The Wellfocused program helps employees engage in activities that will support them in their goals to better health. Since the new Wellfocused kicked off on July 1, it has grown to more than 8,000 registered participants. Suanne Gardiner, supervisor for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at HUP, is one.
Wellfocused served as one of Gardiner’s primary tools to support her almost three-year health and fitness journey. She was eager to not only improve her physical health, but her mental health as well. Because the program included a wide array of opportunities to improve overall well-being — physically and emotionally — she knew this was the place to start. “Fast forward to 2020 and 40 pounds lighter, I have a healthier lifestyle, a place to connect with my peers, and a place where I feel I belong,” Gardiner said. “I am back to enjoying the things I have missed over the last four years, including my love for running half marathons. Without a structured program such as Wellfocused, this would not have been possible.”
Penn Medicine was recently recognized for its efforts by the Philadelphia Business Journal’s annual list recognizing “Philadelphia’s Healthiest Employers,” which make employee wellness an integral part of their corporate mission. Penn Medicine was a winner of this year’s Healthiest Employers Award in the “Extra Large” category. The award measures six values of a healthy workplace: vision, culture/engagement, learning, expertise, metrics, and technology. The Wellfocused program has strengths in each of these areas and is dedicated to making living a healthy lifestyle easier by providing tools, resources, educational campaigns and health-related challenges to help improve overall well-being and encourage you to take steps to improve or maintain your good health.
“I am most proud that employee wellness has become a key foundational element in Penn Medicine’s ability to attract and retain top talent,” said Denise Mariotti, HUP’s chief HR officer. “In turn it allows us to keep our employees engaged and productive.”