The American Heart Association recognized Twin Cities Hospital Tuesday, June 10, 2014, as the most recent employer in Okaloosa and Walton Counties to achieve Fit-Friendly status. Designed to be a catalyst for positive change in American business, the Fit-Friendly Companies Recognition Program identifies employers who champion the health of their employees by creating physical activity programs within the workplace.
Twin Cities Hospital proudly joins CHELCO, Gulf Power, Okaloosa County, and North Okaloosa Medical Center as an American Heart Association Fit-Friendly Company. The Fit-Friendly Companies Program is helping improve the health of Americans by focusing on activities that are convenient, easy, and free.
Companies may earn Fit-Friendly recognition by implementing physical activity practices such as providing walking routes, promoting walking programs, online newsletters, tracking tools to motivate employees, and allowing staff to wear athletic shoes in the workplace on designated “sneaker days”. Studies suggest implementing a worksite physical activity program and promoting a culture of activity will help companies increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, lower turnover, and reduce healthcare costs.
Currently, American employers face increasing healthcare expenses and health-related losses in productivity that cost an estimated $225.8 billion a year. Many American adults spend most of their waking hours at sedentary jobs; their lack of physical activity raises their risk for a host of medical problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. The Fit-Friendly Companies Recognition Program helps change corporate cultures by motivating employees to start walking, which has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity.
Fit-Friendly Companies qualify for official recognition by the American Heart Association and are listed on the program’s national website as well as other promotional materials. Participating companies also get free access to program resources such as the free walking program, materials to help promote company wellness programs to employees, internal newsletter templates, and consultation on CPR/AED (automated external defibrillator) programs.
