Employee Wellness at 

Cedars-Sinai Health 

System: Case Study

Organization Background

Cedars-Sinai Health System 

« Established in 1902 

« Private nonprofit

« Industry sector: Health care 

and social assistance

« Location: Los Angeles, 

California

« About 14,000 employees

« 67% women, 33% men

Cedars-Sinai Health System is a 

nonprofit, independent, health care 

organization known for providing 

the highest quality patient care 

through a dedication to excellence, 

compassion, and innovation that 

is rooted in the Judaic tradition. As 

the largest nonprofit hospital in the 

western United States, Cedars-Sinai 

is committed to leadership and 

excellence in delivering quality health 

care services, expanding the horizons 

of medical knowledge through 

biomedical research, educating and 

training doctors and other health care 

professionals, and striving to improve 

the health status of its community. 

Cedars-Sinai achieves this mission 

through the contributions of more than 

2,000 doctors in every clinical specialty, 

about 14,000 employees, 2,000 

volunteers, and 15,000 fundraising 

support group members. 

Participating in CDC’s Work@Health® Program

Cedars-Sinai’s employee wellness program was established in 2010. 

Employee Wellness Administrator Mitch Martens and his assistant 

are the primary staff members dedicated to the program. Multiple 

committees and wellness champions from across the organization 

also support workplace health initiatives.

Since Martens took over the 

wellness program in 2012, 

Cedars-Sinai has implemented 

several employee health 

initiatives. Examples 

include fitness activities 

and competitions, wellness 

campaigns (like Employee 

Wellness Day), and clinical 

prevention programs (like 

health screenings, smoking 

cessation services, and Men’s 

Health Week). Martens has also worked to promote environmental 

changes, like healthier options in the cafeteria, improvements to 

stairwells to promote use, and sit-stand desks for employees. 

Martens heard about the Work@Health® program at the Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from a colleague who 

was planning to enroll. Martens was looking for ways to expand his 

employer’s worksite wellness program, and CDC’s reputation sparked 

his interest. He decided to apply to the program. 

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.

Cedars-Sinai was selected for the blended model of the Work@

Health® program. The blended model gave Martens the flexibility to 

move through the first six training modules at his own pace at times 

that were most convenient to him. He was then able to interact with 

instructors and other participating employers during the hands-on 

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 

Cedars-Sinai about how to 

plan strategies and anticipate 

implementation challenges.

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion 

Division of Population Health

CS257190W
portion of the training, which was held in May 2014 and followed by 6 to 10 months of personalized support from 

a Work@Health® technical assistance provider.

Page 2 of 5

Program Overview 

Cedars-Sinai’s strategic vision is to attract, retain, 

develop, and optimize the performance of the best 

and most respected employees and for Cedars-Sinai 

to be the preferred health care employer. Martens 

uses this vision to shape the organization’s 

wellness program.

“Well-being is 

multidimensional, 

similar to how health 

care takes a holistic 

approach to treating 

the whole person,” 

Martens explained. 

“Rather than offering 

one challenge or 

solution to our 

entire employee 

population, we try to 

meet each employee 

where they are on their own personal wellness 

journey and then encourage them to choose what’s 

important for them today.”

Martens believes this personalized approach is 

especially well-suited for a large, diverse organization 

like Cedars-Sinai. But to reach as many employees as 

possible, a thoughtful and clearly defined foundation 

is required. 

The Work@Health® curriculum emphasizes the 

importance of assessing the health needs and 

interests of employees before planning a wellness 

program. In the Work@Health® training, Martens 

learned how to use the CDC Worksite Health 

ScoreCard. This free tool allows employers to assess 

their health promotion and disease prevention 

programs, identify gaps, and set priorities across 

health topics. As Martens noted, “You can’t effectively 

know where to go until you first evaluate where you 

are today.” 

Using the ScoreCard, Martens completed an 

organizational assessment and planned wellness 

initiatives that aligned with Cedars-Sinai’s 

institutional goals in the following six areas: growth, 

Cedars-Sinai’s multidimensional model 

of well-being.

Image provided by Cedars-Sinai. 

people and culture, integration, affiliations, employee 

experience and engagement, and value. Martens 

applied these goals to the wellness program and 

developed initiatives for each.

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 on-site, 

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.

GROWTH: Martens’ goal was to expand the wellness 

program across Cedars-Sinai to reach more employees. 

To meet this goal, he enhanced the program’s website 

with health education and promotional materials and 

wellness resources that are diverse, relevant, and easy 

to access. After gathering feedback from an employee 

focus group, Martens worked with in-house web 

developers to build a visually appealing and easy-tonavigate website for the employee wellness program. 

