Kaiser Permanente Receives Gold "Best Employer for Healthy Lifestyles" Award From the National Business Group on Health

Healthy Workforce Initiative Recognized for Fostering Employee Wellness

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May 24, 2011, 05:53 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Business Group on Health announced today that it has awarded Kaiser Permanente a Gold Award for its employee wellness program, Healthy Workforce. The NBGH presented the Gold "Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles" award to Kaiser Permanente at a Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.

"Live Well, Be Well," the workplace-wellness program for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, also was recognized with a Gold Award from NBGH. This is the first time Kaiser Permanente's national office and the Northern California regional office have been recognized by this organization.

The NBGH is a nonprofit association of large U.S. employers that has recognized Kaiser Permanente for its commitment and dedication to promoting a culture of health. Kaiser Permanente's Healthy Workforce initiative provides a variety of motivational techniques and interactive tools to encourage employees at all levels to practice healthy habits at work and at home. The program reinforces Kaiser Permanente's commitment to support healthy behavioral and lifestyle changes for its employees and their families.

"We are very pleased to honor Kaiser Permanente for its ongoing commitment to providing lifestyle improvement programs that encourage healthier lifestyles for its employees," said Helen Darling, president and CEO of the National Business Group on Health. "Kaiser Permanente should take pride in understanding the importance of promoting and maintaining a healthy workforce. We congratulate them on receiving this award."

"We are honored to be recognized with this Gold Award from the NBGH," said Tammy Jones, vice president for Healthy Workforce, Kaiser Permanente. "Our most valuable resource is our workforce – the people who deliver high-quality, cost-effective health care to our members. We are committed to strengthening the culture of workplace health by providing all employees with the resources to lead healthy, balanced lives at work and at home."

Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions partnered to launch the Healthy Workforce program in 2010. Healthy Workforce was developed as an extension of the comprehensive health care services that Kaiser Permanente offers to more than 160,000 employees and their families. These services are delivered through Kaiser Permanente's unique integrated system -- with a strong focus on preventive services and healthy living resources. The commitment to encourage healthy lifestyles is further extended to employer groups through a Kaiser Permanente program called HealthWorks.

The NBGH recognized 48 organizations with "Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles" awards in two categories: gold for companies that created cultural and environmental changes to support employees who are committed to long-term behavior changes; and platinum winners for organizations that have established healthy weight and lifestyles programs with measurable success and documented outcomes.

"We are fortunate to have the unique capability to capture, trend and analyze clinically recorded aggregate data on metrics including BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking from our electronic medical record system," Jones said. "This will allow us to measure and demonstrate the impact of our programs on the health of our workforce over time."

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.8 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to www.kp.org/newscenter.

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente