Culture of Health and Wellness: Definition, Facility Policies and the Health-Wealth Connection

Assignment: Culture of health and wellness

1. Provide a cohesive definition of the culture of health and wellness;
2. Discuss how principles embedded within the culture of health and wellness may be incorporated in facility policies; and
3. Explore the connection between health and wealth.

Original example for study purposes (about 950 words).

a) Defining a Culture of Health and Wellness

A culture of health and wellness is a shared set of values, norms, policies and environments in which health and well-being are treated as everyone’s priority and in which every person has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), which popularized the term “Culture of Health,” describes it as a society in which health is a shared value, sectors collaborate to improve well-being, communities create healthier and more equitable environments, and health systems are integrated and accessible (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [RWJF], n.d.). Within a health care facility, a culture of health and wellness extends this idea inward and outward: it supports the physical, mental, social and financial well-being of employees, makes healthy behaviors easy and normal, and connects the organization’s work to the health of the surrounding community. It moves beyond treating illness toward preventing disease, addressing social determinants of health and promoting equity, recognizing that health is shaped largely by conditions outside the clinic, including income, education, housing and social support (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014).

b) Incorporating Culture of Health Principles Into Facility Policies

Principles of a culture of health can be built into policies that affect employees, patients and the community.

Employee well-being policies. Facilities can adopt policies that protect workers’ health, such as safe staffing levels, limits on consecutive shifts and mandatory rest periods, paid sick leave, flexible scheduling and access to an employee assistance program for mental health support. Wellness benefits might include on-site or subsidized fitness programs, smoking cessation support, health screenings and coverage for preventive care. Psychological safety and anti-bullying policies, along with workplace violence prevention programs, contribute to a healthy work environment.

Healthy environment policies. A tobacco- and vape-free campus, healthy food and beverage standards in cafeterias and vending machines, water access, lactation rooms, stairwell promotion and quiet rest spaces make healthy choices the default for staff, patients and visitors.

Equity and patient-centered policies. Routine screening for social needs such as food insecurity, housing and transportation, with referral pathways to community resources; language access and culturally responsive care standards; and financial assistance policies that reduce barriers to care reflect the equity principle. Data on quality and outcomes should be stratified by race, ethnicity, language and income to identify and address disparities.

Community partnership policies. Facilities can include community health improvement in strategic plans, invest community benefit resources in priorities identified through community health needs assessments, partner with schools, faith organizations and public health departments, and adopt “anchor institution” practices such as hiring locally, paying living wages and purchasing from local businesses.

Leadership and accountability. A culture of health must be led from the top. Policies can assign executive responsibility for well-being and equity, include well-being and equity measures on organizational scorecards and engage employees and patients in designing programs.

c) The Connection Between Health and Wealth

Health and wealth are closely connected in both directions. First, wealth shapes health. Income and assets determine access to safe housing, nutritious food, education, health insurance, transportation and safe neighborhoods, and they buffer people against stress. Using tax and mortality records for millions of Americans, Chetty et al. (2016) found that the gap in life expectancy between the richest 1% and poorest 1% was about 14.6 years for men and 10.1 years for women, and that the gap widened over time. Lower income is associated with higher rates of chronic disease, mental illness and premature death, largely through social determinants such as education, working conditions and neighborhood environments (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014).

Second, health shapes wealth. Illness can reduce a person’s ability to work, lower earnings and lead to medical debt, which can push families into poverty. At the organizational level, a healthy workforce is more productive, has lower absenteeism and turnover, and generates lower health care costs. At the societal level, healthier populations contribute more to economic growth.

This two-way relationship creates cycles: poverty increases the risk of poor health, and poor health increases the risk of poverty. A culture of health addresses both sides. For health care facilities, this means not only treating illness but also helping patients obtain insurance and financial assistance, connecting them to employment and social services, paying employees fair wages with good benefits and investing in community economic development. By recognizing that economic well-being is a determinant of health, organizations can move toward their goals of improving population health and reducing disparities.

References

Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. (2014). The social determinants of health: It’s time to consider the causes of the causes. Public Health Reports, 129(Suppl. 2), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549141291S206

Chetty, R., Stepner, M., Abraham, S., Lin, S., Scuderi, B., Turner, N., Bergeron, A., & Cutler, D. (2016). The association between income and life expectancy in the United States, 2001–2014. JAMA, 315(16), 1750–1766. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.4226

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (n.d.). Building a culture of health. https://www.rwjf.org