Sustainable wellness at the workplace

NABCOA is a Non-Profit Organization that creates and supports mitigation strategies against HIV/AIDS at the workplace in Namibia. The organization has been in existence for many years and continues to offer HIV workplace services to its members. Members of NABCOA, who arecorporates, receive services that range from HIV, TB and general wellness testing. Membership base ranges from manufacturing companies to finance and insurance, fuel companies, banks, mines, hospitality, service industry, SME’s, local authorities and companies from other sectors.

Consequential to changing trends, practices and research in this field, many institutions, including health/medical schemes have since identified the need for lifestyle changes as a best practice in the reduction of illnesses and others chronic diseases including HIV/AIDS. Wellness has become an important element in addressing HIV/AIDS.

NABCOA has a number of partners with whom they offer and deliver service to members and non-members. NABCOA provide training and educational programmes,specifically Workplace Programmes, which includes HIV/AIDS Policy development and Peer Education training. In a special initiative with PharmAccess and NIP (Namibia Institute of Pathology), NABCOA has establishedBophelo!(translation: health in Setswana) which offers mobile wellness screening servicesincluding  HIV/AIDS testing. They are able to visit companies and provide convenient services on client premises. The Bophelo!mobileunits offer testing of chronic diseases and key indicaors such as , Diabetes, Cholesterol, haemoglobin and HIV. Other partners to NABCOA include Global Fund Namibia, USAID/KNVC, Standard Bank Namibia, Ministry of Health and Social Services andGI in 2009

NABCOA will be hosting the Health & WellnessConference in October 2011 in Namibia on the theme of Impact, Partnership, Sustainabiliity. The major challenges currently facing Namibia is the dwindling resources in terms of fighting the HIV disease in all sectors and affecting major partners i.e. public, private and civil society. For the private sector, embedding HIV within the wellness plans of the organization should help to alleviate the burden on state health budgets. Namibia’s classification as a high middle income country,makes it more urgent for all partners to find solutions for HIV/Health interventions at the place of work, to make the difference and to ensure the huge gains achieved as a result of major development funds by PEPFAR.

It is through this conference that NABCOA would like to bring together all partners, members, non-members, donors and other institutions that are part of the strategy on the prevalence of HIV and wellness at the workplace in Namibia. To deliberate on issues, challenges andsuccesses so far and  work towards improving mechanisms and dealing with the overall wellness of the workforce. Ideally and of significance, this conference will pave the way on how the sector should approach workplace wellness as a whole while equally attending to the issue of HIV/AIDS.

National and international speakers will address the conference with high level Namibian Government representatives on the conference programme. Register now.