National Business Group on Health Honors 66 U.S. Employers With Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles Awards

For more information contact:
Ed Emerman
eemerman@eaglepr.com
609-275-5162

WASHINGTON, DC, June 14, 2010 -- A record number of U.S. employers were honored today by the National Business Group on Health for their continuing commitment to promoting healthy work environments and encouraging workers to choose healthier lifestyles. A total of 66 large employers, including 13 first-time winners, were presented with "2010 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles" awards at the Business Group's Institute on Innovation in Workforce Well-being Leadership Summit held in Washington, DC.

"Employers all across the nation are recognizing just how important a healthy workplace and a healthy workforce are to improving productivity as well as controlling health care costs," said Helen Darling, President of the National Business Group on Health. "The 66 employers that we are recognizing this year exemplify the kind of innovation and commitment that's possible to providing lifestyle improvement programs which encourage healthier lifestyles for employees and families."

Now in its sixth year, the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards acknowledge and reward those employers that have responded to the urgent need to improve their workers' health, productivity and quality of life. The underlying goal of the program is to encourage all employers to take action.

"What is truly exciting this year is the creativity and innovation that so many employers are bringing to their wellness and health management programs," said LuAnn Heinen, Vice President of the National Business Group on Health, who has overseen the awards program since its inception in 2005. "We're seeing new and improved engagement strategies matched to a company or worksite culture, increased attention to corporate policy supporting healthy lifestyles and stronger alignment of benefit design and incentives with health improvement targets. Important trends include family and community involvement, improved metrics to assess program performance and efforts to engage less accessible or decentralized employees."

Winners of the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards were honored in one of three categories: Platinum, for established workplace well-being programs with measurable success and documented outcomes; Gold, for creating cultural and environmental changes that support employees who are committed to long-term behavior changes; and Silver, for employers who have launched programs or services to promote living a healthier lifestyle.

Six employers -- Baptist Health South Florida, Mayo Clinic, Pitney Bowes Inc., Quest Diagnostics, Target, and Union Pacific -- have been honored in each year of the program.

The winners in each category are:

PLATINUM
Aetna®
Andersen Corporation
Baptist Health South Florida
Cerner Corporation
CIGNA
Intel Corporation
Mayo Clinic
Medtronic
Michelin
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
PepsiCo, Inc.
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Quest Diagnostics
Union Pacific
Unum
UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), UPMC Health Plan

GOLD
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
American Express
American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH)
ARAMARK
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Campbell Soup Company
Cardinal Health, Inc.
Cummins Inc.
CVS Caremark
Erie Insurance
General Dynamics Electric Boat
General Mills, Inc.
GlaxoSmithKline
Healthways
H. J. Heinz Company
Johnson & Johnson
Lowe's Companies, Inc.
NextEra Energy, Inc.
Paychex, Inc.
Pfizer, Inc.
Prudential Financial, Inc.
Quad/Graphics
Saint-Gobain
Sprint
State Farm Insurance Companies
Target
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.
Unilever
Verizon
Visant Corporation
WellPoint, Inc.

SILVER
Accenture
BD
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Chrysler Group LLC
Compass Group
Georgia Power Company
Meijer
Microsoft Corporation
Raytheon Company
sanofi-aventis U.S.
Texas Health Resources
Towers Watson
United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
U.S. Foodservice, Inc.
WebMD
Xcel Energy

About the National Business Group on Health
The National Business Group on Health is the nation's only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers' perspective on national health policy issues and providing practical solutions to its members' most important health care problems. The Business Group helps drive today's health agenda while promoting ideas for controlling health care costs, improving patient safety and quality of care and sharing best practices in health benefits management with senior benefits, HR professionals, and medical directors from leading corporations. Business Group members, which include 63 Fortune 100 companies, provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. For more information, visit www.businessgrouphealth.org.