Governor Douglas presented the Worksite Wellness Awards with Awards Chair Evelyn Sikorski and Council Chair Richard Lewis.

JAMES H. DOUGLAS
GOVERNOR

State of Vermont
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

For Immediate Release:
May 19, 2005

For More Information, Contact:
Janet Franz, Public Relations Chair,
wordsmithproductions@earthlink.net,
(802) 985-9929, (802) 238-8182

Governor Honors Vermont Businesses That Promote Employee Health

Montpelier - Governor James Douglas and the Vermont Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports will give Worksite Wellness Awards to a record 31 businesses and institutions on Thursday, May 19 at the State House. A formal ceremony will take place from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in the Representatives' Hall.

For the past 11 years, these annual awards have honored small and large worksites that support access to physical activity and help build a healthy Vermont workforce. The awards encourage the private sector to develop programs for promotion of personal health and physical fitness by recognizing employers and worksites that make outstanding contributions in these areas. Successful worksites provide knowledge, skills and strategies for employees to build better health on and off the job. Employers reap the benefits of these efforts in lower health care costs, greater productivity, stronger employee retention, better hiring pools and less absenteeism.

	Council member Lisa Marie Donahue and Governor Douglas pause for a pose while Public Relations chair Janet Franz chats with guests.

Companies receiving awards range in effort from just beginning worksite wellness programs to those that have offered physical fitness activities as an employee benefit for many years. Bronze, silver and gold awards are categorized by company size.

The Vermont Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, a physical activity promotion and advocacy group created by state legislation in 1982, persuade Vermont citizens to get involved in better health through exercise and sports. The council's approximately 20 members are appointed by the Governor and represent a broad spectrum of Vermonters.

The honored companies and employees expected to accept the awards on the companies' behalf are:

Gold Awards

For the small business (0-150 Employees category:

Northfield Savings Bank.
To Receive the Award is Timothy Barre, Recreational and Health Committee, and Jessica Worn.
An independent bank since 1867, Northfield Savings Bank sponsors an Exercise Program Challenge that has progressed to a year-long incentive program for employee fitness. Employees receive points for participation in physical activities, on the average of about 1 point per 20 minutes of physical activity. Participation in 2004 was near 25% of total employees (about 37 people), with the average points received 651.03 points per person. This calculates into physical activity of 614.86 hours per month overall, or 18 hours per month per employee) Monthly exercise program results are posted on-line and in break room lounges. Accumulated points may be redeemed for prizes.

For the medium business (150-500 Employee) category:

Engelberth Construction, Inc.
To receive the award is Tom Clavelle, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Headquartered in Colchester with operations throughout Vermont and New Hampshire, Engelberth's greatest strength is its workforce of 260 people, and management believes that keeping employees healthy is important in the construction business. Engelberth contracted with Fletcher Allen Wellness to visit its worksites biannually employee health screenings for blood pressure, body mass index and cholesterol and to receive tobacco cessation counseling. 86% of employees participate in the screenings and many have changed lifestyles during the past year as a result: 6 field workers quit using tobacco, 10 employees lowered their cholesterol, 5 now have their blood pressure within goal, 9 coworkers have lost enough weight to change their body mass index, and 3 new cases of hypertension and 2 previously unknown incidents of high cholesterol levels were identified and referred to a primary care provider for follow up. Since starting the program 3 years ago, Engelberth employees lost more than 610 pounds altogether.

Community Care Network.
To receive the award is Larry Ballou, Director of Human Resources.
Rutland Mental Health Services/ Community Care Network (CCN), which offers an array of health services, launched an employee wellness program 8 years ago. One initiative, Wellbeing, rewards employees for participating in physical fitness activities. About 60 employees each year receive up to $5,000 in gift certificates through the program. Employees are also invited to attend onsite strength training, yoga and meditation classes. CCN developed a healthy food policy for company-sponsored events and onsite vending machines were revamped with healthier selections.

