Community

Question 1

Define “health literacy”

Answer 1

a person’s cognitive and social ability to access and interpret basic health information and understand basic necessities of health.

Question 2

Health and Wellness
1. Precondition or optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solution

Answer 2

1. Precondition
2. Provide a deeper understanding to building occupants about specific WELL health features obtained by the project which includes design, operations, and policies.
3. Low health literacy is linked to lower uses of preventative care
4. Display a WELL feature guide or have information available for building occupants that describes what features were achieved and why.

Question 3

Integrative Design
1. Precondition or optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solution

Answer 3

1. Precondition
2. Facilitate a collaborative project process and adhere to collective wellness and sustainability goals.
3. Studies show that low income and minority populations are often excluded from planning discussions and decision making leading to developments that don’t meet their specific needs.
4. Engaging with multiple stakeholders such as facilities, architects, owners, and tenants to ensure occupant health and wellness goals are being met.

Question 4

Emergency Preparedness
1. Precondition or optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solution

Answer 4

1. Precondition
2. Enable organizations and families to be prepared and respond to emergency events.
3. Natural disasters affect close to 160 million people world wide each year.
4. Having an effective emergency plan can help organizations be prepared to unforeseen circumstances, provide clearer communication and minimize occupant confusion during emergency situations. The plan should identify assets, employees, and detailed plan for hazards such as earthquake, fire, health, human caused (active shooter)

Question 5

Occupant Survey
1. Precondition or optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solutions

Answer 5

1. Precondition
2. Evaluate the experience of self reporting health and wellness of building users
3. Decision makers and daily users often experience things differently in a building. Gathering occupant data assists with current feedback.
4. Provide surveys annually asking users to provide their satisfaction indoor environmental qualities, and workplace well being amenities. Types of surveys include 3rd party or a custom survey.

Question 6

Enhanced Occupant Survey
1. Precondition or Optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solutions

Answer 6

1. Optimization
2. Build on the administered occupant survey with enhanced questions to evaluate and respond to the experience and health of responders.
3. Given the wide array and diversity of buildings, it’s difficult to gauge which policies and programs benefit the most individuals in the space.
4. Incorporating a range of survey topics by using pre/post occupancy surveys, provides a comprehensive picture of which interventions impact building users most. Options include using a pre-approved survey provider approved by WELL. Once results are collected, implement a plan that address changes with hosting discussions on building focus groups.

Question 7

Health Services and Benefits
1. Precondition or Optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solutions

Answer 7

1. Optimization
2. Support overall health and well-being of individuals and their families by offering comprehensive health benefits and policies.
3. Delays between identifying a need for care and receiving services can increase complications, costs and hospitalizations. Without sufficient health services and sick time, employees may go into work if they’re sick and infect colleagues as a result.
4. Provide basic essential healthcare services such as medical, dental, vision, mental health and preventative screenings to promote good health in the workplace. In addition, an adequate sick leave policy alleviates spreading illness.

Question 8

Enhanced Health and Wellness Promotion
1. Precondition or optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solution

Answer 8

1. Optimization
2. Cultivate a culture that promotes health and well being of all individuals
3. Workplaces have the potential to promote and encourage healthy behaviors. If employees are unaware of health promotion opportunities available, they are unlikely to participate.
4. Promote culture of health by providing communications about health promotions and policies/strategies, incorporate a health promotion group that meets at least quarterly.

Question 9

New Parent Support
1. Precondition or optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Soutions

Answer 9

1. Optimization
2. Provide support for new parents to properly care for their children.
3. Maintaining an infant’s health before birth and during it’s first months of life is crucial to long term health. Shorter and unpaid maternity leaves may create barriers to accessing necessary healthcare such as postpartum healthcare.
4. Provide a minimum of 18 weeks of parental leave. Longer paid parental leave and back to work coaching programs are associated with higher rates of breastfeeding, reduced infant mortality rates and postpartum depression.

Question 10

New Mother Support
1. Precondition or optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solutions

Answer 10

1. Optimization
2. Provide spaces and policies that encourage breastfeeding.
3. Lack of workplace accommodations for breastfeeding leads to a drop in milk supply. Breastfeeding can help reduce postpartum weight retention and support optimal growth and development in infants.
4. Provide a workplace breastfeeding program that lactation rooms, and schedules that provide time for pumping or direct breastfeeding. The lactation room should include a work surface, comfortable chair, sound minimization and sink/water for breastfeeding.

Question 11

Family Support
1. Precondition or Optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solution

Answer 11

1. Optimization
2. Support working parents and caregivers so they are able to provide proper care for family members.
3. Caregivers often have to adjust their work schedules or take time off which can significantly impact productivity, and workday interruptions. The loss of a loved one has been associated with higher risks of mortality, physical health, and psychological stress like insomnia, depression, and anxiety.
4. Offering a wide range of accommodations that support caretaking responsibilities can help working parents balance family needs and work demands. Some programs include offering childcare support, family leave, and bereavement support.

Question 12

Civic Engagement
1. Precondition or optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solutions

Answer 12

1. Optimization
2. Encourage individuals to be involved in the surrounding community through volunteering, public spaces, and community programs.
3. Companies that do not demonstrate stronger social values through civic engagement opportunities like volunteering have been shown to experience lower employee moral and engagement.
4. Promote community engagement providing time off to volunteer, match employee charitable contributions and working with local community to foster social responsibility.

Question 13

Diversity and Inclusion
1. Precondition or Optimization
2. Intent
3. Issue
4. Solutions

Answer 13

1. Optimization
2. Promote equitable culture through the implementation and disclosure of diversity and inclusion policies
3. Global companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity or gender diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians.
4. Promoting diversity in the workplace by reviewing current workplace diversity representation that are annually tracked. Some criteria include gender, race/ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic background.