Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Angela Burkham, 806-677-5600, aburkham@tamu.edu
AMARILLO – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is taking its wellness programs to work sites across the High Plains.
Dr. Angela Burkham, AgriLife Extension regional program leader for family and consumer sciences in Amarillo, said the agency has had a whole range of programs offered by agents to individuals or groups for many years.
Their newest effort will be to offer the health and wellness training in a program called “Worksite Wellness,” tailored to employers and their employees to meet the needs, time and space designated by the business, Burkham said.
“We’ve offered our signature educational programs for many years,” she said. “But they have pretty much been up to the individual to join and seek the training.”
Burkham said employers can help their employees develop a greater knowledge and coping skills for various diseases or health issues through a variety of print materials and face-to-face and/or online programs.
In addition, the programming can help them make improvements in their physical activity, healthy food consumption, weight loss and blood pressure, all of which can help reduce absenteeism and lower health care costs for the business, she said.
For example, Lizabeth Gresham, AgriLife Extension family and consumer sciences agent for Potter County, will be presenting “Health Talk Express: Power to Prevent Diabetes” at the King Ranch Farm in Amarillo. Gresham will provide the training both in Spanish and English.
The “buffet” of programs businesses can choose from include Dinner Tonight, Walk Across Texas, Step Up Scale Down, Do Well Be Well with Diabetes, Health Talk Express – Lunch N Learn Programs and Master Wellness Volunteers.
For more information or to arrange for an AgriLife Extension agent to discuss the Worksite Wellness program, contact the nearest office. County offices and contact numbers can be found at https://counties.agrilife.org/.
For more information about the program, go to http://worksitewellness.tamu.edu/.
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