MOVEmployee in Tampa

When faced with determining how to offer the MOVEmployee! program at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital (JAHVA) in Tampa, the Employee Wellness Coordinator assembled a team of multidisciplinary professionals, current MOVE! providers for patients, and potential MOVEmployee! participants to help decipher a logistics plan. What resulted was on ongoing program involving a one-on-one goal setting session with a Registered Dietitian, anthropometric measurements, monthly educational classes, and monthly interactive groups along with periodic follow-up, all of which is available to 40 participants at any given time. While still working to improve the process, the MOVEmployee! program at JAHVA has had several participants make successful lifestyle changes and lose significant amounts of weight since its initiation in February 2006. The overall reaction of the program has been very positive. The program currently offers an online/e-mail based version for employees working off tours or otherwise restricted by work schedules. The educational classes and interactive groups have benefited from the MOVE! handouts and Leader sheets available on the NCP's MOVE! website, along with PowerPoint presentations and exercises such as nutrition-related board games, cooking demos, exercise demos, and live grocery store tours. Through feedback from participants and outcomes analysis, the JAHVA hopes to continue to hone the current program to further promote weight loss success for all participants.