looking to become Nebraska’s next Well Cities.
“The Kearney project has really been a satisfying one for everyone involved,” says Halperin. “Not only was Kearney able to incorporate healthy lifestyles into the community, but they got their wish. Other communities are looking to Kearney as a leader in building health and wellness into the civic environment at large. Kearney has been able to set itself apart as a model to follow for other smaller communities looking to get healthy. You really can’t ask for much more.”
Well City USA Award Stat Sheet
1. City/Project: Kearney Well City
2. Month & Year Designated: December, 2000
3. Population:
4. Top 5 Industries within Community:
1. Manufacturing
2. Construction
3. Transportation, Communication, Utilities
4. Trade, Wholesale, Retail
5. Finance, Insurance, Real Estate
5. Number of Well Workplaces Participating:
6. Number of Employees within Well City Project: 9,000
