Members of the Southcoast Worksite Health & Wellness Collaborative held a "Worksite Health Resolutions 2010" conference on January 12th for more than 60 representatives of local employers and others at the Woodland Commons of UMass-Dartmouth. Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner John Auerbach summarized the work of DPH on the issue prior to Kathryn S. Brooks of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters giving the keynote on how businesses can incorporate wellness into the culture of the corporation. A panel discussion, moderated by Janet Hathaway of Southcoast Hospitals Group, gave representatives of the Acushnet Company, Lightolier, Family Service Association and Sylvia Group of Insurance Agencies, the opportunity to share their experiences in developing worksite wellness programs. Panelists and others have been meeting over the past year at the Charlton College of Business on the U-Mass-Dartmouth campus to look at how employee health could be improved through collective action. For more information about the project, please contact Director of Occupational and Employee Health at Southcoast Hospitals Janet Hathaway at 508-679-7271.

(Top row, left) DPH Commissioner Auerbach describes the resources developed by the Department to address worksite health improvement, including the Working On Wellness Handbook. (Top row, center) Commissioner Auerbach, Director the the DPH Wellness Division Maria Bettencourt, Advancing Wellness CEO Mari Ryan, Janet Hathaway, and DPH staff member Patty Daley chat before the start of the conference. (Top row, right) Kathyryn S. Brooks, Vice-President of Human Resources and Organizational Development for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, delivers the keynote address. (Middle row, left) Ms. Hathaway introduces panel members Greg Salgueiro and Frank Rizzotti of the Acushnet Company, Mary Dunn of Lightolier, Sharon Ford and Susan Potvin of Family Service Association, and Maureen Sylvia Armstrong and Julia Jennings of Sylvia Group of Insurance Agencies. (Middle row, right) Mr. Salgueiro describes the wellness program at the Acushnet Company. (Bottom row, left) Susan Potvin talks about how she developed a wellness program that can be delivered in her many worksites. (Bottom row, center) Occupational Health Nurse Mary Dunn details some of the wellness benefits available to Lightolier employees. (Bottom row, right) Ergonomic Specialist Kathleen Nelson of Southcoast Hospitals Group leads a break-out session on ergonomics.