National Business Group on Health Honors Baptist Health With ‘Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles Award’

Baptist Health receives Platinum recognition for 10th consecutive year.

The National Business Group on Health, a Washington, D.C.-based, nonprofit association of large U.S. employers, today honored Baptist Health South Florida for its ongoing commitment and dedication to promoting a healthy work environment and encouraging its workers and their families to maintain healthy lifestyles.

Baptist Health was among 63 U.S. employers receiving the 2014 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles award at the Leadership Summit sponsored by the Institute on Innovation in Workforce Well-being, a program of the National Business Group on Health. Baptist Health received a Platinum Award for its Wellness Advantage program, which helps employees achieve their personal health goals through such initiatives as free employee clinics and fitness centers, healthy menus and vending selections, innovative disease management, best-practice workers’ compensation management, safe patient handling and return-to-work programs.

“This honor reflects our organization’s unwavering commitment to our people,” said Thinh H. Tran, M.D., corporate vice president and chief medical and quality officer for Baptist Health. “We believe wellness is the key to every success Baptist Health enjoys – whether it’s the ability to care for our patients, to balance our personal and professional lives or to focus on our mission to improve the health and well-being of individuals in the communities we serve.”

Now in its 10th year, the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards recognizes those employers that have responded to the urgent need to improve their employees’ health, productivity and quality of life. Baptist Health is the only organization to have received the Platinum Award for 10 consecutive years.

Baptist Health also received a special award, Best Program for Diverse Populations, based on the success of its My Unlimited Potential (MyUP) program, implemented to reduce the incidence of chronic disease in Baptist Health’s ethnically and racially diverse employee population. MyUP participants show a significant improvement in risk factors — weight loss, reductions in A1C (blood glucose) levels, body fat percent, blood pressure, lipid levels and improved overall physical fitness.

Maribeth Rouseff, Baptist Health’s assistant vice president for Employee Health Services and Wellness Advantage, said, “By targeting our employees who are at risk of chronic illness and offering consistent, caring support, we improve their quality of life and enhance their value as part of our workforce.”

Brian Marcotte, president and CEO of the National Business Group on Health, said, “Baptist Health is among an elite group of organizations that are leading the way to promote healthy workplaces and lifestyles. Baptist Health and its management team should be proud of their efforts and we congratulate them on receiving this award.”

About Baptist Health South Florida
Baptist Health is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with seven hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital) and more than 30 outpatient and urgent care facilities spanning three counties. The not-for-profit, faith-based Baptist Health has more than 15,000 employees and 2,200 affiliated physicians, and also includes Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Outpatient Services and internationally renowned centers of excellence. Baptist Health Foundation, the organization’s fundraising arm, supports services at all hospitals and facilities. Baptist Health was just listed by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America (#19 in the nation and #1 in Florida) and has remained on the list for 14 years. It was also recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the third year in a row by the Ethisphere Institute.

About the National Business Group on Health
The National Business Group on Health is the nation’s only nonprofit membership organization of large employers devoted exclusively to finding innovative and forward-thinking solutions to their most important healthcare and related benefits issues and to being the voice for large employers on national healthcare issues. The Business Group, whose 392 members include 69 of the Fortune 100, identifies, develops and shares best practices in health benefits, disability, health and productivity, related paid time off and work/life balance issues. Business Group members provide health coverage for more than 55 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. Visit BusinessGroupHealth.org.

Contact: Kathy Barbour, 786-596-6534