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What is the Health Improvement Team?
We’re a group of City
employees whose focus is to improve the health of employees and their families
by encouraging healthy eating, promoting physical activity and supporting
tobacco-free lifestyles. We meet at
monthly workshops to plan and promote campaigns.
Who is the Health Improvement Team?
| Linda Albert, Library | Mary O’Bradovich, Barron Center |
| Jonathan Anderson, Safety | Janice Kimball, HR |
| Kristen Dow, Public Health | Elizabeth Morgan, HR |
| Jim Deluca, Fire | Kathleen Vosmus, HR |
| Marion Oliver, Jetport | Neil Jordan, Safety |
| Clarkson Woodward, Police | Keith Hansen, Rec. & Facilities Management |
Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables everyday provides a wide range of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals (plant chemicals) that your body uses to maintain good health and energy levels. Try something from each color group every day – it’s a tasty and a colorful way to stay healthy.
The Health Improvement Team gathered 25 colorful recipes. Check out the salads, main courses, desserts and snacks –all tasty and colorful of course!
Red Recipes
Yellow Orange Recipes
Green Recipes
Blue Purple Recipes
White Tan Brown Recipes
Up and coming campaigns we are working on in 2008
Look what we accomplished in the past 12 months!
Men’s Health – June 2008
Series of daily health tips and display rack information during National Men’s Health Week (Week of June 9.)
National Women’s Health Week – May 2008
Series of daily health tips and posters distributed to City departments (Week of May 11.)
Asthma & Allergy Awareness – May 2008
Series of daily health tips describing the differences between asthma and allergies and how to manage these conditions.
Sun Safety – May 2008
Daily health tips focused on the early detection and prevention of skin cancer. Our e-campaign also included testimonials from two employees who shared their personal stories. Since this campaign, other Health Tip of the Day readers continue to share their stories in an on-going education about sun safety.
Colorectal Awareness – March 2008
Our campaign to educate that colorectal cancer is the #2 cause of cancer death in men and women in the U.S. was achieved using Health Tip of the Day as well as a brochure on ‘Steps to Lower Your Risk of Colorectal Cancer’ placed in the Health Improvement Team’s Display Racks throughout City departments.
March is Save Your Vision Month – 2008
Pamphlets for the Display Racks and posters were distributed throughout City departments providing information that detection and treatment are the best ways to prevent loss of vision and to have your eyes examined yearly.
A donation box during the months of March & April was available at City Hall rotunda for donations of old glasses to IRIS Network. Thank you to those who dropped off old glasses!
Maine Health Management Coalition Healthcare Opinion Survey – March 2008
Paper and electronic surveys were available to those who participated in this health care opinion effort. City of Portland is a member of the Maine Health Management Coalition (MHMC). The MHMC is a non-profit group with more than 60 members statewide. Members include health plans, doctors’ offices, hospitals, and employers who are working together to improve the value of healthcare in Maine.
Heart Health Month – February 2008
A total of 110 employees participated in blood pressure checks at the Barron Center, City Hall and Public Works on Valentine’s Day in conjunction with our annual Go Red for Women Day.
Drink Tap Water – January 2008
We promoted the health benefit of drinking water and distributed sports water bottles at each department to promote water from the sink and/or water fountain.
Connect With Your Colors – September 2007
We promoted the use colors of fruits and vegetables in the education of the benefits of eating 5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day and to be creative by using color as a means for selecting and eating nutritious foods and to make your plate more colorful.
In daily health tips we promoted fruits and vegetables and included colored inspired recipes. The Barron Center cafeteria & Clock Tower Café at City Hall featured a fruit or vegetable of the day and ‘Fruits & Veggies – More Matters’ brochures were distributed to all employees. Twenty $10 prizes were raffled for Snell Family Farm gift certificates.
Sun Safety – August 2007
Beach pails with donated Anthem sun lotion bottles and Maine Cancer Consortium Safety bookmarks were made available at worksites on a first come first serve basis.
City of Portland’s Dedicated Page at Anthem Website – July 2007
This page provides information and resources more easily for City of Portland health plan members. You can register for online services to view claims, change your PCP, order ID card(s), download common City of Portland and/or Anthem health plan forms, read the most recent Anthem newsletter, obtain quality healthcare information or access the health plan benefit overview and summary plan description.
Employees: Are you interested in subscribing to Daily Health Tips at your home email address? Email us at Healthimprov@portlandmaine.gov. In the subject line type: “Sign Me Up!”
