Before LCDHD participated in the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention’s (CDC’s) Work@Health® program, it did not have a formal 

wellness plan or dedicated staff to promote worksite wellness. Its 

health education division held wellness challenges and distributed 

health education materials, but not regularly. Staff members also had 

access to online health risk assessments (HRAs) through the agency’s 

state-provided insurance plan.

After receiving a grant in 2012 from the US Health Resources and 

Services Administration to set up a worksite wellness program at a 

local business, leaders at LCDHD wondered if it was time to practice 

what they preached and adopt a formal workplace wellness program 

for their own employees. When she heard about Work@Health® at a 

Kentucky Public Health meeting, Carol Huckelby, a grant writer and 

administrative assistant at LCDHD, and a colleague signed up 

to participate.

The Work@Health® Program is designed to teach employers how to 

improve the health of their workers (and workers’ families) by using 

prevention and wellness strategies that focus on chronic health 

conditions. Well-designed, science-based, and comprehensive 

workplace wellness programs can improve the health of individuals 

and companies, lower health 

care costs, and increase 

worker productivity.

 Huckelby and her colleague 

attended the Work@

Health® program’s blended 

model training in Chicago, 

Illinois, in May 2014. After 

the training, participants 

received 6-10 months of 

technical assistance in the 

form of coaching, webinars, 

and interactions with peers. Huckelby said that some of the most 

important things she and her colleague learned from the training 

were the value of a wellness committee; how to leverage existing 

resources in their health plan to enhance their worksite wellness 

program; and how to make the “business case” to garner buy-in and 

support from leadership. She also learned that hard data from a 

Participating in CDC’s Work@Health® Program

Lake Cumberland District 

Health Department Working 

on Wellness: Case Study 

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion 

Division of Population Health

Organization Background 

The mission of the Lake Cumberland 

District Health Department (LCDHD) is 

to prevent illness and injury, promote 

good health practices, and ensure 

a safe environment to protect and 

improve the health of its communities. 

LCDHD is working to be a progressive 

leader in promoting community 

health among the residents (about 

200,000) it serves across 10 counties. 

As an agency dedicated to the health 

of its community, LCDHC works to 

set an example by promoting and 

creating opportunities for wellness 

among its staff. 

CS257190H

With training and effort, 

employers of all sizes and 

types can plan and implement 

a workplace health program. 

Employers can learn from the 

experiences of employers 

like LCDHD about how to 

plan strategies and anticipate 

implementation challenges. 

Lake Cumberland District Health 

Department 

« Established in 1971

« Government agency

« Industry sector: Health care and 

social assistance

« Locations: Adair, Casey, Clinton, 

Cumberland, Green, McCreary, 

Pulaski, Russell, Taylor, and Wayne 

counties, Kentucky 

« 200 Employees

« 91% women, 9% men
Program Overview

After participating in the Work@Health® program, 

LCDHD set up a formal worksite wellness program, 

including a wellness committee. Ensuring good 

representation on the committee was a challenge 

because the staff is spread across a 10-county district 

and includes people working in the field, like school 

health nurses and home visiting nurses.

The committee’s goal was to identify wellness The 

committee’s goal was to identify wellness activities 

that everyone could participate in, regardless of 

their location. It decided to build on a program used 

successfully in the past—an 8-week “health habits” 

challenge that asked staff to integrate healthier 

habits, like walking more and drinking more water, 

into their daily lives, with the assumption that it takes 

8 weeks to form a habit. The challenge was designed 

to meet all levels of fitness, and staff could participate 

at their own worksites.

Employees who used an online or mobile app to 

track their workout got points toward a rewards 

program set up by LCDHD’s insurance carrier if 

they burned more than 200 calories an hour. These 

points added up to currency that could be used at 

an online mall. LCDHD also used an online app that 

is part of the insurance carrier’s wellness program to 

set up an employee steps challenge. Staff could use 

a pedometer connected to the app to upload their 

steps daily and see how their coworkers were doing. 

In September 

2015, 57 LCDHD 

employees 

used this app 

to compete in a 

statewide steps 

challenge, with 

pedometers 

donated by the 

insurance carrier.

