hw410 Unit 9 Assignment - Final Project
hw410 Unit 9 Assignment - Final Project
Shane Spaulding
Tywanna Purkett
Building a stress management and prevention program is essential for optimal workplace
wellness and to keep employees supported and engaged with the implementation of a healthy
environment. The impact of workplace health programs includes leading to change at both the
individual and organization level as previously stated, these programs have the potential to
significantly improve the employee’s health such as reducing unhealthy behaviors, reduce the
percentage for developing illness and disease, and reducing stress and promoting stress
management and prevention (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Workplace
wellness programs have the potential to impact areas such as reducing health care costs,
employees and most importantly creating a healthy culture and increased employee morale. The
best part is that every part of a community including employers, workers, and their families all
benefit from the prevention of illness, stress reduction, and disease as well as injury from
sustaining a healthy lifestyle. This workplace wellness program is to address acute stress, stress
reduction, and stress management as well as improve current health status and promote healthy
lifestyle changes and habits for current firefighters/EMTs/Paramedics with also increasing the
longevity of livelihood and health promotion post retirement. I chose this targeted population
based on my personal occupation and the knowledge of how this career field can affect these
Explained Stressors
The EMS world is unfortunately filled with a substantial number of stressors that make
this career potentially a great risk for of all wellness paradigms if not properly managed. The
most significant initial stressor is the stereotypical schedule or shift work that is involved in most
EMS occupations (Willing, 2019). This includes working 24-48 hours shifts that negatively
creates much needed time away from family, children, adequate rest. This stressor has
significantly impacted EMS workers without proper management since the development of
emergency medical services. Sleep deprivation is a common and guaranteed stressor for EMS
workers. 24 hour or more shifts create unwanted opportunities of no rest, irregular sleep patterns,
etc. Sleep deprivation affects how an individual reacts and manages stress significantly. Without
a routine optimal sleep schedule, any individual will not only suffer from fatigue but have
limited ability to manage and prevent acute stress (Willing, 2019). A common stressor related to
EMS workers is inadequate training. Well trained first responders are more confident and as a
result make good decisions. Fear and anxiety are felt many times when first responders feel
situations. First responders rely heavily on their equipment required for the occupation. When
technical problems cause equipment fails, breaks down, and is unreliable especially in needed
emergency situations this build the stress significantly (Willing, 2019). First responders normally
work with coworkers for 12, 24, and even 48 hours together, so when teams are not well
matched, including getting on each other’s nerves, and not having great chemistry can make the
work environment hostile and stressful to say the least. Other stressor such as malicious
coworkers, poor leadership, and inconsistent policies can be grouped together in the development
of poor working conditions, negative work environments, and increased levels of severe stress.
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Another stressor of many first responder’s is their accessibility to healthy behaviors and healthy
diet. During shift work, there is always a possibility that there is not enough time to eat, let alone
eat a nutritious meal. Gas stations, fast food, or highly processed snacks are sometimes the only
options for these individuals, which we all know it is not the first page in an optimal nutrition
plan. This can be extremely stress for first responders to maintain healthy habits and lifestyle due
The worst stressor that is truly a very individual response and reaction to acute stress and
can take many methods of stress management involves the worst part of being a first responder,
the bad calls. No one can anticipate how an individual will react to a traumatic situation as when
a first responders responds to call that involves a very sick child, A body that has fallen from a
tall building, a dramatic suicide, and so on. These kinds of calls can significantly pile on large
amounts of stress for any individual. It is important in stress management to debrief and try to
make a safe environment for first responder staff to get work through these situations effectively.
Stressor Importance
The stressors previously listed for this targeted population are the most significant
examples of what kind of stressors will greatly affect the health and wellness of first responders.
These stressors are at top priority on the list to address for developing stress management
programs and effective ways to prevent further complications of long-term health from
inadequate stress reduction techniques and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. These stressors, without
proper management and prevention, can accumulate with any individual affecting all wellness
paradigms, in turn, creating possibly a detrimental workplace and home environment for these
Program Descriptions
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This program is intended to be a good split between at work and after work activities
reducing stress and implement optimal stress management for future maintenance. The first
activity will involve 15 or 30-minute mindfulness meditation groups to bring awareness, promote
mental stability and growth, and chances for self-development during work (Stahl & Goldstein,
2019). There will also be opportunities for mindfulness meditation outside of the workplace.
