Brew Up a Formula for Wellness at Annual Summit (Oct. 3-4)

Learn how to combine five key factors to create the perfect Formula for Wellness at your organization by attending the Indiana Health and Wellness Summit on October 3-4, presented in partnership by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Wellness Council of Indiana (WCI).

“It will hit on all elements of wellness: mental, physical, purpose, community and financial,” remarks WCI executive director Jennifer Pferrer. “It’s important that purpose is a focus of the conversation. Connecting employees to purpose allows them to be more balanced in their well-being and more engaged in the workplace.”

The event, which is Indiana’s largest gathering of workplace wellness professionals, will take place at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis. Topics include legal updates, engaging the community, using data technology, exploring food deserts and more.

Additional highlights:

Keynote presentation: Changing the World Through Food by chef, author and food equity advocate Michel Nischan (opening general session)

Keynote presentation: Adding More Meaningful Purpose to our Communities Through Sharing Acts of Kindness by former media executive and best-selling author Laura Schroff (morning general session: October 4)

Keynote speaker: Bryan Mills, Alliance for a Healthier Indiana and president and CEO of Community Health Network

Choose Your Own (Wellness) Adventure! A fast-paced session in which attendees can hear four different presenters speak on four topics of their choice.

AchieveWELL Awards Luncheon honoring Three-, Four- and Five-star organizations that have participated in the WCI’s comprehensive assessment and evaluation.

“The mission of the Wellness Council is really built around the wellness conversation around the state and bringing resources together to help organizations learn from each other. The Wellness Summit is a great example of that,” Pferrer adds. “Wellness isn’t a one-time event; it’s a year-round engagement. We’ll be taking what we hear at the Wellness Summit and facilitating discussions through 2018 until next year’s program.”

Register online at www.IndianaWellnessSummit.com or contact Nick at (800) 824-6885.

Delta Dental of Indiana is the presenting sponsor. Platinum sponsors are Gibson, OurHealth and Washington National. Gold sponsors: Apex Benefits and Dental Health Options by Health Resources, Inc. Silver sponsors: Complete Wellness Solutions, Hancock Health, Indiana Vein Specialists, IU School of Public Health – Bloomington, NovoNordisk, PHP and R2 FIT.

Is Wellness a Way of Life in Your Office?

We’re gearing up to release our July/August edition of BizVoice® magazine. This edition has a few areas of focus, including a legislative recap and a continued in-depth look at some of the Chamber’s goals for the state with Indiana Vision 2025’s Dynamic and Creative Culture driver.

The main issues I’ve been assigned for this edition, however, focus on workplace wellness. I’ll have a story for you about how some Hoosier companies are addressing stress in the workplace and helping their employees be as healthy – and happy – as possible. Here’s a teaser: Did you know 65% of American workers cite work as a significant source of stress, but only 11% of employers offer formal stress reduction programs?

I won’t spoil all of the surprises, but my colleagues have been working diligently to bring you the most up-to-date wellness-related information.

As we’ve been going through research and interviews, I wanted to highlight another company that I spoke with during our Best Places to Work in Indiana contest back in May. I didn’t have the opportunity to include aspects of their wellness program in that edition, so I’d like to tell you about it now.

Indianapolis-based Moser Consulting is a small technology consulting company with around 50 employees that works to remain competitive with the larger firms in the area. One way they’ve tackled that goal is by focusing on additional benefits in the workplace, particularly wellness. Moser’s employees are privy to a kitchen stocked with drinks and food, and the company sponsors a gym membership for any employee that wishes to join a fitness center.

And sometimes it’s best to let the experts handle the wellness aspect of the working environment. That’s where the company’s new program, Nuvita, comes in.

Company President Ty Moser told me in May that they had 60 employees and spouses involved in the Nuvita program, which calculates everyone’s overall health and body age, and focuses on helping participants get fit and become educated about health and wellness.

Instead of focusing on pounds lost or miles walked, the focus is on reducing a person’s body age and delving into the psychology of behavior change. A wellness coach is also available to answer questions and provide support.

Does your company offer a wellness program? If they’re not sure where to begin, make sure you check out our upcoming BizVoice® for some great tips on how to get started and the many proven benefits – for the employees and the bottom line – of a worksite wellness program.