What Makes a Company A Healthy Place to Work?

Jan. 3, 2006
HealthSpace Cleveland has selected Medical Mutual of Ohio as a winner of the Healthy 50 award, one of the fifty best companies in northern Ohio for its dedication to employee health and wellness.

"We are recognizing Medical Mutual for taking a leadership role in establishing cutting-edge solutions for improving the health and well-being of its employees," said Patricia Horvath, executive director and CEO of HealthSpace Cleveland, which is affiliated with the Health Museum of Cleveland. "Thanks to forward-thinking companies, such as Medical Mutual, northern Ohio is establishing itself as a very desirable place to work."

HealthSpace Cleveland singled out programs such as Medical Mutual's SuperWell Wellness for Life program, which encourages employee health awareness, positive health behavior changes and ongoing healthy lifetsyle choices to improve worker health and well being.

Paula Sauer, Medical Mutual's vice president of Care Management, said the program offers employees Weight Watchers, smoking cessation, fitness center access, walking for wellness program, health screenings and health education seminars.

"We have also introduced a SuperWell Nurse Line, which provides employee access to a registered nurse and health information 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week, at no out of pocket expense," said Sauer.

Medical Mutual also offers employees a Health Risk Assesment (HRA). "The HRA is comprehensive, self-adminstered, online review of past medical and family history, plus current health habits and lifestyle," said Sauer.

Sauer said a reminder program helps keep employees healthy and informed. "The primary goal of this program is to promote the importance of preventive care services and how it can impact disease prevention and early detection," she said. "At Medical Mutual, we use a dual approach, whereby employees and their primary care physician are notified of services and tests, due or overdue."

A recently renovated company cafeteria offers employees a complete Weight Watchers menu and a wider array of healthy eating choices and options. A new, state-of-the-art employee fitness center is scheduled to open in January at Medical Mutual's downtown Cleveland headquarters. A similar facility in the company's Toledo office opened in August.

"Our approach to employee health ties into the organizational mission by creating a more energetic, positive and productive workplace that ultimately leads to meaningful gains for both employee and company," said Sauer.

About the Author

Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.

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