Holistic workplace wellness programs should address each of the key aspects of the dimensions of wellness (University of California, 2016; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2016):

• physical health is an employee’s ability to maintain a healthy quality of life with minimal physical stress or fatigue
• emotional health relates to an employee’s ability to cope with life’s challenges in a healthy way
• spiritual health helps to ensure that employees maintain a state of peace and harmony
• occupational health involves an employee’s personal satisfaction with the job; this helps to ensure that all individuals remain engaged
• environmental health requires employees to recognize how they impact their physical environment and take responsibility for protecting it
• intellectual health is an employees’ ability to be open minded about new ideas and experiences

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In 2015, healthcare spending in the U.S. topped $3 trillion dollars annually; more recent statistics indicate that the costs of care continues to rise with a per capita expense of approximately $10,345 per (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid [CMS],2015; Alonso-Zaldivar, 2016).  Per the Centers for the Disease Control (CDC), approximately 75% of healthcare costs is directly attributed to the onset of chronic diseases (2015).  Chronic illnesses can be mitigated by eating nutritiously and being physically active; for most individuals affected, preventative health education initiatives can aid in reducing health disparities (CDC, 2015).

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