Promoting Faculty and Staff Wellness

Contributes to a healthy school environment and provides positive role models for students. Students benefit because their teachers are more energetic and are absent less, school employees stay on staff longer, and the school climate is more optimistic (Symons, Cummings, & Olds, 1994). Staff wellness programs provide school faculty and staff with:

  • screening and early detection of health problems,
  • education and supportive activities to reduce risk factors,
  • organizational policies that promote a healthful and supportive work site, and
  • health care, insurance and related health support activities.
"As one of the largest employers in the United States- public schools employ more than 2.5 million teachers and more than 2 million others, including school administrators, instructional support staff, and other personnel (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995) - schools are in a unique position to bolster staff health and contribute to the nation's goals for the promotion of health and prevention of disease and disability"
(Allensworth & Kolbe, 1987; Blair, Piserchia, Wilbur, & Crowder, 1986; Institute of Medicine, 1995; McGinnis & DeGraw, 1991).

Schools are recognizing the surgeon general's suggestion of adopting the objectives of Healthy People 2000, the national initiative to improve health (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1991). In New York City, participants in a health promotion program for school staff emerge with positive attitudes and better morale (Allegrante &Michela, 1990); and, in Battle Creek, Michigan, a staff wellness program reports a significant drop in teacher absences and saves schools $8,000 in costs for substitute teachers (Falck & Kilcoyne, 1984).

Healthy behaviors are contagious. As faculty and staff gain more positive attitudes about their personal health and sense of well-being, students benefit from an increased awareness of the importance of good health.