COMMUNICATION AND AWARENESS PROGRAMS

Awareness activities are meant to increase employees knowledge of health promotion programs. All of your employees can be exposed to awareness activities through bulletin boards, electronic mail, voice mail, posters, flyers, and newsletters.

Employees need to be kept current on information about the health promotion topic that you may be focusing on. Check to see if the selected focus topic is related to the National Health Calendar (Appendix L). How does this topic relate to your employee's life? Update employees on the current health trends. Information regarding the benefits of wellness, wellness tips, and specific wellness activities of the department need to be provided on a regular basis to the entire staff of your department.

Here are some ways to keep the lines of communication open in the work place:

• Newsletters - develop or use an existing employee newsletter. A good technique is to feature in each issue an employee who has made a positive health change in his/her life, or feature healthy food choices available in your cafeteria.
• Bulletin Boards - constantly update bulletin boards with upcoming meetings, classes, and current information. Bulletin boards are a great way to keep employees updated because many are located in high-traffic areas.
• Electronic Mail - send employees reminders a couple of days before a scheduled program/event. E-mail employees a monthly calendar of events.
• Posters - put up eye-catching, colorful posters that are related to the health topic you are currently featuring. The information should be kept short and simple. For example, if the topic of the month is "Stress Management" post flyers with three ways to reduce stress in your life (such as manage your time wisely, talk with friends and family, and practice stopping negative thoughts). Check with local non-profit organizations for free posters and brochures.

Health Fairs

Conducting a health fair is a great way to raise the staff's awareness and educate staff about how to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Create a festive atmosphere emphasizing that a healthy lifestyle can be fun. A health fair can provide a way to bring health care providers and consumers together. These fairs can introduce and stimulate healthy behaviors and reinforce individuals that already practice healthy behaviors. Health fairs can not only generate interest in leading a healthy lifestyle, they can deliver up-to-date preventative health information.

The first step in conducting a health fair is to define your purpose and the focus of the health fair. You can review the results of the employee wellness surveys for topics of interest. You may want to plan your health fair in May for "National Employee Health and Fitness Month" or September or October in conjunction with the health benefits open enrollment. Health fairs can include: informative materials on health care coverage, health screenings such as cholesterol and blood pressure, healthy food samples, local community groups (such as hospitals), and local health/fitness-related businesses.

In picking the location for the health fair, you should take the following items into consideration:

• Is the health fair going to be outdoors or indoors?
• If the health fair is going to be outdoors, is there a back-up plan for changing weather conditions?
• How far in advance does the health fair location need to be booked?
• Is the location easily accessible for the disabled?
• Is there a place to hang signs or banners?
• Are there electrical outlets available?
• How close is the proposed site of the health fair to your work place?
• Are there accessible restrooms?
• Is there adequate parking or public transportation nearby?
• Is there going to be a fee for the location?
• What kind of insurance coverage is necessary?
• Is the location size adequate for the number of employees that will be attending and the number of vendors that will be set up?
• What is the physical layout of the location? (Example: Are there several steps and hills that will make it difficult to get around the location?)
• Who supplies the tables and chairs for the vendors?
• Are shade covers needed?

When planning a health fair it is important to decide on a budget:

• How much can you spend for the health fair?
• Do you need to have fund raisers ahead of time to help offset the costs?
• Are there any businesses that would consider donating to your health fair?
• Can you get volunteers to help you organize the health fair?

Donation ideas:

• health books or magazines
• health services such as massages, health screenings
• one day pass to a health club
• food samples from a health food store or healthy restaurant

1. Approximately how many employees will be attending the health fair?
2. What kind of activities do you want to have at the health fair? (Ex: healthy food samples, health screening, health plan information, etc.)
3. Will there be a cost to the vendors to participate in the health fair?
4. Are there duplicate vendors or health topics?
5. If some vendors are in competition with one another place the booths in separate areas if possible.
6. Notify vendors who else is participating

Examples of health fair participants:

• American Lung Association
• American Heart Association
• American Cancer Society
• local police departments
• chiropractors
• health clubs
• podiatrists
• local walking clubs
• local hospitals
• nutritional groups
• bottled water vendors
• athletic clothing and equipment vendors
• local health food vendors
• local healthy restaurants or restaurants that offer healthy options
• health plan providers

• exercise demonstrations such as karate, tai chi, or Jazzercize
• massages
• health screenings (blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.)
• healthy food samples
• chiropractic examinations
• podiatry examinations

Make your employees aware of the health fair. Post flyers and signs far in advance to remind your employees that the health fair is coming up. Remind employees early so they can mark their calendars. Make the flyers eye-catching and colorful. Tell your employees what kinds of booths will be at the health fair. Write an article in your employee newsletter to attract attention. Get your employees excited about the upcoming event. Suggested supplies for the health fair:

• balloons and other decorations
• chairs
• clipboards
• extension cords
• first-aid kit
• garbage bags
• glue
• masking tape, electrical tape, duct tape
• microphone to announce events
• nails
• pencils
• pens
• power surge protectors
• rope
• table coverings
• tables
• shade covers(outdoor events)
• easels for signage
• paper weights( outdoor events)

After the health fair has been completed, an evaluation should be made for future reference. Evaluations can be oral feedback, surveys, or both. The health fair should be evaluated by the vendors, sponsors, and attendees. If possible, give the attendees a quick survey to fill out before they leave the health fair. A sample evaluation form for vendors and employees is included (Appendix M). Find out which booths were the most successful and why. Approximate how many people attended the health fair. Ask yourself, "Did we meet our objective for having a health fair?"

A health fair entails a lot of planning and work. Don't forget to thank vendors, sponsors, and attendees. Sending notes out to vendors and sponsors will help reinforce participation in the future. In order to help with future events keep a record of all correspondence, plans, names, and addresses of vendors and sponsors.

Health Net Guide: Keys to Creating a Successful Health Fair

Health Net's Guide is a great way to help plan a health fair. The guide includes information on topics such as: "Taking the First Steps", "Setting the Foundation", "Adding the Final Touches", "On the Big Day", and "After the Fair". Throughout the guide there are tips that include ideas for effective recruitment, important considerations for outdoor fairs, tips for survey success, and suggestions for effective promotion. A Health Fair Time line, Employee Interest Survey, Telephone Contact Sheets, and sample letters are included in the guide to help get organized. To receive Health Net Guide: Keys to Creating a Successful Health Fair call (800) (638-3889).

Health Fairs Organizers

If you feel that you do not have the time or expertise to plan a health fair, there is another option. Please check your local telephone directory for additional vendors.

In the greater Sacramento area, American Health Fairs can provide a health fair for you. The only work that you would need to do is secure a location. American Health Fairs is a group of doctors and allied professionals who donate their time and make it possible to offer health fairs free of charge, as a community service. American Health Fairs provide free screening exams and consultations with health care professionals. American Health Fairs goal is to educate, inform, and enlighten people regarding many issues about health and prevention, health care and preventative care, and in exchange they become better known in the Sacramento Metro Area. American Health Fairs range is from Folsom, West Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Elk Grove, Rocklin and surrounding areas. You can contact American Health Fairs at (916) 422-1361 for more information.

In the San Jose/Sunnyvale area, Any Event Corporate Productions is available for customizing health fairs. You can contact Any Event Corporate Productions at (408) 737-1072.