Ambassadors for Health – Health promotion in the workplace

Seven kilograms – that’s the amount of weight that MB lost during the three months that she participated in the Pollin Center “Ambassadors for Health” ( Ambassadors) program. MB, a project manager in Israel’s civil service, did not anticipate the profound impact Ambassadors would have on her personal life. em

Ambassadors empowers public sector, female mid-level managers as health-promotion lay-leaders.s

MB, a 47 year old mother of 2, improved her eating, exercise, and sleep habits as a result of the knowledge gained from her participation in the Pollin Center program. Today, her 4,000 ministry co-workers are improving their health thanks to initiatives that she and her associate KG are implementing for them.aa

Ambassadors will influence tens-of-thousands of Israelis. This year alone the project will directly benefit 14,000 government workers, from janitors to directors.  The Pollin-Center team will launch another cohort in Be’er Sheva, this October. The sheer impact factor of this project is just staggering,” said Dr. Donna Zwas, Director of Hadassah’s Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular  Wellness Center for Women. n

Partnership was a key factor in the success of this program. Hadassah’s Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women spearheaded the professional elements of Ambassadors while Na’amat (the Israeli Movement for Working  Women), provided the platform through which participants were recruited.  This year, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) social welfare officials joined our partnership. CSC officials encouraged participation of both mid-management women and their employers, who were required to commit resources towards health initiatives as a pre-requisite of participation. Twenty mid-level managers participated in the 5778 program, from the Ministries of Energy, Health, Justice, Absorption, Education, Labor, and Social Welfare, as well as the Prime Minister’s Office,  the Knesset, the Israel Land Authority, Law Enforcement & Collections, and the  Antitrust Authority.a

Representatives from each ministry were guided on the development and implementation of workplace projects to encourage healthy living. Some of the health-promotion initiatives currently under way include: ensuring availability of healthier lunch options in the office cafeteria, “active” breaks to introduce exercise throughout the work day, distancing printers from work stations, weekly lectures on health-related topics, and bringing laboratory technicians to the office in order to perform blood tests and check workers’ blood pressure.a

There are many health programs targeted at children and diverse opportunities for retirees, but the working woman cares for everyone but herself.   “Ambassadors will bring about lifestyle changes that will affect women, their families and their extended families,” said Pollin Center director, Dr. Zwas.a

At the graduation ceremony, Danny Bonfil, the Jerusalem Regional Chairperson of the Workers’ Union (Histadrut) said, “I don’t know if workers in the public sector will ever have good salaries, but Ambassadors will  ensure that they will have good health!”a