LCDHD has also 

worked with the 

insurance carrier’s 

wellness program 

to enhance its 

worksite wellness 

program. Staff can 

sign up to participate in a physical activity program 

and set their own fitness goals. This program has a 

free mobile app that employees can download to 

health assessment helps show the need for wellness opportunities for staff and demonstrate how such an 

investment would create a healthier, more productive workforce. 

After the training, Huckelby and her colleagues branded LCDHD’s wellness program “Working on Wellness.” They 

also applied for and received seed funding from the Work@Health® program to help them set up programs and 

strategies in their workplace. 

Employers selected to participate in 

Work@Health® were assigned to one of 

three models, all of which delivered the 

same comprehensive workplace health 

curriculum. 

1. The hands-on model was an onsite, instructor-led one-day training 

workshop held in one of six regional 

locations. 

2. The online model allowed employers 

to move through the curriculum 

independently over several weeks using 

a web-based learning platform.

3. The blended model included a 

combination of hands-on and online 

learning strategies.

Page 2 of 5

An LCDHD employee exercises at her desk. 

Photo provided by LCDHD. 

Ten county region served by Lake Cumberland District Health Department
Page 3 of 5

track their fitness level. LCDHD’s wellness committee 

plans to use the app to create a walking challenge for 

staff. In addition, Huckelby works with the insurer’s 

staff in her region to plan health activities and find 

ways to promote the program to her employees. The 

insurer has also donated wearable tracking devices 

and pedometers to use as program incentives.

To measure its employees’ health, LCDHD launched 

an online HRA, which 72% of its staff completed. The 

agency plans to ask staff to complete the HRAs and 

a needs-and-interest survey every 2 years to track 

employee health over time. It also plans to repeat 

biometric screenings held through its insurer in 

2014 at least once a year (and more often if the 

employee requests it) to track the health of its 

employees over time. 

The wellness committee also used results from the 

organization assessment administered as part of 

Work@Health® to develop a nutrition policy that sets 

guidelines for the food provided at meetings and staff 

events. Although some employees were concerned 

about limited food choices, LCDHD’s executive 

director felt strongly that food paid for by the agency 

should be healthy.

One of LCDHD’s greatest assets is its supportive 

leadership. After the agency participated in the 

Work@Health® training, it suffered funding cuts that 

affected staff morale. The wellness committee was 

concerned that employees might see its worksite 

health promotion efforts as a waste of money. To 

overcome this potential problem, the committee 

made sure to share information about the origins of 

the wellness program and used the seed money from 

Work@Health® to market the program to employees, 

and to organize a lunch and learn session and 

provide educational materials to participants. The 

committee found that the program actually energized 

employees, and it immediately had buy-in from 

leadership, which recognized the need for a formal 

program to meet the agency’s wellness goals.

Key departments in LCDHD have also been 

supportive of the wellness program. For example, 

the Diabetes Education Department offers diabetes 

classes for employees, and the Health Education 

Department offers a smoking-cessation program. 

The nursing staff makes sure that all staff who lead 

wellness activities have the materials they need.

Like all of the 

employers 

participating 

in the Work@

Health® 

program, 

LCDHD used 

the CDC 

Worksite Health 

ScoreCard

to assess the 

extent to which 

it

Program Success

 had evidence-based health promotion strategies 

in place before and after training. The ScoreCard is a 

free tool that employers can use to assess their health 

promotion and disease prevention programs, identify 

gaps, and set priorities across health topics.

Strategies assessed by the ScoreCard include healthpromoting counseling services, environmental 

supports, policies, health plan benefits, and other 

worksite programs shown to be effective in helping to 

prevent or mitigate heart disease, stroke, and related 

health conditions. 

LCDHD increased its total ScoreCard score from 171 to 

200 out of a possible 264 points. The agency showed 

the greatest improvement in the number of evidencebased strategies it offered that focused on physical 

“We felt [that] if we were going to be out there 

preaching it, we should be living it. If we tell a 

business in the community that they’re going to 

do healthy vending options, we should be doing 

that. I think our executive director feels [that] 

because we are public health, we need to be a 

model in the community.” 

—Carol Huckelby, Grant Writer and Administrative 

Assistant at LCDHD

LCDHD employees take a walk during the work day. 

Photo provided by LCDHD. 
Learning from Work@Health®

In a survey after the blended model training in 

Chicago, all participants in the session with Huckelby 

said the training increased their knowledge 

about how to develop, set up, and evaluate a 

comprehensive worksite health promotion program. 

