Health Means Business: Champions Network

In cities and towns throughout the United States, business leaders are taking action to invest in workplace and community wellness and, in turn, are increasing their economic competitiveness.

The Health Means Business Champions Network empowered businesses of all sizes by providing opportunities for peer-to-peer sharing and an online resource center with tools and practical steps they can take to engage in health and economic issues.

Wellness Pledge

Join us on our a mission to foster business engagement in community wellness. Take the Wellness Pledge and show your commitment to making your communities healthier.  The pledge is the first step in the Champions Network and gives businesses, chambers of commerce, individuals, and community stakeholders access to practical resources, peer-to-peer networking, and more.

• I am (Full Name) and my email is (Email Address). I want to join the movement to help businesses drive community wellness! I work at a (Chamber of Commerce, Small Business, or Interesting in Learning More about Both), and I commit to (invest in my community, invest in my organization, and/or work with my chamber of commerce).

Learning Modules

In-depth learning modules will help walk businesses and chambers of commerce through different ways to engage in community health. Modules include instruction on how to host a Health Means Business forum, become a Health Champion, and start a wellness committee at a company or a local chamber.

• Champions Handbook: The business sector has a critical role to play in building a culture of health—which can lead to greater business competitiveness and prosperity. Learn how to become a Health Champion in your community with actionable steps and best practices from communities across the country.
• Forum Handbook: One of the key components of the Health Means Business Campaign is our regional forums. These half-day events engage local businesses and other key community stakeholders on the links between economic growth and community health, with the goal of creating a greater culture of health in the United States. Learn how to run your own forum with stakeholders in your community!

Fast Tracks

Fast Tracks are quick and easy tips businesses and chambers of commerce can use right away. 

Driving wellness in your community is something everyone can do. Our first series of Fast Tracks, the Fit 15, provide tips and ideas for how to create healthier communities and workplaces.

• Fit 15: Fifteen Ways to Drive Community Wellness
• Fit 15: Fifteen Ways to Drive Company Wellness

Get Started: Eight Steps to Investing in Organizational and Community Health

One of the best ways to start investing in a culture of health is by tapping into existing community networks. An effective way for businesses to start is by using the resources of their state or local chambers of commerce.

The Health Means Business campaign has uncovered from its network eight best practices on how to start investing in organizational and community health:

1. ENGAGE THE C-SUITE.

Business leaders follow their peers. To get the business community to take meaningful action, create a small group of business leaders who are committed to solving community challenges. An example would be a monthly CEO breakfast roundtable on health and economic development.

2. CREATE A WELLNESS COMMITTEE AT YOUR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND JOIN WITH OTHERS DOING SIMILAR WORK.

Try not to duplicate what is already happening. Collaborate wherever possible. Shared success is likely to be greater than anything undertaken by a company or chamber alone.

3. SURVEY THE LANDSCAPE, GATHER DATA ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE ISSUE, AND THEN SET CLEAR, EVIDENCE-BASED GOALS.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings and Roadmap Data offers valuable tools for assessing community health challenges and opportunities, and it provides data to inform actions.

4. CREATE THE PLAN AND THE CAMPAIGN.

Make it measurable. Business people are used to setting quarterly and yearly goals that have clear metrics of success. Community health metrics can seem less tangible than the metrics businesses are accustomed to tracking, such as profit and sales. Try to frame the project and success points along the way in clear, measurable terms.

5. HAVE FUN AND SHARE SUCCESS BROADLY.

Celebrate success and progress. Give credit where it’s due. Share the successes, and bring in more collaborators.

6. KEEP PUSHING OUTWARD BEYOND THE ORIGINAL COLLABORATORS.

Host an event, such as a Health Means Business Forum and invite as many existing and potential allies as possible, but keep the team focused on measureable results. Community coalitions can sometimes grow to need a staff member dedicated to running the effort. Funding for this role can come from a variety of sources, including earned revenue, similar to the Wellness Council of Indiana’s model. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings and Roadmap Data provides a guide for creating and running community coalitions.

7. BE VISIBLE.

Make your good work visible through external branding, social media, and community events. External promotion is great for bringing in allies, and it also can be an important tool for marketing, employee recruitments, and retention.

8. DECLARE VICTORY AND SET THE NEXT GOALS HIGHER.

Achieving community health goals—such as a healthy workforce that results from an investment in early childhood education—can take a long time. Business people are used to setting quarterly and yearly milestones. Set mileposts for success along the way so that everyone can see success as it unfolds.