Knoxville Companies Recognized for Employee Wellness Programs
NOTE The following was sent from the Knoxville American Heart Association.
Four area businesses have been recognized by the American Heart Association’s Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program for promoting physical activity and health in the workplace. These include ImagePoint, Inc, Radio Systems Corporation and Clayton Homes. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, currently recognized as a Platinum-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company, was the first recognized in East Tennessee.
“These companies should be applauded,” said Joan Lawson, ORNL Wellness Program Manager. “They have made big strides in an area critical to their overall health. I know that these companies will soon begin seeing the positive outcome by having more healthy employees, which is a win-win.”
A special advertising section in the Oct. 27, 2008 issue of Forbes magazine will include a list of the 944 companies across the nation participating in Start!
Adult Americans spend the majority of their waking hours at work, many in sedentary careers — amplifying the risk for medical problems such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Obesity alone costs American businesses $12.7 billion in medical expenses and $225.8 billion in health-related productivity losses per year.
“Time constraints and job responsibilities are employees’ biggest obstacles to exercising. That’s why the Start! Fit-Friendly Companies program encourages employers to allow employees to walk while at work,” said Joe Landsman, President and CEO of The University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville and chairman of the Greater Knoxville Start! Heart Walk scheduled November 15 at Market Square.
“Walking has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity. Furthermore, studies suggest that implementing a worksite physical activity program and promoting this culture will help companies increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, lower turnover and reduce hard costs. Research shows that employers can save $16 for every $1 spent on health and wellness programs.”
Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program participants implement various options to encourage physical activity, nutrition and culture enhancements such as on-site walking routes, healthy food options in cafeterias and vending machines, annual employee health risk assessments and online tracking tools.
Companies interested in joining the Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program should contact the Knoxville American Heart Association office at (212) 6500 or visit www.americanheart.org/start to download an application. Applications are due in January for review by a volunteer expert panel. The panel consists of seven physicians, all of whom are American Heart Association volunteers.
Start! is sponsored nationally by SUBWAY® restaurants, Healthy Choice® and AstraZeneca, For more information about the Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program, visit heart.org/start.
Comments
Log in or create a user account to comment.