HANCOCK COUNTY — Hancock Health has taken some of the programs previously offered through Healthy365 and shifted them under a new umbrella known as Hancock Well Being.
The move brings a number of services to the three Hancock Wellness Centers in Greenfield, New Palestine and McCordsville, including support groups, community education components and the tobacco cessation and prevention program.
“The goal of our wellness centers is to help people live happy, healthy lives, so having staff from the wellness centers doing those programs makes sense,” said Amanda Everidge, director of Healthy365.
While the Hancock Well Being brand is fairly new, the concept was launched and programs shifted in January.
“We’re creating a lot of capacity that’s going to really be hitting its stride in 2023,” said Joel Hungate, Hancock Health’s director of Hancock Wellness and employer strategy, who oversees the program.
Shifting some of Health365’s programming to the wellness centers not only takes advantage of centers’ large meeting spaces, but provides a one-stop-shop for fitness and wellness services, he said.
Touted as the only certified medical fitness center in the region, each Hancock Wellness Center branch offers in-house medical services in addition to fitness equipment and programming.
“The concept of Hancock Well Being is really in the interest of making our communities healthier and focusing on proactive healthcare, versus the sick care model that has been prominent for so long,” said Hungate.
“We want to keep people away from the hospital and keep them healthier longer.”
In addition to serving Hancock County residents, the Hancock Well Being program works closely with local employers who have the opportunity to connect employees with the program’s services, from tobacco cessation to fitness programs.
“It’s really designed to help keep employees healthy by providing lower cost of care and a variety of services which ultimately keep people healthier and happier and more productive,” said Hungate, who said a healthier workforce is a solid economic driver for the county.
“Hancock Well Being at Work provides access to all the proactive wellness amenities we offer, from healthcare education to nutrition consultations, and learning how not just to manage but prevent chronic conditions,” said Hungate.
“We’re challenging the status quo by focusing on prevention through a sustainable lifestyle change, and showing employers how preventing chronic conditions can impact productivity in the workplace.”
Hungate said a number of county employers are already working with Hancock Well Being to connect employees to its health programs and services. While employees are currently served at existing Hancock Health facilities, plans are underway to open employee-based clinics throughout the county specifically designed to serve them.
“The clinics are designed to provide convenient access to high quality front line care, where you’ll be able to be seen very quickly and have access to follow up care. It’s about removing the barriers for employees to saying ‘yes’ to their health,” he said.
“We anticipate so much volume that we want to have dedicated sites around Hancock County. Those sites are yet to be determined but will be very, very soon.”
Hungate is hopeful that the preventative care model will continue moving Hancock County up the ladder of the healthiest counties in the state, where it currently ranks fifth, and give people one more reason to consider making Hancock County home.
For more information on Hancock Well Being, visit hancockwellbeing.org.
