TULSA, OK – [September 15, 2014] – The Tulsa County Wellness Partnership will host a special recognition breakfast on September 16th at the Central Center in Centennial Park to honor the three winners of the recent Healthy Executive challenge.
The contest was designed to recognize the top company executives who support their company’s worksite wellness policies and programs while maintaining their own personal commitment to health and wellness. Individuals who hold the rank of an executive or in senior management (VP, COO, CFO) for a company in Tulsa County were eligible to be nominated as a Healthy Executive, whether that be a senior vice president who is an avid cyclist or a chief operating officer who packs a healthy lunch daily.
The winners of the 2014 Healthy Executive challenge are Dave Crowell, vice president of finance at Enovation Controls; Mark A. Gray, executive director for Inverness Village; and Bob Peterson, president of Melton Truck Lines. To learn more about each of the winners, please visit www.tulsa-health.org/healthyexecutive.
“A team of worksite wellness professionals in the OKC area reviewed all the applicants through blind judging and chose these three individuals,” says Jodi Smith, Oklahoma City-County Health Department Health at Work coordinator. “The areas that most stood out to us about these gentlemen were a commitment to all dimensions of wellness, personal testimonies from employees that they had influenced, and having a focus on wellness and its direct impact on insurance costs.”
Senior leadership can support employees by creating healthy cultures, improving their health and well-being while lowering healthcare costs and driving engagement. The obvious benefits such as lower healthcare costs and improved employee productivity are a great reason to encourage wellness in the workplace, as well as improve employee retention rates.
“Wellness is about doing something for your employees, not purely for productivity or financial motives. The return on investment for worksite wellness is not only clear in the literature but also as evidenced in organizations’ decreased health care costs, decreased employee turnover and absenteeism, and worker compensation costs,” said Tulsa Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart.
Oklahoma has a vision of creating healthier places to live, work, learn, and play. As a result of this vision, Certified Healthy Oklahoma Programs are challenging all Oklahomans to eat better, move more, and be tobacco free, as well as implement policies to create healthy environments throughout the state. Companies can apply to be recognized as a Certified Healthy Business at www.certifiedhealthyok.com/business.
The Healthy Executive Challenge is also sponsored by the Tulsa Health Department, the Tulsa Area Wellness Forum and Shape Your Future.
Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust
The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations working towards shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, by cultivating innovative and life-changing research, and by working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health. To learn more visit www.tset.ok.gov.
Tulsa County Wellness Partnership
The Tulsa County Wellness Partnership is a sponsored group of the Family Health Coalition and a CX grantee of the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust. TCWP is dedicated to changing policy and environments in Tulsa County to make healthy nutrition and fitness the easy choice in schools, workplaces and communities. TCWP advocates for policies and projects that promote healthy eating and active living. To learn more about local events or how to work toward a healthier school, workplace or community, please contact Daphne Gaulden at 918-595-4039 or dgaulden2@tulsa-health.org.
