The University of Lethbridge is one of six Alberta businesses partnering with Alberta Health Services (AHS) in a program that aims to help the province's two million employed adults maintain their health.

The Workplace Health Improvement Program (WHIP) is designed to give employers the tools and resources needed to help their employees enjoy a good quality of life. The University of Lethbridge, along with Pepsi Co., Triple M Housing, SAIT Polytechnic, Alberta Oil Tool and Standens Limited make up the six businesses involved in the pilot project.

"Businesses have the ability to positively influence their employees' well-being by promoting healthy lifestyle choices and offering work/home balance," says program co-ordinator Marlynn Kennedy. "For business leaders, the hardest part is knowing how to get started and how to measure the benefits. WHIP provides businesses with the resources and expertise to do that."

Promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles is among the goals outlined in the 5-Year Health Action Plan, jointly developed by the Government of Alberta and AHS, and supported by the province's stable, five-year funding.

University of Lethbridge wellness co-ordinator Suzanne McIntosh says she appreciates the support of AHS as the institution develops a wellness program that uses best practices to instill a culture of health and wellness into all aspects of its community.

"We are always looking to improve on services we can offer our employees," says McIntosh.

Students from the Faculty of Health Sciences (Nursing) program are also involved as part of their community health service rotation.

"Participating in this pilot project will allow us to evaluate our current program by assessing any gaps we may have. It will also help us develop concrete strategies to address and bridge those gaps. This is an exciting partnership and we're looking forward to working with AHS to make it happen here on campus."

As part of the pilot project, AHS workplace consultants will work with the six participating businesses over the next several months.

The consultants present an educational workshop on the importance of workplace health that explains how to develop an effective, custom-made workplace health strategy. Later, the consultants assess the companies' organizational culture, occupational health and safety policies, and the overall health of their employees.

From this assessment, a set of recommendations is developed for each organization, as well as a list of service providers, programs and resources that can help the business improve the health of its employees.

"With just this initial pilot project, we have the potential to improve the health of 5,700 Albertans," says Kennedy.