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School Employee Health

School
Employee Health

School employees
are well-known for taking care of others. Their work pulls them
in many directions — to meet the needs of their students, their
student’s families, and their communities. Often times, they are
the caretakers in their own families — caring for their children,
parents, or other dependents.

These daily
activities and responsibilities compete for their time and take
away from the time they have to take care of themselves. Basic health
necessities become a challenge when responsibilities at work and
home take priority over simple things like drinking plenty of water,
stretching, taking an exercise break to relieve stress, or eating
a nutritious diet. Poor
health can affect day to day functioning and even performance in
your workplace. Stress alone is a major health factor costing businesses
an estimated $150 billion annually.

Taking Care
of Yourself

Lifestyle is
the leading contributing factor to your health. It’s time to take
care of you! Remember that without good health you will not be able
to keep up with your daily demands. Take care of yourself for your
own sake and for those who love and depend on you. Learn more about
your personal health from the following links:

  • Healthstatus.com

    HealthStatus.com, Inc. offers online health risk assessments based
    on the algorithms from the Healthier People project of the Carter
    Center of Emory University. Online assessments and calculators
    take a quick snapshot of a person’s health to enable people to
    quickly and easily determine and track the status of their health
    and health risks compared to U.S. national averages, and scientific
    standards.

  • National
    Women’s Health Information Center
    NWHIC is a free information and resource service on women’s health
    issues designed just for you, whether you’re a consumer, a health
    care professional, a researcher, an educator, or a student.
  • Long-Term
    Health for Women
    From mid-life on, women begin experiencing changes in their bodies
    as well as new health concerns. It is important for a woman to
    talk with her health care provider about the changes happening
    in her body and what she can do to protect her future health.
    Learn more about NEA HIN’s partnerships to educate women about
    important health issues.
  • Men’s
    Health Network
    The MHN is an educational campaign to significantly improve male
    health, longevity, and quality of life.
  • Men’s
    Health Maintenance
    Men’s Health Magazine, sponsor of the annual Men’s Health Week
    in June, offers free single copies of their Men’s Health Maintenance
    Manual.
  • Evaluating
    Health Information
    Most people are on their own as they evaluate health information,
    put it into context, and make important healthcare decisions for
    themselves and their families. The best advice you might get when
    it comes to making sense of health information is ASK QUESTIONS!
    Check out a list of 10 questions designed by the Harvard Center
    for Health Risk Analysis to help you turn health information into
    clues and to get you started on becoming your own health risk
    detective.
  • Getting
    Involved with Medical Research
    Advances in medicine and science are the results of new ideas
    and approaches developed through research. New treatments must
    prove to be safe and effective in scientific studies with a
    certain number of patients before they can be made widely available.
    Learn more about clinical studies and how it might benefit you
    to participate.

Taking Care
of Your Employees

Employers can
play an important role in improving the health and quality of life
for their employees. Research shows that health education and promotion
at the worksite can significantly reduce absenteeism and health
care costs per employee, while increasing overall moral and productivity.
Learn more about the benefits of addressing school employee health
issues in the workplace:

  • Wellness
    Councils of America
    W    orksite
    health promotion is a good business! As North America’s premier
    resource for worksite wellness, the Wellness Councils of America
    is dedicated to helping organizations build world-class wellness
    programs. WELCO presents research and pointers for making a case
    for worksite wellness programs.
  • American
    Association for Worksite Health Promotion
    The Association for Worksite Health Promotion (AWHP) is a not-for-profit
    network of worksite health promotion professionals dedicated to
    sharing the best-of-practice methods, processes and technologies.

For information
on other health issues important to School Employees: