HEALTHIEST MARYLAND BUSINESSES LOWER SHORE AWARD WINNERS

SALISBURY, MD -- On Friday, June 2, 2017, fifty-six Maryland employers were recognized as Healthiest Maryland Businesses Wellness at Work Awardees for their exemplary accomplishments in worksite health promotion. Seven of these award recipients were from the Lower Shore Region, which includes employers located in Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties:

· Atlantic General – Awarded GOLD
· Perdue-Awarded GOLD
· Worcester County Government- Awarded GOLD
· City of Salisbury- Awarded SILVER
· Lower Shore Friends- Awarded SILVER
· Taylor Bank- Awarded SILVER
· Worcester County Community on Aging- Awarded BRONZE

Howard Haft, Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, congratulated awards recipients at the 8th annual Maryland Workplace Health & Wellness Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland, noting, “In public health, we strive to improve health through community based efforts. Our worksites are one place that most Marylanders spend a majority of their day and a crucial community in which to make the healthy choice the easy choice.”

Congratulations to all of the 2017 Wellness at Work Awards recipients. The Wellness at Work Awards are sponsored by Healthiest Maryland Businesses, the State’s initiative to support healthy workplaces. Any Maryland employer who is a member of Healthiest Maryland Businesses is eligible to apply, and there is no cost to be a member. Recognition criteria are based on the CDC’s Workplace Health Model. Applicants are asked to describe activities and share examples of policies and tools developed and utilized in the four areas of assessment, planning and management, implementation, and evaluation. Employers may earn a Gold, Silver, Bronze, or On the Path award based on their activities to establish leadership support for wellness, create wellness committees, survey the needs and interests of their employees, set health improvement goals, and develop monitoring tools to track their outcomes over time. A complete list of recognized businesses and pictures from the event can be found at www.healthiestMDbusinesses.org/awardsprogram.

Launched in 2010 and based at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Healthiest Maryland Businesses helps businesses create customized wellness plans, set wellness goals, and monitor progress. Six regional coordinators around the state provide personalized guidance to businesses of all sizes. To date, over 460 businesses have signed on to take advantage of this program.