Kernodle Clinic awarded $15,000 for promoting healthy lifestyles among their employees.

In July 2013, Kernodle Clinic was awarded a $15,000 grant from the North Carolina Medical Society Employee Benefit Plan (NCMS Plan) for promoting preventive wellness measures. To qualify for the grant, employees participated in healthy living educational seminars during open enrollment meetings, completed Health Risk Assessments and completed their annual preventive wellness exams.

By qualifying for this wellness grant, Kernodle Clinic will implement a voluntary Weight Watchers at Work program to promote a healthy eating lifestyle for their employees. In order to ensure employee engagement throughout the program, they will be responsible for 25% of the fees.

Because of the overwhelming response to the program, two twelve week sessions will be offered onsite to make it more convenient for employees to participate. Prizes will be awarded to those individuals based on percentage of meeting their goals. In order to increase participation throughout the Clinic, other events such as healthy recipe bakeoffs, sharing of healthy recipes, healthy potluck luncheons will be held with prizes that will be funded through the Grant. The Clinic’s hope is that if the employees have more energy and feel better about themselves, this will be spread to other employees and also serve as a role model for their patients.