Hennepin County awarded Reach for Resources, Inc. (Reach), with 2019 Wellness by Design Awards on November 7, during a ceremony at the Maple Grove Community Center. The award recognizes organizations that make employee health a priority through creative and effective wellness initiatives. The organizations demonstrate accomplishments in management support, wellness infrastructure, communication, and programming directed at improving employee health. A total of 76 organizations received awards.
Reach’s executive director, Kate Bottiger, says, “We at Reach recognize how important wellness is, not only in our personal lives, but also our professional lives. Our Wellness Committee works hard to implement meaningful, educational, and even fun initiatives into our office culture.” Some of the ideas the committee has put into action are Lunch and Learn sessions, sit-stand desks, a weekly half-hour game break, Water Wednesdays (with fruit, cucumbers, etc. available to add to water), Wellness Bingo, potluck socials, a walking group, and more.
Hennepin County supports the value of worksite wellness to both the employee and employer. Programs can improve employee performance, increase engagement, lower healthcare costs, and build community. All Hennepin County Wellness by Design winners are listed at http://www.hennepin.us/publichealthpromotion.