Health and Wellness Coordinator

Companies realize that healthy employees equal happier, more hardworking employees. Cities realize that healthy residents equal happier residents and lower medical care costs. These realizations led to the Health and Wellness Coordinator job.

A Health and Wellness Coordinator works for a company, city, or community, encouraging employees or residents to take care of their health. As a Health and Wellness Coordinator, you educate and inspire people on issues of all kinds, from mental to physical.

You do a lot of program designing. You look at health issues facing the people you’re working with, and then figure out solutions. For a company, you might set up lunchtime yoga classes, encourage a friendly competition to see who in the office can work out the most, or have a Dietitian come and give free meal evaluations. For a city, you might put together a fun run, set up a farmers market, or distribute pamphlets on how to stop smoking.

Each program starts with you talking to healthcare workers in your community—everyone from Physicians to Yoga Teachers. You work to create programs that people will find fun but effective, and will be the most helpful for the population you’re trying to reach. Once you have the event figured out, you advertise it through blogs, e-mails, and fliers.

Though you need to really be able to talk to people, you also need to know when to keep your mouth shut. You can find out about very personal health problems, and especially in work environments, these need to be kept private.