Ninety-two percent said they understood how to 

apply what they had learned in the training to their 

jobs, and 92% said they would be able to use what 

they had learned at their jobs. 

After completing the technical assistance portion of 

the program, all participants were asked to list the 

top three lessons they had learned. Huckelby said 

she had learned the following:

1. Assessment of employee needs and interests 

is important.

2. Various types of data are needed to help 

identify needs (e.g., HRAs, surveys, 

insurance claims).

3. All levels of management should be involved 

on the wellness committee and in the 

program.

About 6 months later, participants were asked to 

complete surveys about what they had done since 

the training. Most (90%) said they had shared the 

information with others in their organization and 

used it to engage leadership support. Huckelby said 

she used the information to plan LCDHD’s 8-week 

healthy habits challenge. Seventy-two percent of 

participants had already developed a worksite health 

plan and were beginning to take action.

activity. After it used the ScoreCard as part of its 

Work@Health® training, LCDHD put the following 

strategies in place:

• Posting signs at elevators, stairwell entrances/

exits and other key locations that encourage 

employees to use the stairs. 

• Providing work-life balance/life-skills programs.

• Providing free or subsidized self-management 

programs for preventing or controlling high 

blood pressure.

• Having an emergency response plan that 

addresses acute heart attack and stroke events.

• Having a written injury and/or illness 

prevention policy.

Page 4 of 5

89%

89%

72%

72%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

Shared with others at work

Engaged leadership for support

Collected data to develop worksite health

program

Developed worksite health plan and began to

take action

How Work@Health® Trainees in the Chicago, IL Blended Model are 

using the Information They Learned in the Program

CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard Overall Score 

in Wellness Programming, 2014-2015

0 5 10 15 20 25

Organzational Supports

Nutrition

Physical Activity

2015 Score 2014 Score

30

LCDHD more than doubled its score in the Organizational Supports module, which assesses the extent to which 

organizations have a foundation in place to support and maintain a worksite health promotion program. The 

agency now conducts an employee needs and interests survey, has demonstrated organizational commitment 

from all levels of management, and has an active health promotion committee. 
Challenges

With over 200 employees spread over 10 counties and 

many different programs, LCDHD’s biggest challenge 

was setting up a wellness program that could reach 

all of its staff. To overcome this challenge, the agency 

created a wellness committee with staff from multiple 

locations, programs, and job types which Huckelby 

and her staff chose carefully. This diversity helps make 

sure all employees’ needs are taken into account 

when activities are planned. It also lessens the burden 

on any individual staff member to manage the 

programs locally.

Another challenge is the time needed to plan 

activities and travel to committee meetings. These 

activities must be done in addition to other job 

duties, and committee members are asked to 

sign a contract stating that they understand the 

responsibilities they are taking on. In the future, the 

committee hopes to be able to use informational 

technology resources to meet remotely. 

Leadership support has remained strong despite 

these challenges. Committee members are allowed 

to use work time for their efforts, and employees can 

take work time for HRAs and biometric screenings, 

as well as to participate in other wellness activities 

(e.g., diabetes management and smoking-cessation 

classes). Committee members are supported by 

additional wellness champions in all 10 counties, who 

help promote the wellness program locally.

Page 5 of 5

The Work@Health® employer-training program is an initiative of the U.S. Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to promote workplace wellness through 

employer education, training, and technical assistance. Work@Health® training provides 

employers with knowledge and tools through a comprehensive curricula to promote 

good health in their work places to prevent or reduce chronic illness and disability, and 

improve productivity.

What’s Next?

Over the next 12 months, LCDHD plans to conduct the following activities for worksite health promotion: 

• Continue to promote the wellness incentives and services available through its insurance carrier.

• Conduct biometric screening once a year and HRAs and needs-and-interests surveys every 2 years.

• Update its healthy meeting policy to make sure a healthy food option is available whenever a meal is paid for 

by LCDHD, and get the policy approved by the district’s Board of Health. 

• Create an online group for staff to share information about nutrition and physical activity options in their 

communities and to help each other be healthier. 

• Continue to use the results of employee surveys to develop and offer wellness activities 

(e.g., programs designed to prevent and control diabetes and reduce stress, healthy habits challenges, hiking 

and cycling clubs).