Promising Practices for Total Worker Health^®

U.S. Surgeon General Shares Promising Practices for Worker Well-being

Topics: government, mental health, worker input, workplace culture

The Office of the U.S. Surgeon General (OSG) is a long-time champion for worker well-being and an invaluable partner in these efforts. This Promising Practice features resources from the OSG that you can use to protect and promote worker well-being, including a closer look at the new Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-being. Read more.

Planting the Seeds of a New Comprehensive TWH Program

Topics: government, supportive leadership, workforce development, workplace culture

This Promising Practice features the work of Dr. Christian B. Rathke DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, Director of TWH in the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service within National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Learn more about this new role and how Dr. Rathke incorporates TWH approaches. Read more.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Worker Training Program: Training Curricula and Resources to Combat the Opioid and Substance Use Crises

Topics: substance use, training, government

CDC reported more than 103,000 overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending December 2021. Work-related injury, pain, and stress are all pathways to opioid use, misuse, and opioid use disorder. There is an urgent need to train workers and employers on how to prevent and respond to the opioid and substance use crises. Training is an essential step in getting employers, labor, and communities to start addressing these outcomes. Read more.

Worker Safety, Health, and Well-being at NIOSH: HealthiestNIOSH Leads by Example

Topics: supportive leadership, government, worker input

Have you ever wondered how NIOSH implements TWH approaches within its own workforce? After all, a defining element of the TWH approach is to demonstrate leadership commitment to worker safety and health at all levels and to give workers a strong voice in the work challenges and issues they care about most. The HealthiestNIOSH Program, sponsored jointly by the Office for TWH and NIOSH’s Human Resources Office, focuses on optimizing the safety, health, and well-being of all those working at NIOSH. Read more.

A Company Answers the Call to Address the Substance Use and Mental Health Needs of Its Workers

Topics: mental health, substance use

Following the death of his son to an opioid overdose in September 2016, Leidos employee John Hindman caught the attention of Leidos Chairman and CEO Roger Krone. After a brief period of intense internal research and deliberation where additional Leidos employees shared similar experiences with opioid use disorder (OUD), the company launched the Leidos CEO Pledge to End Addiction. Read more.

Applying Total Worker Health Approaches in a Healthcare Setting

Topics: work design, healthcare

Eskenazi Health, a NIOSH TWH Affiliate, is a non-profit healthcare organization that employs workers in various conditions and settings. Organizations may have employees who are working from home, providing direct patient care in 12-hour shifts, or working in different departments, quickly learning new tasks to support patients with varying needs. Following the TWH model, Eskenazi Health focuses on caring for workers by continually addressing and improving their policies, programs, and practices. Read more.

Oregon Total Worker Health Alliance: Advancing TWH Professional Training

Topics: training, workforce development

In a 2019 issue of TWH in Action!, the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center (OHWC) reported on the launch of the Total Worker Health training curriculum. Over the past 18 months, the Oregon Total Worker Health Alliance worked to adapt existing courses to a virtual format and to successfully train professionals and organizations in Total Worker Health (TWH) approaches. Read more.

Creating a Culture of Health: The Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA

Topics: community health, campus health, workplace culture, academic

Recognizing that universities have the capacity and responsibility to infuse health and well-being into campus culture, “healthy campus” efforts have grown around the country, including at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2013, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block announced the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative (Semel HCI), envisioned and supported by Jane and Terry Semel. Semel HCI is now a Center at UCLA, partnering with diverse stakeholders across the campus to foster a culture of physical, emotional, and social well-being for the whole campus community. Read more.

Rested, Resilient, and Active: The HealthPartners Be Well Program

Topics: workplace culture, healthcare, measurement

HealthPartners, a NIOSH TWH Affiliate, is a 26,000-person healthcare payer, provider, and research organization serving six states through 16 single, separate employers. Building on a 30-year history of employee well-being, HealthPartners established Be Well in 2010. Be Well is a system-wide well-being program that helps colleagues be more rested, resilient, and active. Read more.

Under the Hard Hat: Addressing Mental Health in the Construction Industry 

Topics: mental health, substance use, industry, construction

The construction industry experiences some of the highest rates of suicide. One in five adults experience a mental illness in their lifetime, and 57% of construction workers have experienced a mental health issue during their career in the industry. To address this concern, Willis Towers Watson partnered with Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) to develop a state-of-the-art mental health education and suicide prevention training program. Read more.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health: Helping Employers Navigate New Challenges through the Project ECHO Model

Topics: mental health, substance use, healthcare, training

Since 2017, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health’s Department of Population Health has been working across the health system and with community partners to improve the health of patients, employees, and communities. The organization has consistently been heralded as a leader in health care and was one of the first Total Worker Health Affiliates. In early 2019, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (D-HH) Population Health established a Project ECHO hub as a learning infrastructure for clinicians and community organizations to share knowledge and improve clinical and non-clinical determinants of health. Read more.