Commonwealth Health Corporation - Recognized as an American Heart Association Fit-Friendly Worksite

Worksites take steps to decrease healthcare expenses, increase productivity

Commonwealth Health Corporation has been recognized as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association for helping employees eat better and move more. This is the fourth year CHC has achieved the Platinum Level.

“Physical activity and employee wellness are important priorities at Commonwealth Health Corporation. We are honored and excited to be recognized by the American Heart Association as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite,” said Lynn Williams, Vice President of Human Resources. “We’re committed to providing the best workplace environment possible. This will benefit our employees’ health and produce even more positive results for our worksite overall.”

Platinum-level employers:

• 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.
  

“At CHC, we support our employees who each have unique wellness needs by offering a variety of health and wellness opportunities,” said Williams. CHC focuses on offering healthy vending options and encouraging smarter choices in its cafeterias. CHC offers incentive-based activity programs, activity/food-based challenges and on-line health workshops, and recognizes employees who achieve health and wellness goals.

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. They are listed on the program’s national website. Qualifying worksites also have the right to use the program’s annual recognition seal for internal communications and with external, recruitment-related communications.

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, visit heart.org/worksitewellness.

Commonwealth Health Corporation Recipient of the 2014 Gallup Great Workplace Award

Commonwealth Health Corporation (CHC), parent company of The Medical Center, has received the 2014 Gallup Great Workplace Award which recognizes the best-performing workforces in the world. CHC is one of 36 organizations to receive the prestigious Gallup award this year.

“Employee engagement is one of CHC’s core strategic goals. It is not a one-time initiative but a culture that is woven throughout all aspects of our corporation,” said Connie Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Commonwealth Health Corporation. “We at CHC recognize that a highly engaged workplace means a better place for our employees to work and a better place for our patients to receive quality care.”

CHC began utilizing the consulting services of Gallup in 2008 and since that time has experienced significant gains in employee engagement. Results from a 2013 employee engagement survey of CHC’s employees, combined with a demonstrated link between engagement and business outcomes, qualified CHC to apply for the award.

“In order to maintain long-term growth and profitability, we must invest time, energy and resources into engaging our employees,” said Smith. “We have found that engaged employees improve overall patient care and help in managing the impact of declining reimbursements and financial challenges due to the disproportionate share of government subsidized care provided by our hospitals and other facilities.” Over the past six years, CHC has experienced reduced employee turnover, decreased patient complaints, increased employee donations to CHC’s charity care programs, and improved financial performance.

CHC will be presented the award during the Gallup Spring Summit on May 13-15, 2014 in Omaha, Nebraska. During the summit, Great Workplace Award winners including CHC will present the best practices they applied to their workplace and the improved business results they achieved through building an engaged workforce.

“These award-winning organizations set a new standard for workplace excellence,” said Dr. James Harter, Chief Scientist with Gallup. “They have proven track records for improving lives along with performance. The management tenets they practice have proven value in both thriving and struggling economies overall.”

About the Gallup and the Gallup Great Workplace Award

Combining more than 75 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup delivers forward-thinking research, analytics, and advice to help leaders solve their most pressing problems. Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of the world’s constituents, employees, and customers than any other organization. Gallup’s 2,000 professionals deliver services at client organizations, through the Web, and in nearly 40 offices around the world.

The Gallup Great Workplace Award recognizes the best-performing workforces in the world. Only organizations who meet specific criteria may apply for the award. Applicants’ results are compared across a workplace research database composed of millions of work teams in more than 100 countries. A panel of workplace experts assesses each application and selects the winners.