UnityPoint Health provides care to communities throughout Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin through a network of 20 non-profit regional hospitals, 19 community network hospitals, and over 400 clinics and other healthcare facilities. Like most healthcare organizations, UnityPoint Health recognizes the toll caregiving can have on its team members. As such, they take steps to help team members manage stress and reduce burnout, while promoting self-care and encouraging employees to find time to relax, recharge, and focus on their own nutrition, fitness, and emotional wellbeing.
A goal to meet team members where they are on their personal wellness journey
UnityPoint Health already offered a robust benefits plan, including an active health and wellness program supported by a team member portal, OnPoint for Health. Yet leadership recognized an opportunity to reduce barriers to engagement and provide more equitable program access to all team members—regardless of where and when they work. Their goal was to find a solution that would meet team members where they’re at, regardless of their age, life stage, or fitness level, and that would support each individual’s personal wellness goals and perspectives. It was a tall order, to be sure.
LifeSpeak filled the bill
LifeSpeak helps people of every age, interest, body type, and ability level live healthier lives with thousands of fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness classes. LifeSpeak offers a robust library spanning more than 30 categories including yoga, HIIT, strength, running and walking, mindfulness and meditation, nutrition and recipes, cycling, kickboxing, dance, work breaks, stretching, and more. UnityPoint Health team members can tap into a wellness break wherever and whenever they choose.
“We made a shift in how we thought about wellness. Instead of offering prescriptive programs, we want to make wellness more personal, to meet folks where they’re at in their unique health and wellbeing journeys,” said Emily Borenitsch, a wellness strategist at UnityPoint Health.
The broad range of topics and classes is also a big selling point for UnityPoint Health. “We want variety, something for everyone. And we want it to be consistent and accessible for our team members, regardless of the shifts they work, or if they work remotely or onsite,” says Jennifer Bruns, senior benefits analyst at UnityPoint Health. “It has to support what wellness means to each person, what they need, whether that’s cooking, meditation, flexibility, or endurance training. And it needs to work for parents, kids, seniors, everyone. Including their families!”
UnityPoint Health offers LifeSpeak to team members and their families as a way to encourage wellbeing more broadly and build lasting engagement. It’s an important feature and team members say they appreciate the extra investment. LifeSpeak also helps UnityPoint Health build engagement among its teams. For example, one group of team members regularly takes a spin class together, which makes fitness more fun, adds a social dimension to the activity, and builds accountability to keep everyone motivated.
UnityPoint Health plans quarterly promotions, aligning LifeSpeak offerings with company wellness objectives such as nutrition and mental health awareness. “Once we’ve identified a topic, we work with Desiree, our awesome partner success manager, to choose classes and programs that reinforce our goals. We look to fill gaps for our team members and are intentional in the topics and classes we choose to highlight,” Borenitsch says.
