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CentraState Again Recognized as an American Heart Association Fit-Friendly Worksite
Worksites take steps to decrease healthcare expenses, increase productivity
FREEHOLD – CentraState Medical Center for the second year-in-a-row has been recognized as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association (AHA) for helping employees eat better and move more.
“Physical activity and employee wellness are important priorities at CentraState. We are honored and excited to be recognized by the American Heart Association as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite,” said Tracey Saliski, coordinator, Wellness Program, CentraState Healthcare System. “CentraState is committed to providing the best workplace environment possible. We believe that having healthy employees is essential to providing quality health care to our patients. Our employee wellness program benefits our employees’ health and produces even more positive results for our worksite overall.”
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.
Created for employees it self-insures, CentraState’s employee wellness program includes health risk assessments and biometric screenings, nutrition and fitness workgroups and education seminars, a wellness coordinator and personalized wellness plans. The goal is to help employees identify health risk factors while providing supportive wellness activities to help reduce those risk factors. Over the course of 10 years, CentraState has developed a comprehensive wellness program that not only has improved the physical and mental well-being of its employees, but also has helped the organization contain costs. In an economic environment where many nationwide employers have experienced double-digit percentage increases in health insurance costs, CentraState has contained health care expenses at a rate lower than the national trend over the past five years. CentraState’s wellness program has allowed for reinvestment of these savings into other programs that benefit its employees, including facility improvements, wage increases and education advancement opportunities. The wellness program has become ingrained in the hospital’s culture and strategic efforts.
The American Heart Association’s Fit-Friendly Worksites program is a catalyst for positive change in the American workforce by helping worksites make their employees’ health and wellness a priority. The AHA is working to change corporate cultures by motivating employees to start walking, which has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity. For more information about the Fit-Friendly Worksites program and how it is helping to improve the health of Americans by focusing on an activity that is convenient, free and easy, visit startwalkingnow.org.
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About CentraState
CentraState Healthcare System is a nonprofit community health organization consisting of an acute-care hospital, a health and wellness campus, three senior living communities, a Family Medicine Residency Program, and a charitable foundation. CentraState’s teaching program is sponsored by Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Our mission drives everything we do. To improve the lives of all Americans, we provide public health education in a variety of ways. 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.
CentraState Healthcare System
901 West Main Street | Freehold, New Jersey 07728 | 732-431-2000