A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR
As we enter another year, I want to thank you for being a member of WWCMA and for being an integral part of our thriving community. Together we share a common passion for bringing well-being and happiness into our personal lives as well as into our workplaces. Let’s continue our work in 2024 and beyond!
It is such an honor to be part of the WWCMA community as the new Board Chair and carry our vision and mission forward.
It is very clear that society faces many challenges today. According to the Commonwealth Fund, nearly half of Americans will have a mental health issue in their lifetime, from a mood disorder to substance use disorder. The scarcity of behavioral health professionals is eroding employees and their families’ ability to receive timely care, contributing to burnout and subsequent job departures. The pandemic has shed light onto what is truly important to people, and if employers cannot support their employees’ ability to prioritize their values outside of work, these employees will look elsewhere at best, or stay and become burnt out and frustrated at worst. Turnover and quiet quitting, as we know, has a direct relationship with an unhealthy culture in the workplace.
Despite ranking at the top of health care costs, the United States is on the bottom for health care quality in many measures compared to other wealthy countries. Healthcare costs continue to increase! According to the CMS, “U.S. health care spending grew 4.1 percent in 2022, reaching $4.5 trillion or $13,493 per person. As a share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, health spending accounted for 17.3%.” In addition, prescription drug prices are on the rise causing stress and financial uncertainties, especially with GLP-1 drugs entering the market. Diabetes, obesity and other inflammatory conditions continue to be the top concerns in population health, reminding us all that lifestyle medicine must be infused into the places we live, work, and play to be holistically effective.
I believe that all systems must work together to bend this trend. Workplaces can play an important role in changing the trajectory of many of these statistics, and WWCMA is here to support you.
I invite you to join us in moving our vision and mission forward, while at the same time supporting your unique workplace priorities. WWCMA exists to bring solutions to the table and ignite discussions that can support your priorities. Additionally, we invite collaboration, learning, and recognition of companies that demonstrate our purpose through our annual awards. Together, we can make a positive impact on workplace well-being and contribute to a healthier future.
Sincerely,
Valeria S. Tivnan
Board Chair