HMHP Earns Gold for Fit-Friendly Workplaces
Youngstown, OH (PRWEB) September 10, 2013 -- The American Heart Association (AHA) has awarded Humililty of Mary Health Partners Fit-Friendly gold for 2013. The designation recognizes HMHP for creating fit-friendly worksites where employees are encouraged to be physically active and where healthy food options are available.
The award acknowledges all three HMHP health centers: St. Elizabeth in Youngstown, St. Joseph in Warren and St. Elizabeth Boardman in Boardman Township.
“Encouraging employees to be physically active by providing walking programs, designated walking routes and other fitness programs along with nutritious alternatives to snacks and lunches high in fat, salt and calories is increasingly important as American workers become more sedentary,” says Mariann Pacak, director of heart and vascular services at St. Elizabeth. “At HMHP, we’ve made a conscientious effort to help our employees achieve and maintain their optimal health by providing the tools they need to maintain healthy, active lifestyles and good, nutritious diets.”
According to the AHA, Americans spend more time at work – 47 hours a week on average – than their parents. (Workers a generation ago spent less than 44 hours a week on the job.) And, an ever-increasing number of those jobs have workers sitting behind desks. (Since 1950, the number of jobs where workers are inactive most of the day has grown 83 percent.) This contributes to the increasing rate of obesity among American adults and a rising incidence of serious health issues.
This trend is why the AHA places so much importance on encouraging employers to create healthy work environments for their employees, and recognizes those who do with Fit-Friendly designations, explains Allison Oltmann, AHA Heart Walk director for the Youngstown area, who presented the award to Pacak and Paul Filipowicz, Chest Pain Center coordinator at St. Elizabeth, during a recent meeting of HMHP managers, directors and executives.
Studies suggest that physical activity programs at work and employers who promote physical activity among their employees have work forces that become more productive, have lower rates of absenteeism, incur lower costs for health care and are less likely to switch jobs.
About Humility of Mary Health Partners:
Humility of Mary Health Partners is an integrated health system located in the Youngstown/Warren area. It is a region of Catholic Health Partners (CHP) in Cincinnati, the largest health system in Ohio and one of the largest Catholic health systems in the United States. HMHP provides a full spectrum of health care services, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency, urgent care, home care and long-term care. Members are St. Elizabeth Health Center, St. Joseph Health Center, St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center, HM Home Health Services, The Assumption Village, Humility House, Hospice of the Valley and Laurel Lake. Learn more about HMHP online at http://www.HMpartners.org.
Maraline Kubik, Humility of Mary Health Partners, http://HMpartners.org, +1 (330) 480-2258, [email protected]
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