A place to reset
Teacher wellness lounges installed in some schools
Hoping to provide a way for teachers to de-stress during work, the American Heart Association recently installed wellness lounges for staff at seven schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
In the program’s inaugural year, Nob Hill (Sunrise), Tamarac, Peters (Plantation), Lauderhill Paul Turner and Colbert (Hollywood) elementary schools were selected in Broward County, while Indian Pines Elementary (Lake Worth) and Royal Palm Beach High School were chosen in Palm Beach County.
Acknowledging the challenges teachers and school staff faced over the COVID19 pandemic, the American Heart Association made the wellness lounges possible with the help of its Heart Walk sponsor, Cleveland Clinic.
“It’s no doubt teachers and school staff have had a very stressful year and a half — I think we all have,” said Kellie Hensley, the regional director of event and community partnerships of Cleveland Clinic Florida. “This year we wanted to create a grassroots approach to making a measurable impact on the local level. In doing so, we took a look at our community health needs assessment and determined hypertension and mental well-being are substantial priorities in our community.”
The wellness lounges are intended to create an environment for individuals to reset and de-stress. The lounges include plants, sound machines, comfortable seating, workout mats and exercise bands, coloring books and other relaxing activities.
The renovated areas also came with information about blood pressure and nutrition to promote living a healthier lifestyle.
“We had to work fast,” Hensley said. “We are able to have them completed before the school year. We went in a made some adjustments with painting and rearranging furniture . ... [It’s] really just an area that can help them look at their health and wellness, meditate, provide healthy eating opportunities and physical activity.”
Along with those resources, staff members at participating schools receive online access to the “My Life Check” interactive tool, which provides users with access heart health tips and ways to build healthy habits.
“The My Life Check [tool] gives us a comprehensive roadmap with seven simple steps for living your best life,” said Jennifer Campbell, the executive director of the American Heart Association Greater Miami/Fort Lauderdale market.
In addition to the schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties, three other schools were selected in St. Lucie and Martin counties. The American Heart Association wants to expand the program to the Treasure Coast in the future.