COLUMBUS, Ohio, January 12, 2017 - The Healthy Ohio Business Council (HOBC) will recognize 88 Ohio employers for healthy worksite practices during the 13th annual Healthy Ohio Healthy Worksite Awards ceremony.

These awards recognize Ohio employers who demonstrate a commitment to employee wellness through comprehensive worksite health promotion and wellness programs. Applicants are scored on the extent their wellness programs facilitate and encourage employee health, enhance productivity and ensure a healthy work environment.

"Health and wellness efforts result in significant benefits for both employers and employees," David Cowden, Chair of HOBC said. "Positive returns on investment are realized for an employee who improves his or her health and the employer who realizes reductions in healthcare costs and an overall increase in produc-tivity and job satisfaction."

All worksites, large and small, public and private, for profit and nonprofit, are eligible to apply for the Healthy Worksite Award. All applications were reviewed and evaluated using objective criteria. Three levels of achievement were awarded — Gold, Silver and Bronze. Other applicants, who meet basic criteria, received a Recognition award. Increasing the number of worksites receiving awards is an objective in Ohio's Plan to Prevent and Reduce Chronic Disease: 2014-2018, an objective being led by HOBC.

The ceremony will be held at 12:30 p.m. on January 19, 2017, at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio as part of the Health Action Council 2017 Columbus Symposium. The symposium features national experts on health reform, health care systems and health benefits. The awards are sponsored by Provant, a leader in population health management strategies and customized worksite wellness services that support employee well-being and productivity and healthcare cost containment.

Below are the recipients for the 2016 Healthy Ohio Healthy Worksite Award:

Small Business: <= 300 employees (23 awards)

Gold Award: The Dupps Company; Colgate Palmolive; Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc.; Principle Business Enter-prises; Bricker & Eckler, LLP; WBC Group, LLC; LifeCare Alliance; United Way of Central Ohio; Atlantic Tool & Die Company; Henry County Hospital; City of Montgomery.
Silver Award: Certified Angus Beef; Community Action Committee of Pike County; HORAN; Technical Con-sumer Products, Inc.; Brewster Cheese.
Bronze Award: Custom Design Benefits, LLC; Excelas, LLC; City of Piqua; Portfolio Creative; Mills James; Met-als USA - Wooster; Safeware.

Medium Business: 301-1,000 employees (27 awards)

Gold Award: American Showa, Inc.; General Electric Aviation-Peebles Test Operation; Community Hospitals and Wellness Centers; Fulton County Health Center; Pickaway County Commissioners; Greater Dayton Re-gional Transit Authority; MillerCoors; Union County; IGS; City of Kettering; Methodist ElderCare; Welltower, Inc.; MRI Software, LLC; Wood County Hospital.
Silver Award: Western Reserve Hospital; City of Westerville; Equity Trust Company; MS Consultants, Inc.; City of Dublin; Ohio Public Employees Retirement System; Molina Healthcare; The Bellevue Hospital; North Star BlueScope Steel, LLC; Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center; Safe Auto Insurance Company.
Bronze Award: Magna TEAM Systems; Orthopedic One.

Large Business: 1,001+ employees (38 awards)

Gold Award: The MetroHealth System; Akron Children's Hospital; Mount Carmel Health System; Nationwide Children's Hospital; American Greetings; Battelle; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Lake Health; TriHealth; Youngstown State University; Ohio Health; Worthington Industries, Inc.
Silver Award: Mercy Medical Center; Premier Health; Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc.; GE Aviation-Evendale; Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; Montgomery County; Genesis HealthCare System; ProMedica; Signet Jewelers; Union Hospital-Dover; Westfield Group; The City of Columbus; Southern Ohio Medical Center; Summa Health; Alliance Data Card Services; Lucas County Board of Commissioners; Case Western Reserve University; Huntington National Bank; Ohio Department of Health; University of Cincinnati; Columbus City Schools; Dayton Children's Hospital; YMCA of Greater Dayton; City of Cincinnati; Fifth Third Bank.
Bronze Award: Ohio Department of Public Safety.


For more information and to register for the Health Action Council 2017 Columbus Symposium, visit www.healthactioncouncil.org.