PCHD gets highest worksite award from AZDHS

 Pima County, June 19, 2024 - For the second year in a row, the Arizona Department of Health Services awarded the Pima County Health Department its highest honor as part of the Healthy Arizona Worksite Program (HAWP). 

PCHD received the Platinum HAWP Award on June 17 at the Desert Willow Conference Center in Phoenix. The Healthy Arizona Worksite Award recognizes businesses and organizations that are making efforts to positively affect the health and well-being of their employees, their families, and their community through evidence-based worksite health initiatives and promising programs.  

The Health Department was cited for offering events and activities for employees, their families and the community based on employee feedback. For example, a lunch and learn series focused on physical activity, nutrition, stress management, and weight management featured presentations from subject matter experts for each category.  

Employees also turned out in force during National Public Health Week to walk on The Loop. The department’s employee newsletter also regularly features nutrition tips. 

ReCharde Johnson, a division manager with PCHD, said activities like the lunch and learn have been a big hit with employees. 

“We contacted subject matter experts for each category and asked if they would present,” Johnson said. “These experts have brought in evidence-based practices for employees to use to improve their mental health and wellbeing, and to help improve cohesion within their teams.” 

Nicholas Knutson is a performance improvement program coordinator for PCHD.  

“One of our Lunch and Learn events was about stress and ways to reduce stress in the workplace,” Knutson said. “Employees had a desire to share their fun pet photos as well as wanting to see other employees’ pets. So we made that happen by creating the HAWP’Y Pet Page.” 

Knutson also explained that PCHD’s wellness program can count towards Pima County’s existing BeWell program. 

“Pima County’s Wellness Program provides templates for activities you can do with your employees or team,” he said. “They provide many great services for employees as well as providing a way to connect with others through the county’s Health Insurance plan via Virgin Pulse. We collaborate with the Pima County Wellness team to cross promote each other’s activities, some of which can use employees BeWell hours.” 

The HAWP award recognizes businesses making an effort, both within and beyond their walls, to address multiple health challenges that exist in the community. Platinum level awardees have implemented data-driven programming to emphasize collaborations with multiple sectors of the worksite. 

The Arizona Department of Health Services and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health collaborated to create the Healthy Arizona Worksites Program. PCHD will be added to the list of platinum awardees on the Healthy AZ Worksites website. 

“To be chosen two years in a row shows PCHD’s commitment to improving the wellness of their employees and following the culture of continuous quality improvement,” Johnson said. “From our yearly updated worksite health improvement plan, we have added more activities, more events, and expanded our committee to get the voice of PCHD from all divisions. We continuously seek out new members to join the committee to help spread wellness activities and elicit more ideas on how to improve. After all, we A.R.E. Pima County!”