For the large business (500+) category:

Central Vermont Public Service, Inc.
To receive the award is Joan Gamble, Vice President of Strategic Change and Business Services.
Located in Rutland, CVPS provides energy and energy-related products throughout Vermont. The company encourages employees to participate in a fitness walking program in which teams, individuals and families strive to walk the length of the power lines, 7833 miles. The program stretches beyond walking, with educational programs, a nurse help line, newsletter and educational emails. The company models excellent behavior from the top: The CEO publicly stated a personal goal of being in the top 10 percent in a variety of health measures for a person his age, and he has achieved those goals; the CFO and her staff have become well-known for walking to meetings and during lunch time.

	Vermont business leaders await the Governor's announcement.

Northwestern Medical Center, Inc.
To receive the award is Pam Cross, Community Wellness Manager, and Cindy Rutkowski, Community Wellness Assistant.
Working hand-in-hand with its St. Albans neighbors, Northwestern Medical Center helps make their region a healthy place. The hospital's health and wellness programs are state-of-the-art and reach more than 50% of its employee population as well as members of the surrounding community. Through a successful program called CHIP (Cardiovascular Health Improvement Program), 310 NMC employees (54% of the workforce) now actively work to improve their own health. CHIP helps identify a person's risk for cardiovascular disease, provides counseling for behavior change, assists the employee to develop a written plan with outcome measurement and provides referrals and on-going follow up. Hospital data show 88% of CHIP enrollees make at least one positive behavior change to decrease their risk for cardiovascular disease between their first CHIP appointment and their follow-up.

Silver Awards

For the small business (0-150 Employees) category:

Rock Tenn Company: Missisquoi Mill.
To receive the award is Chris Ham-Ellis, Vice President and General Manager, and Kevin Scheffler, Human Resources Manager.
One of North America's leading manufacturers of packaging products, merchandising displays and recycled paperboard, this Sheldon based company has a long-standing commitment to employee wellness. Its most successful initiative is a Cardiac Health Improvement Program, which offers employees and spouses one-on-one contact with a Registered Nurse to discuss the employee's health and set realistic goals. In addition, employees receive wellness points for participation in exercise, tobacco cessation, maternity screening, wellness education, and weight control programs. Points are converted to a cash bonus. The annual Wellness Account checks earned by employees are significant and are eagerly anticipated.

For the medium business (150-500 Employees) category:

Copley Health Systems.
To receive the award is Warren West, Chief Executive Officer.
The mission of Copley Health Systems in Morrisville is to help meet community health, wellness and prevention needs through increased philanthropy and community involvement. Highlights of Copley's health and wellness programs include hosting a community walk, and an employee-maintained Wellness Garden and Healthy Harvest Vegetable Table to share their crop and provide produce from local farmers free to all Copley Hospital employees.

Middlebury College
Middlebury College implemented a Middlebury Get Moving program in which teams of employees were encouraged to walk together, setting a distance or time target. More than 75 employees on 25 teams become involved, and several of these teams have continued to walk together. The college also implemented a daily morning stretch program, for which all participating employees are paid. Twice yearly, the college conducts a Healthy Cooking and Eating program, open to employees, where College chefs create and demonstrate how to make healthy, delicious, easy meals for employees to sample. Employees are also offered reduced rate massage therapy, Hatha yoga and deep relaxation classes.

For the large business (500+ Employees) category:

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.
To receive the award is John McNamara and Beth Jones, Human Resources Compliance Specialist.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters offers employees the Weight Watchers at Work program in which more than 20 employees have participated since the beginning of 2003. To date, the collective weight loss is 2,184 pounds. The company brings many other programs on site, which are free to employees and their families, such as BP/Cholesterol screenings, physical therapy, smoking cessation, meditation, Franklin Covey Getting Things Done, Defensive Driving and Identity Theft workshops. Each GMCR employee has a $400 per year Wellness reimbursement benefit that can be used for things such as joining a health club or Weight Watchers.

	Governor Douglas addresses award recipients while Burt Wilcke, Awards co-chair, listens.

Omya Industries, Inc.
To receive the award is Terri Ballou, Benefits Manager.
Omya Industries, located in Florence, is one of seven Omya production plants in the US that manufactures products for the paint, plastics and paper industries. The launch of their pedometer-walking program as a pilot program at the Vermont site has been very successful with great participation, including senior management. The company's most successful wellness initiative during the past year is a health risk assessment survey at our Vermont location. The 132 employees who participated received a personal health profile that identified their health risk factors. Several employees sought medical attention after the HRAs identified potential medical issues. One employee was told by his doctor that, if he had waited one more week to come in, he could have died from heart complications. Several other employees were able to identify certain cancers by these screenings, but caught them early enough to seek treatment and avoid further complications. The money that was saved in avoiding surgeries and the peace of mind it brought for employees was well worth the cost and effort of doing the HRAs.

