The Vital Role of Workforce Wellness in COVID-19 Related Illness
The importance of workforce wellness programs has been elevated to a whole new level with the current pandemic. I recently had a revelation about the current life or death threat that we are facing. And what I have known all along, about prevention care, healthy lifestyle choices and workforce wellness programs have now been thrust to the forefront and are playing a vital role in survival for COVID-19 related illness.
My life’s work in helping workers to live healthy lives has not changed with the pandemic crisis. The state of foundational health has always been a predictor of health outcomes, but now, it is the difference between life and death.
The life or death threat that we are faced with today has added an unprecedented value to foundational health. For patients battling COVID-19 related illness, the foundational state of health is a critical factor in the course of illness and recovery.
For those with poor foundational health, the threat of life or death can be higher. Foundational health is especially important for patients with pre-existing conditions. Certain pre-existing health conditions such as obesity or type 2 diabetes (to name a few), place patients at greater risk for severe COVID-19 related illness or even death. However, proper condition management and fortified foundational health can contribute to better outcomes.
Contributing to a strong foundational health happens with everyday healthy lifestyle choices. For the average working person making good choices can be difficult. It can be quite a stretch for many people to make healthy choices when trying to juggle work-life-balance, a job, a commute and family responsibilities. But workforce wellness programs change this paradigm.
The truest words I could speak are these: employers who prioritize and facilitate workforce health and wellness are giving their employees the greatest gift that can be given. It is the gift of foundational health.
Foundational health is the garden that grows the roots of resilience. It is the promise of having a “spring in our step” as we cross the threshold to retirement. Essentially, it is the holy grail of the working population.
The good thing is, workforce populations that have engaged in worksite wellness over these past years, now wear prevention care as a coat of armor against COVID-19 related illness. It can provide a layer of protection that goes beyond masks and handwashing, such as greater resistance to illness and stronger foundational health to better withstand the tidal wave of stress that is now among us. In fact, they have been prepared for this moment in time.
So today, more than ever in my life, the work that I have done for these past 25 years makes perfect sense. There is no more need to second guess the importance of offering wellness in the workplace. The pandemic crisis has elevated the vital need for workforce wellness initiatives. And for some, it can mean the difference between life and death.