Get Healthy Utah News and Blog

Get Healthy Utah partnered with the Utah Worksite Wellness Council and Utah Community Builders to host the second annual Utah Business of Health Event! The event took place on February 7th, 2024 at the Zions Bank Technology Center in Midvale. Event sponsors included GBS Benefits and Nivati.

The purpose of the event was to bring together business leaders from across the state to discuss the importance of promoting good health among employees, particularly mental health. Over 80 individuals attended, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the quality of speakers!

Keynote Speaker: Nikki Walker, Director of Community Engagement and DE&I at Domo

Nikki gave a moving address about the importance of supporting employees through mental health crises. As a high-level professional, she shared her own experience dealing with depression and anxiety, and her need to request professional leave while overcoming thoughts of suicide. She highlighted key resources provided by her employers that made her recovery and reintegration into her workplace a success, and challenged attendees to increase their own awareness of and empathy towards employees who may face similar mental health challenges.

Panel Discussion

Moderator: Stephanie Larsen, Health Equity (Get Healthy Utah Board Member)

Panelists: Catherine Van Tassell, GBS Benefits; Danielle Valdez, Huntsman Mental Health Institute; Sentari Minor, evolvedMD

Catherine Van Tassell, Danielle Valdez, and Sentari Minor addressed questions from moderator Stephanie Larsen on ways to create a workplace environment that supports mental health. Catherine Van Tassell shared the science behind resilient mental health and emphasized the role that exercise, healthy eating, and adequate sleep can play in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Danielle Valdez shared the importance of engaging company leadership in efforts to support mental health and advocated for effective campaigns that increase employee’s awareness of mental health resources. Sentari Minor highlighted workplace policies that help to prevent burnout and excess stress among employees, including paid self-care time and compassionate, wellbeing-focused interviews with managers. Following the discussion, the panelists took questions from the audience.

Roundtable Discussion

Attendees concluded the event with roundtable discussions, discussing what was learned during the event and sharing mental health needs and strategies found at their own companies. Participants spent the time networking and answering the following questions:

• What is your organization currently doing to prioritize mental health in the workplace?
• What would your organization like to do to prioritize mental health in the workplace?
• What resources and support are needed to prioritize mental health in the workplace?

Conclusion

Participants left feeling motivated to promote employee mental health and were equipped with the resources and strategies to make a difference. We are grateful to everyone who attended and for the amazing partners, sponsors, and speakers who make this event possible!

Want to Improve Mental Health in Your Workplace? Try These Strategies:

• Talk about mental health! Bring it up with leadership, ask how your employees are doing personally and professionally, or start a campaign at your organization highlighting the resources you offer.
• Encourage at least one self-care practice every day!
• Offer new training to leadership and employees! Mental health first aid, QPR, and more.
• Revisit your work culture. Do employees have psychological safety?
• Implement policies and strategies to improve wellbeing. These can include flexible work schedules, time and resources to access care, standing desks and walking pads, and starting a community engagement program.
• Be a good human. Practice compassion and be an active listener!

Chet Loftis

R. Chet Loftis is the Managing Director of PEHP Health & Benefits, a public sector health plan that covers over 170,000 members. He is also the new Board Chair for Get Healthy Utah.

Good things don’t happen by chance. They require passionate and capable people who envision what could be, help others see the same, and work through the obstacles, complexities, and challenges to produce something of value.  

Get Healthy Utah is a thing of value—a gift, truly.   For the last 10 years, it has sought to unite the community around improving the health and wellbeing of all Utahns. As far as causes go, it may be hard to find a better or more important one, especially given the direction of current demographic trends.  

None of this would be possible without Greg Bell, who founded Get Healthy Utah and has served as Chair from its inception. Greg is a giant in our community. Someone that so many of us look up to and seek to emulate. Get Healthy Utah represents Greg’s commitment to make a positive, lasting impact on our community. A commitment that has taken shape and form as others have joined the cause with their energy and insights.

We live in a great place of good people and natural beauty. It is an honor to be part of a collective effort to improve the health and wellbeing of all Utahns. To feel pride in what has been done and to look forward to the opportunities ahead. Good things don’t happen by chance.

Morgan Hadden

Morgan is the Program Coordinator for Get Healthy Utah. She graduated from Utah State University with a B.S. and M.P.H in Health Education and Promotion. 

Chances are, your city or town is busy doing a lot of great things. Municipalities are often responsible for basic needs like keeping the water running, the roads clear and functioning, and providing police officers and firefighters and other public safety support. Our cities do a lot, and in many ways, they are the unsung heroes that protect our quality of life.