Bronze Awards

For the small business (1-150 Employees:

The Bozen Wellness Center at Green Mountain College.
To accept the award is Renee Beaupre White, Director of Career Services.
In 2002, Green Mountain College launched their "Wellness Initiative" serving both students and employees. The goal is to encourage employees to serve as role models for students by embracing healthy lifestyles. "Wellness Initiative" programming offers free Yoga classes, brown bag discussion groups focusing on health and wellness topics, power walking, employee free swim time and kickboxing classes scheduled right after work. The college provides massage therapy and acupuncture onsite with a significant employee discount and an array of services to help employees quit smoking. Many supervisors offer flex time for their employees so that they may participate in these activities. Nearly one third of employees take part in at least one wellness initiative.

For the medium business (150-500 Employees) category:

Mylan Technologies, Inc.
Located in St. Albans, Mylan provide components to the wound care and transdermal drug industries. All 330 employees have the luxury of participating in a model health management and wellness program. 25% of the employees engage in lifestyle change programs each year, including weight loss, blood pressure management, cholesterol reduction, and smoking cessation and fitness initiatives. Efforts are supported through home mailings, self-care training, and newsletters. The wellness program is fully integrated with wellness benefit incentives and evaluations.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont.
To accept the award is Connie Peck, Director of Human Resources.
Employees of Blue Cross/Blue Shield are encouraged to take charge of their personal health through an incentive program, "Strive!", that rewards them for getting routine physicals and dental checkups, not smoking and achieving wellness goals. "Strive!" participants receive up to $200 off their health insurance. The company also offers monthly "Lunch 'n Learns" on wellness topics, such as breast cancer, stress reduction, seasonal affective disorder, etc. Employees may take an extended lunch to participate in these programs, and lunch is free.

For the large business (500+ Employees) category:

The University of Vermont, Lifetime Wellness: Faculty & Staff Health Promotion Program.
To accept the award is Emina Burak, Wellness Coordinator.
The University of Vermont commitment to excellence is extended to the university's broad employee population. 250 employees have received health screenings, 150 have completed a Health Risk Appraisal, 200 have completed a 4-week goal setting workshop, and 240 have taken a disease management workshop. More than 150 employees participate in the Get Moving UVM walking program.

The Vermont Country Store.
To accept the award is William Shouldice IV, President and CEO.
Vermont Country Store's president stated his goal is 'to have one of the healthiest staffs in the state'. To this end, VCS adopted an integrated approach to wellness through its health insurance plan and onsite fitness program, the VCS Challenge. The Challenge goal for 2005 is to reduce the overall blood pressure and cholesterol level of VCS employees. Participants receive a VCS pedometer and tracking form, free blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, a personal health consultation and free healthy snacks.

Governor's Rising Star Awards:

For the small business (0-150 Employees) category:

Downtown Rutland Partnership, Inc.
To accept the award is Tammy English, Office Coordinator.
The Downtown Rutland Partnership employs only four people but their commitment to wellness would support many. The employees view health promotion as a way of keeping energy high so they can do their jobs to the best of their ability. The group of four participates in Weight Watchers and walks 3 miles at least 3 times a week. They have lost a total of 50 pounds. They believe that being healthy and mentally fit will help energize their membership to create a lively downtown.

Vermont Housing Finance Agency.
To accept the award is Sarah Carpenter, Executive Director.
VHFA's employees support each other's efforts to live a healthy lifestyle knowing that the workplace will be more productive and efficient. One-quarter of VHFA's forty employees participated in a competitive walking program last fall, covering well over a million steps in six weeks. One member of Executive Management placed second in the Walking Works program and frequently exercises during lunchtime, and another has over the past year lost 30 pound through dietary changes. Some employees use the boardroom for noon-time exercise classes with a video. VHFA offers a free, fully paid Health Awareness Day with seminars from Rolfing and Pilates to aromatherapy and chair massages. Employees receive educational material from various health agencies and visiting nurses check cholesterol and blood pressure.

