| CORPORATE FITNESS: ONE SUCCESSFUL APPROACH
With support from the Corporate/Community Health Improvement Programs
(CHIPs) of Catholic Medical Center, Digital Equipment Corporation of
Merrimack and Nashua, New Hampshire, has successfully established
"employee-directed" fitness facilities on each location. With over 700
members currently involved in the various programs at each facility,
membership continues to rise as the new trend of corporate fitness
facilities is filtering throughout corporations in New Hampshire and
Massachusetts.
In 1987, at the peak of the "booming eighties", Digital Equipment
Corporation's fitness facilities were developed as part of the employee
benefit plan to promote a healthier workforce. However, as the 1990's
approached, restructuring, cutbacks, and budgetary restraints prevented
Digital from continuing to completely fund the fitness programs. Without
available funds, the future outlook for the fitness centers was
bleak. As the news spread throughout the Digital community, a group of
concerned and dedicated employees formed a "Wellness Committee" to
research the possibility of keeping the centers operating. The best
option was to implement membership dues and hire an outside vendor who
specializes in managing corporate fitness facilities. Following a year
of disappointment over the initial vendor, the Wellness Committee
contacted Catholic Medical Center's CHIPs program for a consultation.
CHIPs is well known for successfully managing corporate fitness
facilities over an eight year period, including the "Lifestyle
Improvement For Employees" (LIFE) Center at Catholic Medical Center.
This health promotion department of Optima Health specializes in meeting
specific needs by providing custom-designed programs for various
corporations throughout New Hampshire. CHIPs is dedicated to promoting
and improving the health and well-being of employees in businesses by
focusing on awareness, prevention, and education through health promotion
and wellness management.
Following several consultations to review various strategies, the Digital
Wellness Committee and CHIPs entered an agreement to manage the everyday
operations of the fitness facilities. The Wellness Committee would
manage the finances of the fitness centers. This strategy allowed these
employees to run a "non-profit" business on their own time within their
workplace, with Digital's permission, to overcome the fate of the
fitness facilities closing.
CHIPs has entered its second year of contractual agreement with the
Wellness Committee of Digital Equipment Corporation after the first year
proved that the strategy of "employee-directed" fitness facilities could
be successful. However, such success could not have been achieved
without the perseverance of the committee members, who often spent many
of their own hours working to assure a healthier workplace for fellow
employees.
Each fitness facility is open 24 hours, 7 days a week and is staffed by a
CHIPs fitness manager for 30 hours each week. The fitness managers are
experts specializing in fitness evaluations, developing and implementing
individual exercise prescriptions, and incorporating safe and effective
group exercise programs. They oversee the daily operations of the
fitness centers, including collecting membership dues, equipment
maintenance, and aerobic instructor schedules. Also, the fitness
managers are responsible for scheduling incentives for members such as
health promotion seminars, prevention screening services, and
educational programs.
Each of the fitness centers is fully equipped with extensive
cardiovascular and resistance training machines as well as free weights.
In addition, each center has an allocated room for weekly exercise
classes such as step and low-impact aerobics, karate, tai chi, yoga and
more. Recreational sports, running clubs and fitness walking are also
available to members.
The Digital Wellness Committee's accomplishments in creating
"employee-directed" fitness facilities with the support of the CHIPs
program are being recognized by area corporations, as well as by other
Digital sites in Massachusetts. Their efforts to improve the quality of
health in the workplace has made them "innovative leaders" of corporate
fitness.
Copyright �1996 CHIPs of Catholic Medical Center
Permission to reproduce within Digital Equipment Corporation.
Denise R. Foresman, CHIPs of Catholic Medical Center, Manchester NH.
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