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Cook Children's is developing a comprehensive employee wellness program, Rossi said. It plans to unveil the first part of the program in about six months. The entire program, which will take about three years to complete, will focus on disease management, occupational health and wellness, he said.

Cook Children's now has a number of wellness programs in place, including smoking cessation classes, a workout gym, a health education program linked to prescriptions and a concierge service that takes care of employee errands, such as dry cleaning and shoe repair. The comprehensive program will bring those things together, Rossi said.

The health system decided to create a comprehensive wellness program because "we wanted to make sure our employees really take care of themselves," Rossi said. "When you're working 10 to 12 hours per day, it takes its toll on people. We're trying to balance their workload."

Two years ago, Samaritan Health Services based in Corvallis, Ore., started a yoga program for employees, offering to pay for classes given by approved instructors at community centers.

"We really wanted something that would interest nurses," said Kim Schlessinger, MN, ANP, a certified occupational health nurse specialist who directs employee health and safety at Samaritan Health Services. "With nurses, it was important to find something that would address both the physical and psychological part of their jobs because their jobs are so stressful."

The program has since expanded and includes a Weight Watchers at Work weight reduction program-popular with nurses, program coordinators say-and a variety of classes. Employees also can sign up to use a cardiac fitness gym at one of the hospitals.

In September, Samaritan Health Services began offering employees up to $300 to spend on specific wellness programs "that encourage employees to develop better lifestyle habits," said Lea Houston, MA, wellness program coordinator at Samaritan Health Services.

Employees also can attend free classes at the Heartspring Wellness Center at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis, Houston said. The wellness center, which is open to the public, is part of Samaritan Health Services' complementary care program and offers classes on everything from smoking cessation and combating insomnia to personal empowerment for health.

In addition to an employee fitness center that offers programs on exercise and weight control, Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minn., has an employee health promotion committee that works to inform employees about healthy lifestyle choices. Among other programs, the committee sets up monthly displays in the cafeteria on themes such as diabetes, skin cancer and happy, healthy holidays, said Betty Kolb, RN, a member of the committee and a nurse in the division of preventive and occupational health medicine. Nurses say they use the information for their patients as well as themselves, Kolb said.

Kolb said the committee uses the health expertise in the hospital to create various programs for employees. For smoking cessation programs, the committee will work with the nicotine dependency center; for cholesterol screening, it will consult with the cardiovascular health department.

"We can call on some of these resources that are already here rather than reinventing the wheel," she said.

Other hospitals use programs from outside sources, such as Weight Watchers. Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas uses a weight loss program developed by a health management program in Boston. Cook Children's plans to incorporate a Web site developed for corporate wellness programs by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Many programs start with free health assessments for employees, then work with employees and personal caregivers to develop goals and programs for those with medium-to-high risk of health problems. A program for people with diabetes, for example, might incorporate diet, exercise and one-on-one counseling.

"We have people who have been taken off insulin," said Eden Pineda, RN, manager for occupational health and wellness at Parkland.