Mayo Clinic Named One of Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The National Business Group on Health, a nonprofit organization of large employers, today honored Mayo Clinic for its commitment and dedication to promoting a healthy workplace and encouraging a healthy lifestyle for its employees and families.

Mayo Clinic was among 52 employers that received the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles award at the Leadership Summit sponsored by the National Business Group on Health's Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity. Mayo Clinic received a Gold Award for its LiveWell program. This is the fourth year Mayo Clinic has received the award.

"Mayo Clinic is honored to again receive this award," says Donald Hensrud, M.D., chair of the Mayo Clinic Health Promotion Committee. "This award not only reflects the collaboration of several groups at Mayo working together to provide wellness programs for our employees, it also reflects the commitment our employees have made to engaging in those activities to live a healthier lifestyle."

The Mayo Clinic health promotion program, LiveWell, helps employees achieve the best quality of life possible by promoting health and wellness resources available to employees. By coordinating existing resources within the LiveWell infrastructure, employees can access programs directly related to their individual health situation. LiveWell resources work together to focus on healthy lifestyle choices and help employees connect with the appropriate programs, tools and support. These include on-site resources and programs at Mayo Clinic employee fitness facilities, nutrition education, employee food service, health fairs, the Employee Assistance Program, the Nicotine Dependence Center, collaboration with community health and wellness organizations, telephonic and Web-based resources, and print communications.

Now in its fourth year, the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards acknowledge and reward those employers that recognize the urgent need to improve their workers' health, productivity and quality of life. The program serves as a catalyst to encourage all employers to take action.

For organizations wishing to implement employee programs like LiveWell, Mayo Clinic Health Solutions offers a suite of programs that include the Mayo Clinic e-Health Package of online health tools and information, the Mayo Clinic Health Risk Assessment, Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth newsletter, Mayo Clinic Guide to Self-Care book, Ask Mayo Clinic nurse line, Mayo Clinic Tobacco Quitline and telephonic lifestyle coaching. Companies interested in more information about Mayo Clinic Health Solutions can call 1-(800) 430-9699 (toll-free) or visit www.mayoclinichealthsolutions.com.

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About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than 3,700 physicians, scientists and researchers, and 50,100 allied health staff work at Mayo Clinic, which has campuses in Rochester, Minn; Jacksonville, Fla; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.; and community-based providers in more than 70 locations in southern Minnesota., western Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com (www.mayoclinic.com) is available as a resource for your health stories.