The Town of Colchester.
The town recognizes that the safety and health of its 100 employees are very important. All employees are supported and encouraged to take part in many wellness initiatives provided by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. The Town provides discount memberships to local health clubs. The Town Manager leads by example: He works out at a local health club daily and has lost 30lbs within one year by aerobic exercise.

For the medium business (150-500 Employees) category:

Vermont Mutual Insurance Group.
Vermont Mutual Insurance Group, charted in 1828, is one of the seven oldest mutual insurance companies in the country, but it sports a modern philosophy to wellness. The company offers employees discounts to fitness facilities, gives employees information about making smart health decision, pays the cost for employees who participate in Weight Watchers at Work, pays up to $50 for smoking cessation programs and provides incentives to participate in Wellness Week and Spring Into Motion.

Castleton State College.
To accept the award is Lyn Sawyer, Director of Human Resources.
Though Castleton State College is somewhat new to wellness, it cares for employees with a variety of fitness and nutrition programs. The college offers fee matching for Weight Watchers at Work and hosts a fitness walking program. The Director of Human Resources is actively involved in both and lost 30 pounds via Weight Watchers and walking. Employees and students are entitled to use the college's new fitness center, pool and athletic facilities free-of-charge, and employees are encouraged to use their breaks to engage in physical activity at these facilities or on their own.

Champlain College, Inc. To accept the award is Daphne Walker, Employee Wellness Coordinator, and Dolly Shaw, Human Resources Director.
Employee wellness has been a part of the Champlain College campus culture for many years with education courses, walking programs, massage and screenings. About 55 people participated in the "Climb Mt. Everest Walking Program," an eight-week challenge to count their steps and translate them into feet, thereby potentially reaching the summit of Mt. Everest by walking 8,000 steps a day. The College provides employees with pedometers and a record-keeping log. The Provost is a member of the walking program; the assistant provost attends on-campus yoga and strength training. A vice president attends strength training and directors of several departments attend noontime wellness workshops. Many supervisors allow employees to attend noontime wellness events that may run over the designated lunch hour allotment.

Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice.
To accept the award is Randi Cohn, Community Relations Associate.
Employees of Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice (RAVNAH) believe that prevention is crucial in keeping people healthy, and they model their values in the workplace. One of RAVNAH's recent wellness activities was Take a Hike for Health, a pedometer walking challenge. Teams were formed to complete the walking equivalent of the Long Trail. Nine teams of three completed the walking equivalent of the 265-mile Long Trail. During the 3-month walking challenge, 47 employees walked a total of 25,448,790 steps or 12,724 miles. Participants were rewarded with gift certificates. The use of pedometers increased each participant's awareness of daily activity. Several participants were "non-walkers" before the challenge began but now walk regularly, and many continue wearing pedometers to monitor their activity.

Green Mountain Power Corporation.
To accept the award is Deirdre Johnson, Human Resources.
Green Mountain Power Corporation, located in Colchester, has provided energy to Vermonters for more than a century. One of five Critical Success Factors for Green Mountain Power is to have "outstanding, motivated employees." Human Resources oversees a pro-active health/wellness and safety environment, with measurements tracked by all business units to ensure commitment. Examples of company-wide initiatives include a Personal Goal Incentive Program in which all employees decide on their own fitness goal (lose weight, exercise more, stop smoking) and how they will measure it. They notify HR of goal and when it is achieved they receive $150 reward. GMP also provides onsite evaluation, therapy and rehab programs free to all employees for any ache or injury whether work-related or not. Following an incentive based program to stop tobacco use in 2004, GMP became a completely tobacco-free work place throughout all property.

Mack Molding Co., Inc.
To accept the award is Kevin P. Dailey, Director of Human Resources.
Mack Molding is a leading custom plastics molder headquartered in Arlington, VT, with seven locations throughout the eastern United States. As a family-run business for 85 years, Mack Molding treats employees like family also. All three Vermont manufacturing facilities are equipped with onsite fitness facilities with aerobics studio, weight room, squash and racquetball courts and locker rooms with showers. Employees, their families and guests are permitted to use the facilities before work, after work, or if convenient, during their lunch break. Employees have access to an onsite occupational health nurse and an onsite nurse that helps develop and implement many wellness initiatives to support a healthy environment. The company sponsors weight loss and smoking cessation programs and all company buildings are smoke-free.

