Wellness Programs : Health Fairs with a Twist..

A few years ago, business health fairs were all the rage. Now they’re making a comeback, with a slight twist.

In the past, the fairs often better served the provider(s) who came onsite than the needs of the hosting business or their workers. More recently, businesses have refined the planning of the events to serve especially to launch or promote a health promotion program.

To be successful, the events need to serve two purposes - improveing worker education and building their enthusiasm to participate in the wellness program.

To make sure you and your personnel get the most out of a health fair, it helps to be aware about the plusses and minuses - and some little touches that can mean the difference between a so-so event and a hit.

Wellness Fairs -  Double-edged sword

On the plus side, staff members received easy-to-grasp information on key wellness topics such as illness detection, symptom control and smarter medication practices. They also receive important services like free blood-pressure screenings.

On the down side, some specialists said the more newfangled events were more like “disease fairs” than “wellness fairs.” In other words, the tone was little too somber and personnel weren’t namely tuned in because they weren’t enjoying themselves.

Wellness program consultant Dr. Ron Goetzel believes that the savviest firms strike a balance in their health fairs. Stick with the screenings, but also feature exhibitors who offer “lighter,” more enjoyable services. Examples -

• A booth from a local health-food store

• A chair-massage station

• elder-care info from the AARP, or

• A “complimentary medicine” info booth (e.g.,a chiropractor or an acupuncturist).

Offering incentives

In many cases, personnel still need an incentive to attend the fair and get the desired screenings, further to doing the fun stuff. Some real-life wellness programs that’ve worked -

• A contest offering prizes to workforce who visit every station

• quizzes and prizes based on info from different providers’ literature

• flex-scheduling or time-off incentives for getting screened (e.g., a comp day or an extra afternoon off), and

• cash incentives (as little as $20 and as much as $100) to people  who voluntarily participate in various screenings.