WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has been named a Platinum-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company by the American Heart Association (AHA) for the second year in a row. The AHA’s Start! Program recognizes employers who champion the health of their employees by creating physical activity programs within the workplace.
“We are honored to be recognized as a Platinum-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company and are committed to making our employees’ health and wellness a priority,” said Robert S. Parker, vice president for special operations and community health.
Platinum-level employers are those that:
• 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 AHA in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and culture.
• Demonstrate measurable outcomes related to workplace wellness.
Wake Forest Baptist’s employee wellness department, ActionHealth, has created walking programs with maps and walking routes around campus to encourage physical activity. ActionHealth also offers a Health Incentive Program that allows employees to have a personal wellness profile created and gives them an opportunity to attend health education classes.
“ActionHealth’s goal is to increase employee awareness, interest and participation in health promotion,” said Parker. “We strive to motivate and assist employees to reach their personal wellness goals and thus improve their health and produce positive results for the company overall.”
For more information about the Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program and the American Heart Association, contact Sarah Fedele, director of communications and marketing, at (336) 662-1364 or sarah.fedele@heart.org.
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Media Relations Contacts: Megan Lunn, mlunn@wfubmc.edu, (336) 716-5437; Bonnie Davis, bdavis@wfubmc.edu or Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu