Mountain View, CA, August 13, 2015 – El Camino Hospital has been recognized as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association for helping employees eat better and move more. Additionally, El Camino Hospital is one of 36 worksites in the country to be awarded the Worksite Innovation award for spring 2015.
“As a healthcare provider, physical activity and employee wellness are important priorities at El Camino Hospital. We are honored and excited to be recognized by the American Heart Association as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite and winner of a Worksite Innovation Award,” said Kathryn Fisk, chief human resources offer of El Camino Hospital. “These recognitions validate the work we have done to create a healthy workplace environment.”
Platinum-level employers implement criteria outlined by the American Heart Association in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and culture, offer physical activity options in the workplace, increase healthy eating options at the worksite, promote a wellness culture, and demonstrate measurable outcomes related to workplace wellness. Over the past year, El Camino Hospital's Employee Wellness & Health Services Department mapped out an Art and Glass Walking Path that combines artwork with a guided walking route to provide an opportunity to benefit from both. The hospital also joined a Partnership for a Healthier America’s Hospital Healthier Food Initiative and is committed to increasing healthy food options available at the hospital.
In addition to achieving the Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite designation, El Camino Hospital was awarded a Worksite Innovation Award for its roving massage therapy program. Massage therapists move throughout the hospital at different times a day to offer five minute neck and shoulder massages to employees in their work areas. The roving massage therapy program helps employees feel less stressed and more productive, relaxed and appreciated.
The Fit-Friendly Worksite program is a catalyst for positive change in the American workforce by helping employers make the health and well-being of their employees a priority.
American employers are losing an estimated $225.8 billion a year because of healthcare expenses and health-related losses in productivity, and those numbers are rising. Many American adults spend most of their waking hours at sedentary jobs. This lack of regular physical activity raises their risk for a host of medical problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Employers face $12.7 billion in annual medical expenses due to obesity alone. The American Heart Association is working to change corporate cultures by motivating employees to start walking, which has the highest participation rate of any physical activity.
For more information about the Fit-Friendly Worksites program and how it’s helping to improve the health of Americans, call 408-606-5940 or visit heart.org/worksitewellness.
About American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Our mission drives everything we do. To improve the lives of all Americans, we provide public health education in a variety of ways. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or join us, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or any of our office around the country, or visit heart.org.
About El Camino Hospital
El Camino Hospital is an acute-care, 443-bed, nonprofit and locally governed organization with campuses in Mountain View and Los Gatos, Calif. Key medical specialties include cancer, heart and vascular, men’s health, mental health, neuroscience, orthopedic and spine, senior health, urology, and the first Women's Hospital in Northern California. The hospital is recognized as a national leader in the use of health information technology and wireless communications, and has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center as well as three consecutive ANCC Magnet Recognitions for Nursing Care.
