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A 16-Year Chronicle of Developing a Healthy Workplace Participatory Program for Total Worker Health ® in the Connecticut Department of Correction: The Health Improvement through Employee Control (HITEC) Program

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Cherniack

    (Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA)

  • Sara Namazi

    (Department of Health Science, College of Health & Wellness, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI 02903, USA)

  • Matthew Brennan

    (Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA)

  • Robert Henning

    (Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA)

  • Alicia Dugan

    (Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA)

  • Mazen El Ghaziri

    (Solomont School of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA)

Abstract

Health Improvement Through Employee Control (HITEC) is a 16-year program directed toward the health of corrections personnel and developed through the application of the principles of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and participatory ergonomics. Its impetus has always been the adverse health status of the corrections workforce: early mortality, depression, obesity, and hypertension. The HITEC program trained small “Design Teams” (DTs) of front-line personnel in participatory methods for intervention design for health improvement and organizational change in line with the Total Worker Health ® principles. Periodic surveys and physical testing were introduced for longitudinal assessments. Comparative interventions at comparable sites included DTs without a priori assignation, problem-focused kaizen effectiveness teams (KETs), and bargaining unit-centered DTs. DT resilience and the replacement of members who transferred facilities or retired was aided by novel cooperative administrative structures. DT-generated interventions included stress lounges, changes in critical event report writing, a joint program with trained inmates to improve air quality, and training in staff mental health and sleep behavior. A specialized peer-to-peer Health Mentoring Program (HMP) paired new officers with trained peers. Many interventions and program features were institutionalized, thus improving prospects for self-supporting program longevity. Participatory interventions designed and supported by the corrections workforce were found to be both feasible and exceptionally effective.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Cherniack & Sara Namazi & Matthew Brennan & Robert Henning & Alicia Dugan & Mazen El Ghaziri, 2024. "A 16-Year Chronicle of Developing a Healthy Workplace Participatory Program for Total Worker Health ® in the Connecticut Department of Correction: The Health Improvement through Employee Control (HITE," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(2), pages 1-26, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:2:p:142-:d:1327931
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Karl E. Weick & Kathleen M. Sutcliffe & David Obstfeld, 2005. "Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(4), pages 409-421, August.
    2. Jaime R. Strickland & Anna M. Kinghorn & Bradley A. Evanoff & Ann Marie Dale, 2019. "Implementation of the Healthy Workplace Participatory Program in a Retail Setting: A Feasibility Study and Framework for Evaluation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-17, February.
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