He partnered with Cedars-Sinai’s insurance carrier and 

consulted with other programs and departments—

including the Employee Assistance Program, Food 

and Nutrition, Safety, Employee Health, Nursing, 

Academic Affairs, and Organization Development and 

Learning—to identify ways for them to contribute. 

PEOPLE AND CULTURE: Marten’s goal was to advance 

Cedars-Sinai’s culture of well-being to foster high 

performance, continuous learning, innovation, and 

teamwork by identifying wellness champions across 

the health system. Martens knew that he needed 

champions, which he called employee wellness 

ambassadors, to help spread the wellness program’s 
Page 3 of 5

messages and activities. 

The Work@Health® 

program highlighted 

the power of having 

champions from all levels 

of the organization serve 

as role models, resources, 

and program advocates. 

Martens developed a 

communication plan that 

outlined the ambassadors’ 

responsibilities, formally recognized their service, and 

created a forum for sharing ideas. He used existing 

events and communication channels, like Cedars 

Sinai’s annual Employee Well-Being Fair and monthly 

Wellness Grand Rounds, to recruit ambassadors. 

INTEGRATION: Martens’ goal was to align wellness 

program efforts with other Cedars-Sinai departments 

and initiatives by participating in other employee 

events. He worked with several departments to 

contribute to shared objectives, share resources, 

and showcase Cedars-Sinai’s wellness program. For 

example, he made sure the program was represented 

at the health system’s annual Safety Fair, Benefits Fair, 

and Heart Institute Walk. Martens also supported the 

Transplant Center by offering fitness programs to the 

center’s employees, and he helped institute a “StressFree Day” in the Imaging Department. 

AFFILIATIONS: Martens’ goal was to cultivate 

external local and national partnerships to advance 

the wellness 

program. For 

example, he 

partnered 

with several 

local health 

and nutrition 

facilities to offer 

discounted 

rates to CedarsSinai employees. He is a member of Wellness Councils 

of America (WELCOA) which provides training, 

recognition, tools, and resources for workplace 

health programs. He also helped Cedars-Sinai achieve 

platinum status with the American Heart Association 

as a Fit-Friendly Worksite.

EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE AND ENGAGEMENT: 

Martens’ goal was to evaluate employee satisfaction 

and engagement with wellness initiatives by studying 

the use of sit-stand desks to assess whether CedarsSinai should offer them system wide. Ten employees 

from across the health system were offered the 

chance to use sit-stand desks for 6 months and then 

provide feedback. The employees rated the desks 

favorably and wanted to keep them at the end of 

the trial period. By the end of 2015, more than 

60 sit-stand workstations had been purchased by 

different departments, and Martens expects this 

trend to continue. 

VALUE: Martens’ goal was to evaluate initiatives and 

metrics associated with the wellness program by 

organizing information about health and wellness 

indicators in an easy-to-read format. The Work@

Health® program’s emphasis on evaluating worksite 

wellness activities resonated with Martens. He 

created a set of metrics based on the goals and 

expected outcomes of the wellness program. He used 

the following indicators and data sources to assess 

program success and areas for improvement: 

• Use of evidence-based worksite health

promotion interventions, using data from the

ScoreCard and other organizational

assessment tools.

• Status of employee health risks, using results

from annual biometric screenings and health risk

assessments and clinical data from Cedars-Sinai’s

insurance carrier.

• Level of employee engagement, using data from

employee satisfaction and participation surveys.

• Perceptions of the organization’s wellness

culture, using data from worksite surveys that

employees complete at monthly Wellness Grand

Rounds, the annual Well-Being Day, and when

new on-site wellness classes are offered.

Martens uses these metrics to evaluate the overall 

program, make improvements, request future 

funding and support, and show employees the 

benefits of working to improve their health. Because 

he had supporting data, Martens was able to put 

several wellness initiatives into place, including the 

following: 

Cedars-Sinai employee wellness 

ambassador t-shirt.

Photo provided by Cedars-Sinai.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles.

Photo provided by Cedars-Sinai.
Page 4 of 5

• Painting stairwells to make them more attractive

and encourage employees to use them.

• Obtaining funds to build an outdoor basketball

court, which is used daily for pick-up games

during lunch hours.

• Integrating a “Take 5 and Thrive” segment

into department meetings. Martens presents

information about the health risks of sedentary

behavior and encourages managers and

employees to spend a few minutes standing,

stretching, or engaging in some type of physical 

activity during meetings. 

• Producing “Work Out of the Week” (WOW) videos

that promote desk- or office-based stretching

and movement. Cedars-Sinai’s wellness

ambassadors record employees doing stretches

and exercises at their workstations. They post

these videos on the Cedars-Sinai YouTube

channel and link to them from the organization’s

wellness website. The website had 2,757 views

in 2015. The February 2016 video features desk

exercises for the neck and shoulders.

CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard Overall Score 

In Wellness Programming, 2014-2015

Program Success

Like all of the employers participating in the Work@

Health® program, Cedars-Sinai used the CDC Worksite 

Health ScoreCard to assess the extent to which it had 

evidence-based health promotion strategies in place 

before and after the program. Cedars-Sinai increased 

its total ScoreCard score from 152 to 168 out of a 

possible 264 points. The organization showed the 

biggest improvement (more than tripling its score) 

in the number of strategies it offered that focused 

on diabetes prevention and control. The ScoreCard 

module for this area assesses the extent to which 

organizations provide screening for prediabetes 

and diabetes risk factors, education and counseling, 

access to self-management programs, and health 

insurance coverage to manage diabetes. Cedars-Sinai 

also increased the number of strategies it offered to 

address tobacco control, physical activity, and 

weight management.

Examples of evidence-based strategies Cedars-Sinai 

put in place during its Work@Health® training using 

the ScoreCard that it did not have in place in 2014 

included the following:

• Providing a series of educational seminars,

workshops, and classes on preventing and

controlling diabetes.

• Providing brochures, videos, posters, pamphlets,

newsletters, and other written or online

information that address the benefits of physical

activity.

• Providing or promoting free or subsidized

tobacco cessation counseling.

• Providing free or subsidized body composition

measurements, like height and weight, body

mass index (BMI) scores, or other body fat

assessments (beyond self-report), followed by

directed feedback and clinical referral when

appropriate.

Martens said he 

believes that the 

key to the success 

of Cedars-Sinai’s 

wellness program 

is that it empowers 

employees to 

choose their own 

paths. For example, 

instead of using 

an organization-wide initiative like a weight loss 

challenge for all 14,000 employees, the program 

works to “meet employees where they are today.” He 

believes this approach builds engagement and trust.

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Weight Management

Tobacco

Physical Activity

Diabetes

2015 Score 2014 Score

“Be your own wellness 

architect. Our future is 

within your future, not the 

other way around.”

 —Mitch Martens, employee 

wellness administrator at 

Cedars-Sinai
He adds that he believes Cedars-Sinai will achieve 

better wellness overall—as both a community and 

as an employer—if its employees achieve their own 

personal well-being. He encourages employees to, “Be 

your own wellness architect. Our future is within your 

future, not the other way around.”

Learning from Work@Health® 

In a survey after the Atlanta training session in 2014, 

all participants said they found the problem-solving 

activities useful, understood how to apply what they 

had learned, and felt that they would be able to use 

what they had learned from the training at their jobs. 

In addition, 90% would recommend the training to 

others in their position. 

At the end of the training, participants were asked to 

share lessons learned. Martens said he learned that 

SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, 

and time-bound) objectives are needed to effectively 

evaluate a worksite wellness initiative and ensure 

accountability.

About 6 months after the training, participants were 

asked what they had done with the information 

they had learned in the training. All participants said 

they had used the information to develop a worksite 

health plan and begin taking action. In addition, 88% 

said they had shared the information with others in 

their organizations, engaged leadership for support, 

established a health promotion committee, and 

collected data for program development.

Challenges

Before participating in the Work@Health® program, 

Martens was already running an active wellness 

program. However, he had struggled with the 

challenge of worksite wellness not being integrated 

into other programs and departments in his 

organization. To overcome this challenge, Martens 

worked to build relationships across programs 

and departments by finding shared goals. He also 

used the wellness website as a central place to post 

information about health and wellness activities 

across campus. For example, he collaborated with the 

Safety Department to promote its new program on 

safe patient lifting by adding the program’s training 

materials to the wellness website. He also partnered 

with the Rideshare program to promote its bike-towork campaign. 

Because Cedars-Sinai is a large, 24/7 organization, 

getting information from and to all employees is 

challenging. Employee schedules and locations—as 

well as competing priorities and emergencies—do 

not allow everyone to participate in all planned 

activities, like health fairs or fitness classes. Martens 

focused on making sure the wellness website gave 

employees the tools and resources they needed to 

create their own path to well-being. 

Page 5 of 5

What’s Next?

Over the next 12 months, Cedars-Sinai plans the following activities for worksite health promotion: 

• Create an overarching strategic plan for an employee wellness institute that will more formally integrate

health and wellness initiatives across the health system.

• Work with the Benefits Department to make resources more accessible to employees on a mobile device.

• Focus on populations at higher risk that are hard to reach or may have been overlooked previously. Examples

include male employees, employees with limited mobility who may not participate in traditional physical

activity programs, and those dealing with financial stress.

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.