The American Heart Association Worksite Wellness Summit was held yesterday at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland where over 300 participants learned about effective tools and techniques for improving health, safety, wellness and wellbeing – Total Worker Health.  Oregon Health & Science’s Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences was the presenting sponsor supporting the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center’s Total Worker HealthTM (TWH) theme, also the Summit’s theme.

The Summit was keynoted by Renee Coombs of SAIF, Oregon’s largest workers’ compensation insurance company, who described her corporation’s transition to TWH which she described as continually changing and growing in her comments on the panel that followed her keynote.  Brian Passon led the panel.

After a physical activity break and lunch, the meeting broke into  sessions on workforce wellness initiatives and strategies – and a session on establishing TWH programs in your companies led by Dede Montgomery (pictured) of Occupational Health Sciences and Deb Fell-Carlson of SAIF.

The meeting ended with energizing talks by Dawn Robbins on diversity to empower wellness programs (looking thoughtfully to the future), Michaelle Davis on Campbell Global’s approach to Wellness (offering her help to others) and Evin Cole on the power of positive thinking (with examples of turning negative messages into positive ones).

Interspersed with these interesting and interactive presentations were opportunities to interact with dozens of vendors who provided resources on TWH and wellness to the attendees (below).

And it should be said that AHA knows how to put on a meeting – two activity breaks and the healthiest breakfast (below – granola, fruit and yogurt) and lunch options ever.  Meeting coordinators take note!  Congratulations to Lanette Trickey and the coordinating committee of the American Heart Assocation Worksite Wellness Summit bringing an energizing and compelling series of presentations on September 17, 2014.