Victor Colman , JD Senior Policy Advisor

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Victor Colman , JD Senior Policy
Advisor Washington State Department of
Health 2005 Healthy Worksite Summit Demystifying
Policy in the Workplace October 4, 2005
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Policy, Systems, Environment
Community
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HEALTHY BEHAVIORAL CHANGE WORKPLACE EXAMPLES

• Individual Providing health information
  regarding better eating habits
• Interpersonal Setting up walking clubs at the
  worksite

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HEALTHY BEHAVIORAL CHANGE WORKPLACE EXAMPLES

• Institutional / Organizational Employers that
  provide incentives to employees to support
  walking or biking to work
• Community Greater community walkability
• Public Policy A law that provides a tax break
  for employers that include health club
  memberships as an employee benefit

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POLICY APPROACHES THAT ENCOURAGE HEALTHY BEHAVIOR

• In addition to individual behavioral
  strategies, public health is increasingly focused
  upon assessing and modifying our social and
  physical environments that impact our attitudes,
  habits and behaviors. WHY?

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MAXIMAL IMPACT

• Behavioral change research tells us that
  comprehensive approaches to prevention are most
  successful
• Broader reach -- strategies focused on the
  environment have the ability to reach entire
  populations and reduce collective risk

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EASE OF MAINTENANCE

• Environmental approaches can be cost-effective
  gtgt costs associated with implementation,
  monitoring, enforcement and political action can
  be considerably lower than those associated with
  individual efforts (i.e., ongoing education,
  health care treatment)

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BEYOND BROCHURES

• Events Focus Policy Focus
• One time Ongoing
• Not set up to result Intended to changein
  behavior change behavior
• Limited duration Long term
• Non-sustaining Sustaining

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NORMS AND POLICIES

• Key Terms
• A Dynamic Relationship with Subtle Distinctions
• Norms
• A voluntary or expected way of behaving
• Policies
• The bridge between custom and law

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NORMS AND POLICIES

• NORMS ? POLICIES (a reactive model)
• POLICIES ? NORMS (a pro-active model)

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STATE ROLE INTEGRATION AND GREATER
SKILLS-BUILDING IN POLICY DEVELOPMENT

• Importance of Understanding the Role of Policy
  in Prevention
• April 2005 Policy Training in Tacoma
• ? 250 attendees learned the why and the how
  of policy development

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TEACHING POLICY DEVELOPMENT LESSONS LEARNED

• Demystifying roles of the various sectors
  especially government
• Successful skills-building must be done with
  precision and planning tools needed
• Importance of attention to implementation and
  leadership buy-in

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CHALLENGES

• Legitimizing preventive care in the health care
  world
• Getting health care plans to acknowledge and
  reward employers who work to keep their employees
  healthier

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SOME TAKE-HOME THOUGHTS

• Employers have a role in creating healthy
  environments
• Changing individual behavior is possible, but
  need more than individual approaches
• Environmental policy focus is a legitimate
  component of creating a healthier workforce

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DEMYSTIFYING POLICY IN THE WORKPLACE

• Victor Colman, JD Senior Policy Advisor
  Division of Community and Family Health,
  Washington State Department of Health
• Tel. [phone]
• victor.colman_at_doh.wa.gov

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