MINISTRY OF HEALTH LAUNCHES HEALTHY BUSINESS CHALLENGE 2022 TO CREATE HEALTHY WORKING ENVIRONMENTS ACROSS THE FEDERATION

Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 04, 2022 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Health continues to work in partnership with various stakeholders in an effort to promote health and wellness across the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. On February 03, 2022, the Ministry of Health launched the ‘Healthy Business Challenge 2022’. The Director of the Health Promotion Unit, Dr. Marissa Carty, spoke to the importance of a healthy working environment.

“If you were to type the phrase healthy workplace into Google search you would receive approximately 2,000,000 results. This indicates that providing a healthy working environment is a hot topic. More and more businesses and organizations are seeking ways to improve the health and wellbeing of employees. The WHO (World Health Organization) defines a healthy workplace as one in which workers and managers collaborate to use a continual improvement process to protect and promote the health, safety and well-being of workers and the sustainability of the workplace by considering the following, health and safety concerns in the physical work environment; health, safety and well-being concerns in the psychosocial work environment including organization of work and workplace culture; personal health resources in the workplace; and ways of participating in the community to improve the health of workers, their families and other members of the community,” said Dr. Carty.

Businesses are encouraged to develop a health and wellness plan in order to promote a better workplace environment. Dr. Carty stated that the Ministry of Health has developed comprehensive resources that will enable businesses, government ministries, and organizations to develop a comprehensive workplace wellness programme.

“The Ministry of Health through the Health Promotion Unit has developed a comprehensive resource that will enable businesses, government ministries and organizations to develop a comprehensive workplace wellness program that will not only benefit the employees but also the workplace environment and the community. Whether you are a small establishment or a large group of companies the Healthy Business Challenge can be tailored to meet your specific needs. Additionally, the Health Promotion Unit is ready to provide resources needed to ensure your success… promoting workplace wellness is one of the best investments made by any employer,” said Dr. Carty.

The Global Wellness Institute defines workplace wellness as “any workplace health promotion activity or organizational policy designed to support healthy behavior among employees and to improve health outcomes.” The Ministry of Health will continue to develop programmes and strategies geared towards reducing the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD’s) across the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

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