That’s why Get Healthy Utah, in partnership with the Utah League of Cities and Towns, created the Healthy Utah Community designation. Launched in 2020, the designation recognizes cities and towns that go above and beyond to improve their residents’ wellbeing. To date, 43 communities have been designated.

How to Earn the Designation

To earn the designation, cities and towns must demonstrate a strong commitment to community health. The mayor must sign a letter of commitment, the community must organize a health coalition, and several evidence-based health strategies must be in place throughout the city or town. The number of strategies needed depends on population size, but no matter what, they must improve access to healthy food, mental health resources, and opportunities to be physically active.

The designation is valid for three years, so the city must also create a three-year health plan that will help them get redesignated. City leaders look at health data for their residents, identify areas of high need, then choose new strategies to implement that will meet those needs. If they are successful in implementing the new strategies, then will qualify for redesignation when it’s time.

Who Can Earn the Designation

Any city or town throughout the state of Utah–no matter their population size–is eligible to apply for the designation. In certain instances, unincorporated areas like census-designated tracts or metro townships can also apply, but in these instances, we recommend reaching out to Get Healthy Utah first to confirm eligibility.

Smaller areas like neighborhoods, or larger areas like counties, can play a role in helping a community qualify. However, the current designation can only be awarded on a city or town level.

Benefits of Earning the Designation

The Healthy Utah Community designation is valuable for several reasons. First of all, the application process helps city leaders make their community a better place to live. It encourages the mayor to prioritize health, creates a coalition that leads to sustainable outcomes, and provides a list of evidence-based strategies that can be implemented to improve overall wellbeing.

Then, once the designation is earned, communities are recognized in front of statewide leaders at the Utah League of Cities and Towns Conference. The designation provides a way to communicate to both residents and other communities around the state about improvements being made. Local efforts too often go unnoticed, and the designation gives statewide recognition for amazing work.

And if that’s not enough, the Healthy Utah Community designation also qualifies cities and towns for mini-grants provided by Get Healthy Utah! The grants are flexible and can be used to improve outdoor infrastructure, provide recreational opportunities, or improve access to nutritious food and mental health resources.

Apply Today!

So don’t wait! The benefits of earning the Healthy Utah Community designation are numerous, and every city and town across the state is eligible to apply. To start your journey, visit www.GetHealthyUtah.org/HealthyUtahCommunity and email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a fillable application. The application deadlines are March 1st and August 1st of each year.

Greg Bell

Greg Bell is the outgoing Get Healthy Utah Board Chair. Greg previously served as president of the Utah Hospitals Association and lieutenant governor for Utah.

In 2014, a group of us created Get Healthy Utah. Our first executive director, Sarah Hodson, along with an all-star board helped establish Get Healthy Utah’s excellent reputation as a leading advocate for healthy eating and active living among Utahns. 

Modern life is drowning society in highly processed, high-calorie food. Poor diet choices combined with diminishing physical activity levels lead to increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers—even among teenagers and children. These conditions have sidelined too many of us from living active, healthy lives.

While Utahns are blessed with world-class healthcare, much of the disease and disability—such as some heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and some cancers—we suffer from could be avoided by eating a healthier diet and living more actively. The best medicine of all is healthy living! That’s why Get Healthy Utah has focused singularly on influencing the “upstream” determinants of health.

Without the constant generosity and support of the Utah Hospital Association, Get Healthy Utah would not be “alive and kicking” today. UHA’s financial, staff and political support has been life-sustaining—and has advanced our hospitals’ missions of supporting Utahns as they seek and maintain wellness in their personal lives. 

I express my warmest thanks to our many other partners who helped us along the way.

I will retire from my role as president of the Utah Hospital Association in December, and I will also step down as Chair of Get Healthy Utah. Chet Loftis, Managing Director of PEHP Health and Benefits, who recently joined our board, has agreed to become the next Chair. I will remain on the GHU board. Chet and I go way back, having practiced law together in the 1990s. Besides being a friend to everyone he knows, Chet’s genius for innovation and his enthusiasm for improving health and healthcare have put him at the center of healthcare and wellness policy work in Utah. Elisa Soulier will continue in her new role as Vice-Chair. Elisa is Director of Health and Well-Being at Castell, an affiliate of Intermountain Health. Thanks to Chet and Elisa for their willingness to serve. They’ll bring new vision and enthusiasm to our work.

Finally, my sincerest thanks to our current executive director Alysia Ducuara and Sarah Hodson, our first executive director and our incredible staff. They have been phenomenal at their jobs. What a privilege for me to work closely with them and see their intense commitment to our work.

All my best, Greg Bell