For the second consecutive year, the American Heart Association (AHA) awarded Harris Health System the Gold Workplace Health Achievement for creating and implementing quality health programs in the workplace. This award echoes AHA’s mission of building healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Chronic disease prevention and the promotion of optimal health are essential to improving the health and productivity of the U.S. workforce. According to AHA, positively influencing the workforce can have a significant impact on the estimated 155 million working adults.
Michele Hunnicutt, program director, Employee Wellness, Harris Health, is excited the organization is receiving this award for the second year.
“Earning this distinction two years in a row confirms Harris Health System consistently applies evidence-based, best-practice approaches to improve our employees’ overall health and well-being and we are seeing positive results from our efforts,” Hunnicutt says. “We are intentional about practicing what we preach in terms of wellness, preventive care and lifestyle management.”
Employers use a list of practices defined by AHA to build a system of wellness in the workplace. Their achievement index measures the extent that a company has implemented these practices.
Successful programs such as employee wellness are multidimensional. Hunnicutt identified components that make this program effective such as diverse activities, motivated employees, wellness challenges, spousal inclusion and effective evaluation.
“We firmly believe that by investing holistically in our employees’ health and well-being, we are simultaneously investing in the success of our organization and the communities that we serve,” Hunnicutt says. “I’m inspired by the progress we’re making toward taking better care of ourselves and enhancing the culture of well-being here at Harris Health. What we’re doing has had a big impact not only us, but in the communities that we’re a part of.”
Omar C. Reid, senior vice president, Human resources, Harris Health, is proud the organization has received this award for a second time and says that improving the community’s health starts within the organization.
“Prioritizing our self-care enables the Harris Health family to take better care of our patients,” Reid says. “A culture of health in the workplace helps employees fulfill their responsibilities at work and enjoy their lives away from work.”