City of Bloomington Receives Gold Level Recognition as a Fit-Friendly Company

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 18, 2015

For more information, please contact:

Alison Miller, Health and Wellness Coordinator, City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, 812.349.3700

Mick Renneisen, Director, City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, 812.349.3700

City of Bloomington Receives Gold Level Recognition as a Fit-Friendly Company

Bloomington, Ind. - The City of Bloomington was recently recognized as a Gold Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association (AHA). The award comes as a part of the AHA's initiative, My Heart. My Life. The designation was received in April 2015.

Fit-Friendly Worksites are employers who prioritize their employees' health and wellness. For Gold Level status, the City of Bloomington needed to fulfill a certain number of the AHA's objectives in categories, such as physical activity, nutrition and wellness culture. Examples of policies that would comply with criteria in these categories include offering employees physical activity support, increasing healthy eating options at the worksite, and promoting a wellness culture.

The City of Bloomington has various programs aimed at employee wellness. Monthly newsletters, containing healthy recipes, employee biographies and a featured monthly exercise, are distributed to employees by the Health and Wellness Coordinator, Alison Miller. Through the AHA's Start Walking Now initiative, the City holds an annual "race" to places around the world to get employees active. This year, City departments are competing to see which will walk the 3,804 miles to Anchorage, Alaska, first. Last year, departments "walked" to Bloomington's Sister City of Posoltega, Nicaragua. Also, the City hosts an annual Health and Wellness Fair, along with other events, and maintains a Be Active Committee to ensure that health and wellness programs are continually created and updated.

"We want to make sure our employees understand the importance of maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle, and we would like to help them make everyday choices that will help them lead better and longer lives," said Alison Miller. "Our Be Active Committee works to ensure our employees know simple, yet effective ways to improve their wellbeing."

Fit-Friendly Worksite nominations must be applied for and renewed each year. This year marks the second time that the City of Bloomington has been recognized for its achievements in employee health and wellness. The last time the City received the award was 2010.

"The Parks and Recreation Department is proud to be the community champion for encouraging healthy lifestyles," said Mick Renneisen, Parks and Recreation Director. "We also provide a wide variety of wellness activities for city staff. We believe the results include a healthy and more productive workforce."

For more information about the AHA and its programs on health and wellness, visit [http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/]. For more information about the City of Bloomington's health and wellness initiatives, contact Health and Wellness Coordinator Alison Miller at 812.349.3700.

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