About Us

In 1982, a group of business leaders in Omaha, Nebraska created a non-profit organization called the Wellness Council of the Midlands. The purpose of the Council was to promote healthy lifestyle choices through the worksite in hopes that preventing disease would be more cost-effective than curing disease. The Omaha Council has served as a model for the formation of Wellness Councils across the country.

The establishment of a Wellness Council in Central Iowa began in 1988 and the wellness Council of Central Iowa became a chartered member of the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) in 1991.

In 2003, the Wellness Council of Central Iowa changed the organization’s name to Wellness Council of Iowa to effectively identify the geographic area the group served. The Wellness Council counts over 100 member organizations in over 38 counties across the state of Iowa among its members.

2009 In Review

  • Shared WCI mission, vision and blueprint for results-oriented workplace wellness at Well Workplace University in Des Moines, Pella and Cedar Rapids
  • Welcomed 16 new members
  • Honored 14 companies with Well Workplace Awards – including the first University in the United States to receive Platinum recognition – Des Moines University
  • Debuted Healthy Iowa Awards
  • Educated over 200 leaders from companies throughout Iowa at Annual Workplace Wellness conference featuring Dr. David Hunnicutt, president of WELCOA and other leaders in workplace health promotion
  • Debuted new Web site and marketing materials
  • Debuted Hot Topics seminars
  • Honored 15 winners from 11 organizations during the Light of Wellness awards banquet

Plans for 2010

  • Increased involvement and retention of membership in Iowa along with new member recruitment via events and training opportunities throughout the state.
    • Well Workplace University Level I and II
    • 20th Annual Workplace Wellness Conference (September 23, 2010)
    • Healthy Iowa Awards (September 23, 2010)
    • Light of Wellness Awards (April 15, 2010)
    • Member roundtable discussions and networking meetings on Hot Topics
    • Lectures on current hot topics in workplace wellness
    • Quarterly Webinar series
    • Updated Web site
  • Elevate awareness of availability of WELCOA’s extensive online resource database to members