Mindfulness meditation has been proven to reduce stress by building skills to manage stress,
increasing self-awareness, reducing negative emotions, increasing patience and tolerance as well
as improving sleep quality and reducing anxiety (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2022) The next activity
designed for implementation is the ability for any employee to have a catered physical activity
and nutrition plan to promote increased physical activity/exercise and lifestyle changes to ensure
proper goals for exercise, healthy eating habits, and as a result, stress reduction. The nutrition
implementation will also consist of providing healthy meal options and healthy snacking
alternatives at the workplace available during work hours. Lastly, this workplace wellness
program will include opportunities for yoga programs and supportive actions towards crew rest.
Yoga is wonderful for stress reduction because of its promotion of relaxation which is ultimately
the inverse of stress (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2022). Yoga creates a stronger mind, body, spirit
connection increasing self-awareness, self-realization, and self-fulfillment. Yoga is also great for
the management of chronic conditions including heart disease. Yoga program classes will be
design for outside of work time, 15 minute – hour long sessions, with a predetermined location
and times set up for the employees to achieve accessibility. Working 24-hour shifts, these
individuals require increased amounts of sleep due to shift sleep deprivation. There will be
implemented times during the day where if the current shift crew is available and not responding
The mission statement of this stress management and prevention workplace wellness
program is to implement stress management and prevention programs and improve the current
health and promote healthy lifestyles changes and habits for current firefighters/EMT/paramedics
to promote the longevity of livelihood and health promotion now and post retirement. The first
adequate and accurate stress management techniques, programs designed to implement longer
stress management and prevention, as well as wellness education and development to all
individuals of the target population. Second goal of the workplace wellness program is to provide
substantial statistical data that these EMS workers have been provided with the proper education
in stress management, prevention, and education in fitness, nutrition, and physical activity
programs to address and ensure life longevity post retirement. The initial objective is that within
management and prevention, diet and nutrition, and exercise and fitness, as well as participated
in physical activity training courses and seminars. The next objective is that within two years of
program implementation, employees will have made an improvement of overall health with BMI
ratings, physical fitness grading, and multiple assessment of mental health and stress
management. Long term objectives include within five years of program implementation, the
target audience will have health assessments to confirm that statically the longevity of life has
Program Obstacles
The most common obstacle for most wellness promotion programs includes lack of
interest. Employees, many times, have little interest in health promotion programs, especially if
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general wellness improvement is new to them as well as not fully understanding what kind of
programs that are being offered (Knurr, 2018). The best way to gain trust and interest in
employees is through extensive marketing and structural support to encourage them to take part
in this program designed to help them. Lack of time investment is commonly associated in
having lack of interest in employees, due to the fact that, for some it is a large change and can be
an even greater commitment. Most wellness programs fail due to these two problems involving
individual but logistically they fail because of lack of funding. The best way to produce an
effective and long-term workplace wellness program is to develop an organized budget. This
requires the proper allocation of funding and efficient planning to produce successful programs
(Knurr, 2018).
Health Professionals
The purpose of the stress management and prevention workplace wellness program is
opportunities during the program to assign current employees to possible practitioner roles for
mindfulness meditation and exercise and fitness categories to help reduce costs, build skill
wellness programs will be with an outside partnering agency where staff, trainers, and facilities
will be orchestrated as needed. The yoga classes will be developed with designated
trainers/facilities with optimal accessibility and timeliness for employees (Spaulding, 2022).
Summary
capacity to remain or newly establish optimal health status, build foundations for optimal stress
management and stress reduction practices resulting in an unmatched mind body connection,
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self-fulfillment, and longer life longevity after retiring. With substantial incentives and the ability
of the employer to save money in a cost effective and health promoting way, this workplace
and to maintain the personal health of the biological infrastructure of a workplace (Spaulding,
2022).
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References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.) Workplace Health Promotion.
https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/model/index.html
Knurr, G. (2018 Jan 23). The 3 Most Common Barriers to a Successful Workplace
insights/the-3-most-common-barriers-to-a-successful-workplace-wellness-
program
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2022 April 29). Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-
20045858#:~:text=Meditation%20can%20produce%20a%20deep,physical
%20and%20emotional%20well%2Dbeing.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020 Dec 29). Fight Stress and Find Serenity.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/yoga/
art-20044733
Seaward, B. (2018). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being
Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2019). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook (2nd
https://www.firerescue1.com/exclusives-1/articles/9-sources-of-firefighter-stress-
o2KNDn8vMYZTq2FB/