Ambassadors: The Impact

January 2019 marked the first anniversary of our Health Ambassadors in the Workplace initiative. This program’s impact has far exceeded our expectations!!  Health ambassadors are revolutionizing health in their places of employment.   They have changed the refreshments in organizational meetings, altered cafeteria menus, spearheaded company-based sports teams, coordinated physical activity classes, organized smoking cessation groups, and much more.

One site, the Law Enforcement and Collection System Authority (LECSA,) has undergone a transformation.

LECSA is a national organization with offices in multiple cities.  Two LECSA representatives took part in our January 2018 program.   These representatives were ambitious, motivated, and fully supported by their supervisors and LECSA management.

Our ambassadors assembled a steering committee to outline goals, objectives and a plan of action.  The steering committee included the vice CEO, the CFO, two field employees, a district manager, and two Pollin Center ambassadors, so as to ensure the program’s success and sustainability.  The committee’s first decision was to appoint and train health ambassadors in every branch of the organization.

One hundred and twenty employees answered the “call for applicants,” offering to serve as LESCA local health coordinators.  The committee screened the applicants and chose 25.  Our graduates independently coordinated the training program for this new group of trainees! The training included information about healthy nutrition, physical activity, and stress reduction. Upon returning to their districts, graduates began to implement local programs. To date, local ambassadors have conducted stress reduction workshops, health related lectures, and smoking prevention activities. Some have even appointed deputy health ambassadors!

Other ambassador initiatives included:

• A designated logo that appears on all health-related information, giveaways, and emails
• A health-focused organizational calendar that includes healthy tips
• Distribution of branded stress balls
• Health information in the organizational newsletter (compiled by our graduates)
• Health lectures on topics suggested by employees
• Health-promoting activities at every organizational event

Health promotion is transforming this workplace in a creative, motivating, and inspiring manner. We are very proud of our ambassadors’ work!  We look forward to following their continued success and to assessing this program’s long-term impact on employees.