AtlantiCare Recognized As Fit-Friendly Worksite

COURT HOUSE — The American Heart Association recently recognized AtlantiCare as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite for helping employees eat better and move more.
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.
The Fit-Friendly Worksite program is a catalyst for positive change in the American workforce by helping worksites make their employees’ health and wellness a priority. 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.
“We encourage healthy behaviors inside and outside the workplace by creating an environment and offering tools that engage physicians and staff in their personal well-being ,” said Lori Herndon, RN, executive vice president, AtlantiCare, and president and CEO, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. “We are creating a culture of wellness among those of us who provide care and services to our community. Our healthier environment also benefits patients, visitors and other customers.”
AtlantiCare’s employee health and wellness initiatives include:
AtlantiCare’s Engaged benefits plan rewards employees with “wellness credits” for participating in wellness activities to decrease their out-of-pocket health plan expenses the following year. Participating in physical activity challenges, having an annual wellness visit with a primary care provider, completing an online health assessment, and knowing one’s blood pressure, weight and body mass index earn staff credits.
AtlantiCare’s Wellness, Human Resources and Internal Communications teams send employees quarterly newsletters as well as email reminders about health and wellness messages, provide lunch & learn health education, and deliver one-on-one wellness coaching.
Healthy eats:
Cafeterias at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center’s Mainland Campus, Pomona, and Atlantic City Campus provide nutritional information about meals, low-calorie and no-calorie beverages, and offer a robust salad bar and healthy options for meals.
Vending machines at locations throughout AtlantiCare have signage promoting healthier snack and beverage options, and provide price reductions for those items to further incentivize the purchase of healthier options.
AtlantiCare physicians and staff have the opportunity to participate in a farm basket program in spring and summer. AtlantiCare purchases fresh produce from local farms and packages and delivers it bi-monthly to staff who buy into the program.
Healthy steps:
At its two largest worksites, ARMC Mainland and Atlantic City campus, AtlantiCare offers free onsite fitness facilities. Some sites offer outdoor walking paths. AtlantiCare offers all employees and their families discounted memberships at the AtlantiCare LifeCenter, a medically- integrated fitness facility. AtlantiCare offers Engaged plan members who qualify a weight management program that includes three month membership to the LifeCenter, personal training sessions with a fitness specialist, and individual sessions with a wellness coach or registered dietitian. Upon completion of the program, members are reimbursed for the membership fees. In addition, through its health benefit plan, AtlantiCare provides staff six visits with a registered dietitian for medical nutrition therapy for a variety of health conditions.
For more information about AtlantiCare, visit AtlantiCare’s website, call the AtlantiCare Access Center at 888-569-1000 or find AtlantiCare on Facebook.
About the American Heart Association:
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or join us, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or any of our offices around the country, or visit heart.org.