Saint Vincent Hospital President and CEO Scott Whalen sees himself as a “population manager” for the health and wellness of the community.
Keeping the Workplace Well
When it comes to wellness, Saint Vincent Hospital is not just a provider, but also an active user of health care. With more than 3,000 associates, Erie County’s fourth largest employer has a vested interest in keeping its work force and the community well. “If you think about it, the wellness of our work force and the jobs we do every day are critically important,” explains Scott Whalen, Ph.D., F.A.C.H.E., the hospital’s president and chief executive officer. “We truly believe we are making a difference in the health and delivery system overall.” Whalen’s arrival at Saint Vincent in 2011 came at a time when health care across America was beginning to change and especially for Erie’s first hospital. Saint Vincent, operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania since 1875, was looking at its future and had a tough decision to make. Working with board members, community leaders and business owners, administrators sat down to discuss whether Saint Vincent could stand alone in this new environment. Through a long process with stakeholders, it was determined that they needed to find a partner with a similar vision — with an emphasis on prevention and wellness across the continuum of care. In July 2013, Saint Vincent merged with Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network (AHN), an integrated delivery system of eight hospitals that includes Jefferson Regional Medical Center, five hospitals in the West Penn Allegheny Health System and Westfield Memorial Hospital. Now, more than a year later, the union has helped put Saint Vincent in a better position to respond to needs of the community and its own work force. Saint Vincent has been recognized with the Healthiest Employer Award from the Pittsburgh Business Times, the American Heart Association’s Fit Friendly Award and was one of six Pennsylvania hospitals to receive the Worksite Innovation Award for creative ways to get employees involved in their health. “When you talk about HR, I’m on both sides of the issue,” explains Whalen. “I’m a user and a producer of the same kind of goods and services and our health-care costs go up every year, just like everyone else. So we developed a whole host of wellness initiatives and incentives for our associates that can also be used for employers.” At Saint Vincent, associates are required to get a physical every year, and the hospital also implemented a no-smoking policy and smoking cessation program, and a mandatory influenza vaccine policy. The hospital’s fitness center offers monthly Lunch and Learn and Weight Watchers programs, as well as quarterly stress management courses and Walking and Running Clubs all in an effort to maintain the health of their work force. In addition, Saint Vincent instituted wellness incentives programs, such as its Battle of the Bulge weight maintenance program for the holidays and, 8 < www.mbabizmag.com < September 2014
Saint Vincent encourages its associates to keep fit through classes offered at its onsite fitness center and its new weight-loss program, Mickey, Minnie & Me, where one lucky participant will win a trip for four to Walt Disney World.
most recently, its Mickey, Minnie & Me program, a 20-week fitness/weightloss challenge with a Disney World grand prize. “We know our associates are healthier because of these programs, but the real challenge is to figure out ways to engage more of our population, more of our associates overall,” explains Whalen. “These things don’t occur unless leadership is engaged and part of the process,” he continues. “You can’t mail this in; you can’t make it show up. When I’m talking in the community, and I give examples about health