Health and Wellness Programs For Property Service Workers
BSP offers Health and Wellness programs to property service workers throughout California. In partnership with the California Service Employee Trust Fund and the Sierra Health Foundation, BSP delivers comprehensive, linguistically and culturally competent training & education that equips workers from low-wage industries and their families to lead healthy lives.
BSP’s curriculum educates participants on health literacy and offers health prevention information, ranging from diabetes to stress management; with curriculum aimed to address the most pressing health concerns of workers and their families. A component of these programs made possible by Unidos US, the Case Management portion of BSP health programs enables the organization to integrate a culturally relevant curriculum encompassing grocery store suggestions and proper nutrition materials, helping workers and their families overcome barriers to healthy food options and education.
In the communities where BSP service workers reside, popular supermarkets offering a variety of fresh foods such as meats and vegetables are not commonplace. Instead, mom & pop shops, convenience stores, and fast food chains offering foods with low nutritional value saturate the streets of these areas.
BSP Health and Wellness programs introduce participants to local markets that offer healthier options, what type of foods to select, and how to incorporate them into recipes and lifestyle choices on a budget. This knowledge helps promote healthier bodies and minds for BSP participants and wellbeing for their families; enhancing a successful work life.
Leticia, a BSP program participant in Los Angeles is an individual who benefits from these courses, saying: “BSP nutrition workshops are important to me because they walk you step-by-step on the little changes that you have to make to maintain a healthy life.”
Leticia values learning about how to properly read nutrition labels, food portion control and calorie intake, which were all concepts she was not familiar with before. “Now that I know them well, I know how to make better choices on products that are healthier at the grocery store,” she says.
With the COVID pandemic, BSP hosts digital courses and Facebook Live sessions offering Health and Wellness Program material. Laticia appreciates BSP’s health instructors going over different topics because she has the accessibility and ability to ask questions, receiving attentive answers with reliable sources cited.
She says: “In the long run, this will become crucial because it will prevent me from chronic diseases such as obesity. However, thanks to the BSP health team, now I know these conditions can be prevented by exercising, eating fruits and vegetables, as well as moderating your portions.”