On the right track
By Brandy Nance
Originally published 12:15 p.m., November 6, 2007
Updated 12:15 p.m., November 6, 2007
Through a workplace wellness program, many employees at Detroit Diesel, 840 Overlander Road, have quit smoking, lowered their cholesterol and lowered their blood pressure.
And while the correlation hasn’t been proven, Becky Collins, human resources assistant at Detroit Diesel, said the health-care claims have gone down as well.
“We’re trying to put them on the right track,” Collins said.
To reinforce the wellness message and give employees the information they need for healthy lifestyles, the company periodically is the host for health fairs. One such fair began this morning at the plant.
The fair at Detroit Diesel continues to grow each year, said Jennifer Thomas, of Emporia State University’s health promotion program. The health fair is put on by staff and students of the program. This year’s was the biggest yet.
The fair was broken down into two parts this year — one this morning and one to be held Thursday. This morning’s fair offered employees everything from a massage to blood pressure checks and presentations by product vendors. A large table in the center of the room where the fair was being held was packed with information on health-related topics such as nutrition and exercise. This is the first year the program has offered vendors, Thomas said.
Thomas said Detroit Diesel is the only company in Emporia that does a full-blown workplace health fair.
“It’s a good thing for the employees to know their (employer) wants to help them,” Thomas said.
Thomas said this is the sixth year the wellness program has been offered at Detroit Diesel. Students also come to Detroit Diesel every other week for a “lunch and learn” at which employees can get more information about health topics.
The event is mutually beneficial to students and the employees, Thomas said. The things the students are practicing at the health fair are the kinds of things they will need to know for their careers — and the employees get useful information.
“We have lots of corporations here in Emporia that could do this,” Thomas said.
Thomas said employees can ask students anything and if the student doesn’t know the answer, their job is to research it, find it and report back to the employees.
“It’s a great learning opportunity for the students,” she said. “They leave here knowing what they need to do.”
Collins said the health fair is just one of the things Detroit Diesel does for its employees. The company also has appreciation days for employees. Today, employees could also attend a pancake feed.