Fourteen Upstate Companies Recognized as American Heart Association Fit-Friendly Worksites
July 2, 2015
UPSTATE, SC – Fourteen Upstate companies have been recognized as a Fit-Friendly Worksites by the American Heart Association for helping employees eat better and move more.
“All of these companies should be applauded for their efforts,” said Meg Gilmartin, Executive Director for the American Heart Association. “They have implemented changes in their corporate environment which are critical to our community’s overall health and a win-win for the companies and their employees”.
Fit-Friendly Companies reach Gold level status by implementing various activities and programs to encourage physical activity, nutrition and culture enhancements such as on-site walking routes, healthy food choices in cafeterias and vending machines, annual employee health risk assessments and online tracking tools.
The following eleven Upstate companies have been designated Gold-Level Fit-Friendly companies:
• City of Greer
• Baptist Easley Hospital
• Bethel Elementary School
• Bon Secours St. Francis Health System
• City of Anderson
• Eden Terrace Assisted Living & Memory Care
• Monarch Elementary School
• OTO Development
• Presbyterian College
• Southern Weaving Company
• Spartanburg Rehabilitation Institute
“Physical activity and employee wellness are important priorities at OTO. We are honored and excited to be recognized by the American Heart Association as a Gold-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite,” said Mary Dixon, Vice President of Human Resources at OTO.
Companies which achieve Platinum recognition — the highest tier — take the program a step further by measuring the outcomes of their wellness efforts.
The following three Upstate companies have been designated Platinum Level Fit-Friendly companies:
• Schnieder Electric
• Wesley Commons
• WHNS Fox Carolina
Platinum-level employers:
• Offer employees physical activity options in the workplace.
• Increase healthy eating options at the worksite.
• Promote a wellness culture in the workplace.
• Implement at least nine criteria outlined by the American Heart Association in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and culture.
• Demonstrate measurable outcomes related to workplace wellness.
“We are committed to help our associates become a healthier and more physically conditioned workforce,” said Larry Smith, Plant Manager with Schneider Electric. “Our team members are our greatest asset. The healthier our associates, the more capable our team is to properly service our customers – our mission at Schneider Electric.”
The Fit-Friendly Worksites program is a catalyst for positive change in the American workforce by helping worksites make their employees’ health and well-being a priority.
American employers are losing an estimated $225.8 billion a year because of healthcare expenses and health-related losses in productivity, and those numbers are rising. Many American adults spend most of their waking hours at sedentary jobs. Their lack of regular physical activity raises their risk for a host of medical problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Employers face $12.7 billion in annual medical expenses due to obesity alone. The American Heart Association is working to change corporate cultures by motivating employees to start walking, which has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity.
Recognition is a critical component of the Fit-Friendly Worksites program. Employers that join this program qualify for official recognition by the American Heart Association. Qualifying worksites also have the right to use the program’s annual recognition seal for internal communications and with external, recruitment-related communications.
“The Fit-Friendly Worksites Program offers easy-to-implement ways for organizations to help employees eat better and move more, which will help improve their health – and their employer’s bottom line,” said Meg Gilmartin. “Even people who haven’t exercised regularly until middle age can reap significant benefits by starting a walking program. A study published in 1986 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that some adults may gain two hours of life expectancy for every hour of regular, vigorous exercise they performed.”
For more information about the Fit-Friendly Worksites program and how it’s helping to improve the health of Americans by focusing on the workplace, call 864-627-4158 or visit heart.org/worksitewellness.
