CDC launches website on worker wellness programs

Atlanta – In an effort to help employers start or expand employee health promotion programs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created the Workplace Health Resource Center website.

During an Aug. 15 webcast, part of CDC’s Public Health Grand Rounds series, Jason Lang, team lead for Workplace Health Programs at CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, said the website already houses more than 200 resources, including case studies on programs from different types of organizations. He added that the goal of the website is to provide trustworthy information on emerging issues such as sleep and fatigue.

“WHRC includes reliable, credible, fact-based resources from organizations already in the workplace health marketplace,” Lang said. “The public information is vetted by the CDC and a steering committee of national experts in the workplace health community, including employers, state public health departments, business health associations and academic institutions. The WHRC helps employers tailor workplace health promotion programs to suit their organizational needs.” He added that WHRC includes webinars and videos to help employers who “may not know where to start their program.”

Lang noted that CDC is providing special tools to aid small businesses. “Small employers represent over 99 percent of all employers, and in terms of their use of effective workplace health interventions, lag significantly behind their larger counterparts,” Lang said.