CentraCare Health, Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation Partner Through Grant to Improve Community Wellness

St. Cloud, Minn. – CentraCare Health and the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation, Inc. (GSDC), announce a grant to fund a workplace well-being initiative for employers in the Central Minnesota area. The CentraCare Health Foundation Board approved a grant for $525,000 over a three-year term to assist the GSDC in rolling out the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being 5 index to employers who participate in the program.

This new community health improvement project will enable employees to take the Well-Being 5 online survey, which includes analytics and benchmarking of overall well-being at the individual, organizational, and community level. Top management and Human Resource departments can use data gathered to manage well-being improvement plans and foster a healthier workforce. 

CentraCare Health, as the leading health care provider in the region, and the largest employer in St. Cloud, supports this initiative as it aligns with its core values and mission.  “Our investment in this great community collaborative is about an impactful approach to workplace wellness,” says Ken Holmen, MD, President and CEO, CentraCare Health. “It’s also about the health of the community as a whole, and we can’t do this alone; success is only possible together.” Engaging and empowering employers in the process is an efficient place to create change across multiple well-being elements. With individuals spending a significant amount of time at their place of employment, employers provide natural social networks, cultural expectations, and an infrastructure to provide resources.

The Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation is a collaboration of more than 130 businesses in the region working together to lead economic development for the benefit of the Greater St. Cloud community.

 “This collaboration of CentraCare Health, St. Cloud State University and the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation enables us to have an enormous collective impact on improving community health for people in Greater St. Cloud,” says Bob White, Board Chair of the GSDC. “Our innovative partnership and approach to workplace and community well-being will set our region apart from others.”

The GSDC’s Wellness Corps will be convening employers and stakeholders in a Workplace Well-Being Summit on Thursday, Feb. 26th at the River’s Edge Convention Center in downtown St. Cloud to define, plan how to measure and improve employee wellness in the workplace. Registration is online.