Two local employers have been named some of the healthiest in Central Ohio.
Union County was recognized as the third healthiest, followed by Memorial Hospital at fifth, according to the 2019 Healthiest Employers of Central Ohio.
The awards program was conducted by the Springbuk Health Intelligence Platform.
The company said award applicants were evaluated across six key categories, representing a holistic view of employee wellbeing: Culture and Leadership Commitment, Foundational Components, Strategic Planning, Communication and Marketing, Programming and Interventions, and Reporting and Analytics.
“The Union County Commissioners adopted a wellness philosophy in their annual goal-setting process in 2015,” said County Administrator Tim Hansley. “They recognized the obvious benefits of a healthy workforce; such as, higher productivity, lower turnover, and cost-savings to our taxpayers.”
“Our County employees, and their families, have embraced these wellness goals and this award reflects their commitment to the program,” he added.
All companies who applied to the awards program were ranked according to the proprietary Healthiest Employers Index, a 1-100 rubric for employee wellbeing programming.
As award finalists, Union County and Memorial Hospital demonstrated a strong commitment to the health and wellbeing of their team members.
According to a statement from Union County, last year, over 83% of the County’s employees completed a rigorous health evaluation, and 77% of spouses also completed this evaluation.
Of those participants, 84% shared their test results with their primary care physician or other care providers, which allowed for ongoing dialogue or follow-up.
Building an awareness of potential health risks and overall health status is a catalyst to generating desired health outcomes, according to a statement from Union County.
The statement also added, “Our wellness program promotes self-awareness and fosters positive engagement designed to build lifelong healthy habits and lasting health outcomes, one step at a time.”
Representatives from Memorial Hospital also remarked on the success of wellness-focused initiatives within the organization, as 2019 is the seventh straight year the organization has been recognized.
Director of the Wellness Center at Memorial Hospital Deb Stubbs said the hospital aims to “make it easy for people to be well.”
“Over 20 years ago, we established the Working On Wellness (WOW) program to encourage employees to live a healthy lifestyle and reap the benefits associated with good health,” said Stubbs, “It is thrilling to receive this honor for the many progressive year-round activities our team continues to accomplish, thereby helping our employees focus on mind, body, and spirit.”
Stubbs said Memorial Hospital offers things such as free blood work for employees and risk appraisals. Employees can also earn points on a wellness scorecard by engaging in healthy behaviors, she said.
“We value the health of our employees as much as the health of those in our community,” Stubbs said.
She estimated over 80% of Memorial Health employees participate in the organization’s wellness program, as they can save on insurance costs in return.
Stubbs also said she has been involved in the Union County Wellness Consortium, a group of local business that meets quarterly to discuss best practices, since its inception.
She encouraged any local business who hopes to improve the wellness of its employees to become involved with the consortium.
Representatives from Springbuk said the organizations recognized set the standard for promoting wellness within businesses.
“Across the nation, we’re encouraged by the tremendous efforts of corporate health leaders proactively investing in the wellbeing of their employee population,” said Rod Reasen, co-founder and CEO of Springbuk.