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South County Health has been recognized with the 2019 Gold Level Health Impact Award by the American Heart Association for creating a culture of health in the workplace. South County Health will be recognized along with other national Gold and Silver Health Impact Award recipients in the November issue of Forbes Magazine.
The Workplace Health Achievement Index was created by the American Heart Association to evaluate the overall quality and comprehensiveness of workplace health programs.
Studies show that worksites with a culture of health with evidence-based policies and programs and senior leadership support are more likely to have engaged employees and a healthier, more productive workforce.
A unique feature of the Index is that it calculates an average heart health score for employees of participating companies that securely submit aggregate health data. Companies receive benchmarking reports, which allow them to identify potential areas of improvement so that they can advance their annual performance and recognition.
The American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index measures the extent to which the company has implemented workplace health best practices. Companies recognized at the Gold level have achieved an Index score of 175 - 217 out of a maximum 217 points.
The Index is a web-based portal that fuses health content, personal health data and consumer engagement opportunities that evaluate the overall quality and comprehensiveness of workplace health programs.
“The American Heart Association has defined best practices for employers to use to build a culture of health for their employees in the workplace,” said Aaron Robinson, President and CEO of South County Health. “South County Health has a long-standing commitment to employee health and wellness, which is reflected by this 2019 Gold Level Health Impact Award.”
The Index also integrates Life’s Simple 7®,the American Heart Association’s definition of ideal cardiovascular health based on seven risk factors, into the scoring process. Life’s Simple 7® includes smoking status, physical activity, weight, diet, blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure. South County Health has a number of programs and initiatives to improve employee health, many of which abide by Life’s Simple 7. Among those are a tobacco free policy on campus, the availability of healthier food and beverage choices, free use of the hospital gym, yoga and other group exercise classes, smoking cessation programs, and health counseling for blood pressure, cholesterol, and other important indicators.
The Index was created in 2016 by the Association’s CEO Roundtable—a leadership collaborative that has grown to more than 45 members who collectively represent more than 10 million employees and their family members—to implement evidence-based approaches to workplace health, empowering employees and building stronger corporate cultures.
“Improving employee health starts with measuring the evidence which can be achieved through the Workplace Health Achievement Index,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. “The workplace is where people spend most of their time and we are committed to collaborate with companies to build a culture of health at work and in communities.”