Franklin County Home Health Agency, Inc.
To accept the award is Jennifer Dusablon.
Franklin County Home Health Agency, located in St. Albans, is a full service health care facility that reaches out to its community members to provide excellent service of care. It strives to meet the needs of its clients by promoting health, independence, comfort, dignity and quality of life. Franklin County Home Health believes in "caring for the caregivers", therefore promotes employee health and well-being for all staff.

The Lane Press, Inc.
To accept the award is Bethany Cliche, Human Resources Specialist.
This 100-year-old company recently implemented a walking program that encourages employees to walk in teams of four or individually, with incentives of fitness-related prizes. The activity incorporated a learning exercise, as employees walked to different customer locations across the U.S. Twenty teams and 14 individuals participated, walking 32,474 miles between August and January. The company maintains a wellness, health and safety bulletin board with information for employees to view, and it contracts with a physical therapist to provide onside therapy and preventative check ups at no cost to employees.

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products.
A well-established corporation providing defense products for all branches of the US Department of Defense, General Dynamics have been committed to employee wellness for more than a decade. Their onsite Lakeside Wellness Center provides many fitness and injury-prevention programs, including monthly seminars on healthy lifestyles topics. Special incentive programs have included a challenge for employees to "climb to the top of Mount Everest" by exercising for at least a half an hour or more each day until they reached the "top of the mountain," thereby receiving prizes and rewards.

Rutland Regional Medical Center.
To accept the award is Tricia McKean, Administrative Leader, Human Resources.
The hospital offers onsite fitness and health programs to employees and the community at large, including tobacco cessation, "Change Your Weighs" and diabetes prevention. A par course/walking loop outside the hospital encourages employees to get out and exercise, and 145 employees participate in a Walking Club in which members take turns leading walks during lunch or work breaks. Members receive a free pedometer, walking logs, and walking tip sheets. This group also sponsors educational sessions on physical fitness topics, including strength training and incorporating exercise into the workday.

The Orvis Company.
To accept the award is Brett Ference, Chairperson Fitness Committee, and Richard Hom, Retail Planner.
Orvis is well-known for its product line that promotes the sporting tradition of outdoor life, and promoting healthy lifestyles is central to Orvis' core values. Employees have free access to an onsite, fully outfitted fitness room and outdoor trails and they may borrow exercise equipment-free-of-charge. Fly-fishing and Shooting Schools are offered to employees at a minimal fee, and yoga and Pilates classes are offered during work hours. Ninety percent of employees participate in fitness activities. The company's leaders visibly model healthy lifestyle choices: The owner and CEO regularly use the gym and running trails; the Travel department director has the longest attendance streak in the Pilates class; the VP of Human Resources provides personal training in the fitness center. Orvis recently launched an 8-week weight loss program in which 10% of the company's employees are enrolled.

IDX Industries, Inc.
To accept the award is Jennifer Gregg, Comp and Benefits Team Leader.
A company that uses information technology to maximize value in the delivery of healthcare, IDX has been just as successful reaching their thousands of employees via the Internet to help them improve their health. The IDX health promotion and wellness program educates employees via electronic and paper formats concerning personal health and the health benefits that IDX provides. Employees also receive routine health screening reminders in the mail. The reminders are mailed to employees on their birthdays and it includes age-specific health screening reminders. Over the past year IDX created a healthy workforce team to assess and evaluate the health risks and needs of their employees spread across the US. With the help of Fletcher Allen Health Care, the Healthy Workforce team laid down the foundation for an integrated health management and wellness program that will expand each year.

International Business Machines Corporation, Burlington.
To accept the award is Janette Salvatore, RN, COHN/CM.
Vermont's largest employer with over 6,000 employees is a global company that truly cares about its employees. For many years IBM has strived to be a role model for health and safety, reaching beyond traditional occupational health. The company promotes both physical and psychological fitness initiatives.