MESSA
MESSA partners with Jackson Public Schools in wellness project to improve members' health
MESSA has partnered with Jackson
Public Schools and the Jackson
Education Association to launch a unique
wellness project designed to help school
employees improve their health and make
healthier lifestyle choices.
“MESSA has long been a leader in wellness programs and promoting our members’ good health,” said Cynthia Irwin, MESSA executive director. “This demonstration project will help us gauge our members’ interest in proactive worksite wellness programs. So far the project has been very well-received by our members, EA officials, the administration and the board.
“We’re also looking to gain measurable results to help us assess new, costeffective strategies for member wellness programs.”
The program is being conducted as a demonstration project “to see if this model can work in a school system setting to help our members live healthier lifestyles and improve their quality of life,” said Mona Tropf, MESSA wellness program consultant. “We’re convinced that it will.”
Living healthier lifestyles
The goal of the 18-month demonstration project is to help our members live healthier lifestyles and to measure the program’s effectiveness at:
• Keeping healthy people healthy
• Identifying health conditions early
• Reducing health risks
MESSA has a long history of promoting the health and wellness of its members with extensive health education and health support programs. Its Great Lake Wellness Conference, now in its 23rd year, is designed specifically to help school employees launch or reinvigorate buildingbased wellness programs for staff.
“Our Jackson project is a natural extension of our longtime focus on supporting MESSA partners with Jackson Public Schools in wellness project to improve members’ health good health,” Tropf said.
Two years ago, MESSA began exploring possibilities for developing this demonstration project—a more comprehensive worksite wellness program.
After a nationwide search, Holtyn and Associates of Kalamazoo, a nationally respected health promotion company, was chosen to administer the program in partnership with MESSA.
One-on-one attention
Launched in February, the program assigns a personal health coach to each participant. “This gives each participant individual, one-on-one attention,” Tropf said.
The program is completely voluntary and all health information on individual participants is strictly confidential.
Participants begin by filling out a health assessment. They then meet privately with a health coach who completes biometric screening—blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, body mass index, and fitness level. Together, the coach and participant develop a plan to maintain or improve the health status of the participant.
“This program is based on awareness and empowerment, helping participants make changes of their own choosing,” Tropf said.
Program participants should be able to meet with their health coach two times during the remainder of this school year and up to four times the next school year.
Project stirring excitement
MESSA’s Jackson project is stirring excitement among MESSA members, union leadership, administrators and the school board, Jackson City EA President Marylou Konkle said. Jackson Public Schools already has made important health improvements through its involvement with the state’s Coordinated School Health program.
“I see the MESSA project as an extension of steps our district has already taken to serve students more nutritious food for breakfast and lunch and barring candy and sweet treats from being sold in our schools,” Konkle said. “We’re excited about the MESSA wellness project.”
MESSA believes the Jackson district is the right size to obtain measurable outcomes that it can use to determine how this model might be used in the future.
“We’re seeing a considerable amount of support and excitement for the program within the district,” Tropf said. “This seems like a perfect fit.”