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Acting
Commissioner
George Hayman
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Back in January 2005, a group of Trenton-area staff members
signed up for a 12-week program sponsored by Weight Watchers.
That marked the first step in the New Jersey Department
of Corrections' formal commitment to the wellness of its
employees. The Weight Watchers series is now in sixth cycle,
and dozens of participants have collectively lost more than
1,000 pounds.
"It
is our hope that we are improving the quality of your
lives - both in and out of the workplace."
Last October, Working Well NJ - a statewide venture designed
to provide government workers with the knowledge, resources
and incentives necessary to improve the quality of their
lives - presented the first annual Fitness Challenge, Walk
& Rally on the steps of the State House. Participants
had an opportunity to engage in a fitness walk and collect
information on various initiatives that promote healthy
living - all in the course of a lunch hour. In addition,
each NJDOC facility outside Trenton coordinated its own
fitness walk. As a follow up, public employees were given
books in which to log their fitness activities for the next
six weeks.
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NJDOC staff members were invited to take part in a lunchtime
smoking cessation information session in late February that was
broadcast via teleconference to each of our facilities and included
a question-and-answer forum in which everyone on hand was able
to participate.
Due to the response of the various wellness activities that already
have been introduced, our Office of Human Resources is exploring
the possible implementation of several new initiatives, including:
" Shape Up for Life, where nurse educators focus on such
areas as nutrition and fitness, blood pressure screenings, stress
management and family health matters;
" Keeping Your Bones Healthy -- Osteoporosis Prevention,
a workshop made available by the New Jersey Interagency Council
on Osteoporosis;
" Understanding Memory Loss, a program presented by the Alzheimer's
Association examining the difference between normal age-related
memory changes and abnormal changes associated with Alzheimer's
disease or related dementia disorder; and
" Breast Cancer Awareness, Prevention and Treatment, offered
by the Breast Cancer Resource Center, which is designed to educate
women as well as men about the importance of early detection.
Our emphasis on wellness has obvious departmental benefits. For
example, if our employees are healthier, they will use less sick
time and operate at peak efficiency while on the job. Furthermore,
armed with the knowledge that the department is firmly committed
to the well being of its staff, the level of morale can be expected
to rise.
Even more important, however, by providing each of you with potentially
life-altering information on a health-related issues, disease
prevention, wellness tips and resources for coping with trying
circumstances, it is our hope that we are improving the quality
of your lives - both in and out of the workplace.
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