Atlanta, Georgia - The American Diabetes Association® (Association) today announced 31 new companies as Health Champions as part of its Wellness Lives Here℠ initiative. This brings the total number of Health Champions nationwide to 191 companies and organizations in 455 locations. Health Champions are entities that have implemented wellness programs in the workplace and are committed to improving employee health.
The Wellness Lives Here initiative focuses on employee and community wellness by working with organizations to inspire and fuel healthful habits at work and beyond. The new Health Champion designees – ranging from health systems and manufacturers to a state university and public transit authority – have implemented cultures of wellness in their workplaces that provide healthier food choices, promote group participation in physical activities, and encourage healthy habits.
"For many Americans, the majority of our days are spent working sedentary jobs, so it's more important than ever for our workplaces to encourage healthful habits," said Alicia McAuliffe-Fogarty, PhD, CPsychol, vice president of lifestyle management for the American Diabetes Association. "Our Wellness Lives Here initiative is designed to provide employers across the country with a roadmap for promoting heathy habits, and we are pleased to see so many employers working to earn a Health Champion Designation."
The criteria for becoming a Health Champion include the promotion of nutrition and weight management, physical activity and organizational well-being. The Association promotes Wellness Lives Here year-round with health activation days dedicated to physical activity, healthy meals and diabetes risk awareness.
Teaming up with the American Diabetes Association, Sun Life Financial is the exclusive national sponsor* of Wellness Lives Here. Sun Life is also a Health Champion, encouraging employee health and wellness through seminars, on-site fitness classes, active walking/cycling groups, and an annual Global Wellness Challenge, which in 2016 had over 3,700 participants.
"We welcome the new Health Champions and applaud them for taking steps to help their teams adopt healthy habits," said Dan Fishbein, President of Sun Life Financial U.S. "Supporting programs like Wellness Lives Here and encouraging other companies to embrace health and wellness in the workplace is a natural fit for our employee benefits business and our commitment to the prevention of diabetes and its related complications-harmful effects of diabetes such as damage to the eyes, heart, blood vessels, nervous system, teeth and gums, feet and skin, or kidneys. Studies show that keeping blood glucose, blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels close to normal can help prevent or delay these problems."
The Health Champion designees named today include:
- Astra Zeneca
- Bayhealth Medical Center
- Beebe Healthcare
- Black & Veatch Corporation
- ConServe
- DeKalb Medical
- Delaware State University
- District of Columbia Department of Health
- FCCI Insurance Group
- Henriott Group
- HospiceCare
- Humana Inc.
- INETICO
- MillerCoors
- National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC)
- ONEOK, Inc.
- PDC
- PeoplesChoice Credit Union
- PRA Group
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center
- Sacramento Native Center
- Salem Health
- Sentara Healthcare
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
- Steward Health Care Network – Dedham
- Sutton Senior Center
- SMP
- TriHealth
- Walsh Duffield Companies, Inc.
- Western Reserve Hospital
- Volvo Trucks North America
To learn more about the Association's Wellness Lives Here initiative and how your organization can apply to have a Health Champion Designation, please visit wellnessliveshere.org. A complete list of the Health Champion designees can be found at diabetes.org/healthchampions.