Work Healthy Awards
11 Companies Given 2009 W. H. Awards
Eleven local businesses and organizations were awarded a Work Healthy! Recognition Plaque by Healthy Oxford Hills at Wednesday’s Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce Community Luncheon event with Maine’s State Commissioner of Labor, Laura Fortman. Healthy Oxford Hills is a local public health coalition, part of a statewide system of public health organizations whose work it is to discover, advocate for, and help allocate resources towards meeting community members’ health and wellness needs.
Work Healthy! Awards were given to all applicants who prioritize the health of their employees through writing and maintaining good health policies, beginning with tobacco use regulation, signage, and supportive resources for decreasing tobacco dependence. From there, businesses can earn a higher award status if they also support employee’s health and wellness through nutritional information and support – such as offering low-cost healthy snacks, and / or through the support of physical activity by giving employees prompts to stretch, places to walk, or helping them with the cost of fitness classes or gym memberships. Maine becomes healthy as communities become healthy, and that happens one person at a time; worksites can be leaders for a healthier Maine through their awareness and support of employee health.
2009 Awardees for the Quality Award were Paris Farmers Union, and Personal Best Health Club; Bronze winners: Western Maine Health, Keiser Industries, The Progress Center, Community Concepts, Medical Care Development, and Oxford Federal Credit Union. Silver Awardees: Richard Bader Physical Therapy, Norway Savings Bank, and Hebron Academy.
Enrollment for Work Healthy! is year-round; applications and help with tobacco policy drafts or updates and free signage plus nutritional and physical activity ideas for your organization or business can be found at Healthy Oxford Hills, 165 Main St. in Norway, or by calling Chris Davis at 739-0352.