A Bright Idea

A registered nurse, Knudson has been with St. Joseph’s for 19 years, and in her current position since 2001. In 2002, she established a corporate wellness committee—which she currently chairs—and worked to get members from all hospital sites as well as from the community involved, including the local district health unit. Community partnership has been key to St. Joseph’s ability to extend such a wealth of wellness services to its employees, Knudson says.

Under her leadership the hospital has rolled out an impressive list of other wellness initiatives as well. There’s now an annual quit-smoking contest, held during National Non- Smoking Week. The contest promotes the organization’s smoking-cessation efforts, which include counselling and $500 a year in coverage for all smoking- cessation aids available on the market.

In 2004, Knudson launched a Walking for Wellness booklet in conjunction with the hospital’s ongoing “10,000 Steps” workplace pedometer program. The booklet provides maps of one-, three- and five-kilometre walking routes around all of the hospital’s major sites, as well as information on the benefits of walking. Her wellness committee also sponsored a volleyball tournament for employees last year. A smash hit, with eight teams participating in a four-week tournament, the event will likely become an annual one.

The beauty of the various programs is that together they offer employees a wide range of options. But the WIP has been lauded as one of Knudson’s greatest innovations because it included pre- and post-program evaluations that enabled her to measure its impact. Results from the 2007 pilot project indicated that the program was improving employees’ health status, reducing the number of sick days, and having a statistically significant impact on activity levels. Qualitative evaluations suggested that the program was also working to promote a culture of health and well-being, create a positive work environment, and boost morale.

“The key to this program is that it provides people with a choice—an important aspect of health promotion,” says Knudson, adding that it was “really heartwarming” to hear from staff about the positive impact the program was having on their health.

Knudson’s positive influence on workplace wellness is about to expand: She has been selected to join the Ontario Hospital Association’s Health Promoting Hospitals Advisory Committee, which is seeking her input on incorporating health promotion into the organizational structure and culture of hospitals across the province.

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