PBN 2021 HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS AWARDS
500-1,499 EMPLOYEES: 1. South County Health
CEO (or equivalent): Aaron Robinson, CEO and president
Number of employees: 814
While South County Health provides its patients with the highest-quality care, the organization is laser-focused on the health of its employees.
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South County Health, based in South Kingstown, is comprised of South County Hospital, South County Home Health, South County Medical Group and South County Surgical Supply.
“Seeing COVID patients in the community [was] extraordinarily stressful, especially in the beginning at a time of uncertainty about the disease and treatment,” SCH Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Maggie Thomas said.
While learning appropriate COVID-19 treatments, putting on gowns to enter isolation rooms and obtaining personal protective equipment were all managed well, those new obligations created tremendous organizational stress, she said.
“We provided additional support to the staff, [including] respite areas, peer support and encouraging time off to avoid burnout and increase resilience,” Thomas said.
The company’s longtime wellness program addresses diverse aspects of health. By engaging with an outside partner, Simplicity Health, SCH’s Well Beyond Program addresses career development; community, financial and emotional well-being; nutrition; physical activity; preventative care; and well-being coaching.
Financial incentives can play a powerful role in strengthening employee engagement. By volunteering for a local nonprofit: participating in biometric screenings – evaluating body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol; visiting their primary care physician; and engaging in physical activity, benefits-eligible employees earn incentive points that top out at $300 annually per person. Serving on the Wellness Council, for example, equals 50 incentive points, while running/walking a 5K or 10K equals 25 incentive points for a benefits-eligible employee.
Employees earn incentive points by working with the Simplicity Health well-being coach to address their goals. Before COVID-19, the coach came on-site regularly. Employees engaged with the coach by telephone during the pandemic.
“We are working hard to make sure this opportunity is sustained … to support [each employee’s] overall wellness journey,” Thomas said.
Employees enrolled in the company’s health insurance plan who obtain their health care through the organization – from routine primary care and diagnostic services to inpatient treatment – incur no out-of-pocket charges.
“We’re really encouraging great medical care for our staff and their enrolled family members with no financial barriers,” Thomas said, adding staff members who are earning less than $50,000 a year have not seen an increase in their employee contributions to the health insurance premiums in 10 years.
Through the Coastline Employee Assistance Program, employees can participate in any of dozens of informational sessions. The sessions range from resilience, communication and conflict management, to managing change, mastering Medicare, and humor in the workplace.
A HEALTHY THOUGHT
‘Employees must care for themselves first to be in the best position to care for the community.’
MAGGIE THOMAS, South County Health vice president and chief human resources officer
Recognizing that busy medical professionals often feel they lack the time they need to address their own health care needs, South County Health brings many of its health and wellness programs on-site, such as the employee assistance programs, biometric screenings and Schwartz Center Rounds.
South County Hospital is one of hundreds of hospitals hosting Schwartz Center Rounds, which offer health care professionals regular opportunities to “openly and honestly discuss the social and emotional issues they face in caring for patients and families,” according to The Schwartz Center website.
Thomas said SCH’s Schwartz Center Rounds focus on employees’ emotional and mental health, which has been especially meaningful during the pandemic. Topics have included health care ethics and accessing help for difficult decisions; compassion matters and the challenges of alcohol use treatment; care and self-determination; and pandemic perspectives and COVID-19 stories. The programs are open to all employees, include lunch and provide incentive points for participation.
Sixty-seven percent of benefit-eligible employees participate in SCH’s Well Beyond Program, which is 11% above the national benchmark, according to the National Business Group on Health, Thomas said.
“Our commitment to our staff [health] is unparalleled,” Thomas said. “We are so proud of [our] committed and incredible employees.”
