Though many corporations acknowledge the importance of mental and physical health, finding ways to inspire proactive self-care requires creative solutions and unwavering commitment. Cornerstone Chemical Company, LLC has taken the lead in supporting its workforce through a comprehensive wellness program and initiatives designed to boost health and incentivize self-care.
Cornerstone Energy Park thrives on people power and employs a team of more than 400 individuals, each with a unique story, training history and experience. The site focuses on sustainability and pursues projects that make their processes cleaner, greener, and more efficient.
The concept of sustainability is also embedded within Cornerstone’s approach to employee wellness and long-term health. Investment in the people who make innovation and success possible is a priority since the company considers their employees to be their greatest asset. The Cornerstone Wellness Program focuses first on awareness and prevention, and second on education and behavior change to help employees achieve their health goals.
“We believe that employees who feel good and take care of themselves contribute to a happier, healthier, and more productive workplace,” said Natalie Naquin, Occupational Health Nurse at Cornerstone.
Naquin has over 25 years of occupational health experience in both hospital and industrial settings and has been with Cornerstone in Waggaman since 2006. She works as both a registered nurse and wellness coordinator at Cornerstone Energy Park?and has served as a member of Cornerstone’s United Way Committee benefitting United Way of Southeast Louisiana and United Way of St. Charles Parish since 2012. Natalie lives in Luling with her husband of over 25 years and her two sons.
During her time at Cornerstone, Naquin has collaborated with Cornerstone’s Wellbody Committee on developing onsite wellness programs emphasizing chronic disease prevention. Additions like the Wellworks Wellness Portal, exercise challenges, lunchtime nutrition seminars, and screenings have all been part of making wellness a feasible and rewarding goal.
Employees are encouraged to participate in the program through the Wellworks Wellness Portal, which awards points based on voluntary participation activities designed to improve overall health, wellness, and fitness. As employees accumulate points over the program year, they can earn rewards.
“Employees can submit evidence of biometric screenings, physical exams, vision screenings, colonoscopies, flu shots, PSA blood tests, dental checkups, doctor visits, participating in 5K walks or runs, or by contributing to charitable organizations such as the United Way,” said Naquin. “Once they earn 100 wellness points, they are eligible for a $150 gift card. We currently have 250 employees earning points, and 16 of those employees have already exceeded 200 points!”
Cornerstone aims to make it easy for employees to complete activities that will earn them points. Mobile blood drives are hosted onsite, which supports critically needed donations in their community. Cornerstone also coordinates with Ochsner Health physicians and local organizations to host onsite wellness presentations on topics such as diabetes prevention, smoking cessation, healthy cooking demonstrations, stretching, hypertension treatment, and more. Employee and spousal mammograms are also scheduled through a partnership in honor of breast cancer awareness, in addition to screenings for prostate cancer.
"Our employees are constantly checking the status of their points just like they are checking the number of steps reported on their Fitbits,” said Naquin. “We have 10 employees that have already achieved Wellworks Yearly Walking Activity by logging a minimum of 1,500,000 steps, which is an average of 9,244 steps taken each day!”
Cornerstone also offers yearly wellness insurance premium discounts to employees who opt to submit a recent biometric screening. Diagnostics like these can help employees lower blood pressure and cholesterol which, in turn, can help the company negotiate lower rates for health insurance for both the business and employees.
The benefits of this voluntary program are evident not only to employees' families and the communities where they live, but also to the company as a whole through improved employee satisfaction and performance, and lower costs. Employee morale and job satisfaction are boosted through such direct access to physical and mental health resources.
Another key resource available to Cornerstone employees is a full-service Wellness Center. “Several years ago, we converted a former cafeteria into a wellness center with state-of-the-art exercise equipment. Our employees can utilize the spacious workout facility, which never closes, at no cost,” said Naquin.
Naquin has also found that friendly competition is a key motivation for employees, especially during their Weight Loss Challenges. “One year, employees collectively lost almost 400 pounds during the 8-week competition!” she said.
Cornerstone also opened 24/7 Fresh Market stores onsite where employees can find a constant variety of fresh foods like salads, sandwiches, fresh fruits, snacks, and hearty heat-and-eat entrees made daily by award-winning chefs.
“Good nutrition plays a crucial role in employee productivity, job satisfaction, and performance, and we've incorporated the Fresh Market stores in our overall wellness strategy for that reason,” added Naquin.
Cornerstone’s Fresh Markets gained popularity quickly among employees. Back in July 2021, Cornerstone was the number one site serviced by the market vendor and had purchased more salads and fresh fruits than any other market where they operated.
This year, Cornerstone’s wellness program also provided a presentation about holistic medicine, where employees learned about a variety of options. In addition, Cornerstone has collaborated with Cypress Physical Therapy to provide ergonomic programs for employees like stretching classes, and with the LSU Ag Center to provide nutrition education and gardening and lawn care tips.
Cornerstone employees and their families have enjoyed several other wellness program offerings such as free CPR classes, financial wellness seminars, walking clubs, self-defense classes taught by the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, and a Distracted Driving seminar. The company also collaborates with the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency to register employees who wish to be organ donors.
At Cornerstone, the culture of wellness the company works to encourage daily is one of the most important ways to foster employee health and the long-term sustainability and growth of the organization. Naquin takes pride in the success Cornerstone’s wellness programs have had and the proactive approach to health inspired in their workforce.
“The way we live, eat, exercise, react to stress, and engage the healthcare system, as well as other behaviors, is something we can control and change,” she said.
To learn more about Cornerstone, visit: www.cornerstonechemco.com.