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The Kailo Concept

What is Kailo? | Kailo Concept | Awards & Recognitions | Program Design

“In developing Kailo, Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa has distinguished itself as a company to watch in the field of health promotion.”

Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) Reviewers’ Comments, 2002.

The Kailo Concept was developed in 1997 at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa. The program’s unique approach and holistic framework was created in response to an 18-month data collection process in which we discovered a significant amount of psychosocial and spiritual distress among our staff. Stress, depression, fatigue, relationship issues, even domestic violence were prevalent concerns for Mercy employees, nearly 90% of whom are women.

In analyzing the data, it became obvious a traditional worksite wellness program focused on fitness, nutrition, and reducing bio-medical risk factors for physical illness would not be adequate to meet the deeper health and wellness needs of our audience. Our search for a more appropriate model on which to base our efforts led us through a variety of multi-disciplinary research and theories.

Our concept, which is forever evolving, is an innovative blend of ideas and knowledge from traditional and holistic approaches to worksite health promotion, positive psychology, relational theory, gender expertise, Pareto theory, motivational psychology, employee assistance programming (EAP), and organizational development.

Outcomes from our work have exceeded our wildest expectations. Nearly 90% of Mercy employees are enrolled in Kailo. Our lunch and learn participation averages 450 employees per month and our data collection efforts indicate Mercy employees are living happier, healthier lives. And we’ve accomplished this without incentives, without point systems, without expensive health risk appraisals (HRA’s), and without a fitness facility.

Some of our most compelling outcomes have come as a result of our work targeting depression, one of the most costly health issues in the workplace. For more information, click here.

In addition to these positive internal outcomes, Kailo has been recognized many times as one of the most evolved employee wellness efforts in the nation (see Awards & Recognitions). Currently, although our first priority remains serving the women and men who work at Mercy, we enjoy sharing our experience through speaking, consulting, and training opportunities throughout the US and Canada.

What is Kailo? | Kailo Concept | Awards & Recognitions | Program Design