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ETSU’s Strong BRAIN Institute outlines Better Workplaces Tennessee recognition program
Summary
Dr. Wally Dixon described Better Workplaces Tennessee—a trauma‑ and resilience‑informed workplace recognition program funded by the Tennessee Department of Health—and Appalachian Promise Alliance shared an 8‑month silver recognition case study.
Dr. Wally Dixon, founding director of the Strong BRAIN Institute at East Tennessee State University, told meeting attendees that Better Workplaces Tennessee is a recognition program funded by the Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Injury Prevention, designed to help organizations embed trauma‑informed practices.
“Everyone's on a journey to become trauma informed,” Dixon said, adding that “nobody's trauma informed” yet and that the program treats trauma‑informed work as an ongoing process rather than a single training. He said the program adapts the University at Buffalo School of Social Work’s organizational change manual and uses non‑proprietary materials; ETSU Research Corporation developed the program website and Appalachian Promise Alliance is an administrative partner.
Dixon outlined six core values for trauma‑informed workplaces—physical and psychological safety, trust and transparency, peer support, cultural responsiveness and others—and seven key development areas including leadership and communication, hiring/onboarding, policy review and monitoring. He described baseline measurement with the TICS‑10 and anonymous employee satisfaction surveys, and stressed the need to monitor unintended consequences after implementation.
Recognition proceeds in stages: pre‑implementation leads into a silver recognition after initial steps, and an organization must remain at silver for one year before applying for gold (and likewise remain at gold for one year before applying for platinum). The program offers a navigator (Lisa Clark) to assist organizations; Dixon said the navigator is partially funded through the Department of Health contract and can provide site visits or virtual assistance.
Melissa Roberts, executive director of Appalachian Promise Alliance, described her organization’s eight‑month path to silver recognition. Roberts said the process prompted simple operational changes (for example, staffing a parenting suite during open hours) and helped staff and board have more transparent conversations during recent funding cuts. “It took us about 8 months,” Roberts said of the recognition process.
In a post‑presentation question, Dixon clarified the program has no fee for workplaces; he said the work is funded by federal public‑health funds administered through the Tennessee Department of Health.
Dixon invited interested employers and organizations to apply through the Better Workplaces Tennessee website or contact the program via sbi@etsu.edu for more information and navigator support.
