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“Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles®” Awards presented June 17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Geisinger has received the Platinum Award from the National Business Group on Health for its ongoing commitment to promoting healthy work environments and encouraging workers to live healthier lifestyles. The 2015 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards were presented on Wednesday, June 17, at the Business Group’s Institute on Innovation in Workforce Well-being Leadership Summit held in Washington, D.C.

Now in its 11th year, the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards recognizes those employers that have responded to the urgent need to improve their employees’ health, productivity and quality of life. The underlying goal of the program is to encourage all employers to take action.

The top-honor Platinum distinction is due to a continued, robust collaborative effort throughout numerous departments system wide from senior executive leadership, Geisinger Health Plan, Corporate Communications, Sustainability, Clinical Nutrition, Food Services and Geisinger Wellness and Occupational Health, according to Diane Harlow, Assistant Director Wellness, Geisinger.

“This award is a result of everyone’s hard work and continued, passionate efforts to identify new ways and options to facilitate a productive workforce culture focused on health and wellbeing that encourages employees, their families and the communities they live in to flourish,” she said. “And we’re not done yet. We look to continue to grow in the future to meet employees’ needs by continuing to make their health, happiness and wellbeing a top priority.”

Geisinger began cultivating a culture of wellness among employees in 2006 with the implementation of the Employee Wellness program, aimed to motivate Geisinger family members to be active partners in achieving healthy lifestyles. This year marks year four of the organization’s collaboration with Geisinger Health Plan to expand the focus on employee population health management, including the incentive-based MyHealth Rewards program, which moves employees toward healthy lifestyles through education, awareness and health/wellness coaching to achieve and maintain personal wellness goals. Geisinger Health Plan’s outcomes based incentive program (Smart Steps), now in its 5th year, has been adopted by multiple employers in the region and various out-of-state partners.


The program rewards member-insured employees for healthy behaviors and bettering themselves through improved body mass index, cholesterol and not using tobacco. It has enjoyed heightened success based on increased clinical outcomes showing employees are willing to meet these goals. The organization is also enjoying an expanded, second year for the Get Fresh Market program bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to employees, patients and guests at numerous food service locations throughout the system during summer and fall months.

Brian Marcotte, President and CEO of the National Business Group on Health, commented: “The investment that companies are making in the health and well-being of their employees and families is impressive. A healthier and more productive workforce not only contributes to employee engagement and retention but can have a positive impact on business performance. We are very pleased to honor these employers and look forward to their continued leadership and innovation.”

Winners of the 2015 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards were honored in one of two categories: Platinum, for exemplary workplace well-being programs, cultures and results; and Gold, for making cultural and environmental changes and developing comprehensive programs that support employees’ healthy lifestyle goals. Twenty-six employers were honored with platinum awards; 38 received gold awards.

 

About the National Business Group on Health®
The National Business Group on Health is the nation's only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers' perspective on national health policy issues and helping companies optimize business performance through health improvement, innovation and health care management. The Business Group leads initiatives to address the most relevant health care issues facing employers today and enables human resource and benefit leaders to learn, share and leverage best practices from the most progressive companies. Business Group members, which include 71 Fortune 100 companies, provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. Workers, retirees and their families. For more information, visit http://businessgrouphealth.org.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is committed to making better health easier for the more than 1 million people it serves. Founded more than 100 years ago by Abigail Geisinger, the system now includes 10 hospital campuses, a health plan with more than half a million members, a research institute and the Geisinger College of Health Sciences, which includes schools of medicine, nursing and graduate education. With more than 25,000 employees and 1,700+ employed physicians, Geisinger boosts its hometown economies in Pennsylvania by billions of dollars annually. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

 
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