St. Paul Businesses Make Health A Priority With 'Workplace Wellness' Grants

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- NAMI Minnesota -- a nonprofit that addresses mental health -- wants their staff to make health a priority, too.

"We have bike pedals, elastic bands, hand grips, some lights, foam rollers, yoga mats," Cat Ganji, of NAMI, said.

Staff can even take the exercise equipment back to their desks.

Office perks like these are possible because of a "workplace wellness" grant from Ramsey County and the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce.

"They range in micro grants from $400-$900," the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce's Yao Yang said.

On Wednesday, Yang went around to some of the 32 businesses that got this grant back in April to see how they used the money.

"We received $900 for the nursing room grant," Brett Harker, of Pentair, said.

The grant for White Bear Lake's Pentair bought them a better space for their breast feeding room.

Harker said his female colleagues helped design the room, making certain requests including blankets, magazines and fogged windows.

"Our hope is that we will eventually put up a dividing curtain here and make it more of a two-space room," Harker said.

NAMI is a second-time grantee. Last year, they bought the exercise equipment, and this year, they improved their kitchen, making it more inviting and sustainable.

"We also got cutting boards and knives and measuring cups to have that ability to prep meals here," Ganji said.

If you're a business that wants to apply for a grant in 2020, you can contact the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce starting in November.