Tufts Health Plan Honored for Worksite Wellness

WATERTOWN, Mass., May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tufts Health Plan recently received the prestigious honor of being recognized for its Worksite Wellness initiatives by the Boston Business Journal. As a finalist in the Boston Business Journal's listing of "HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS®," the non profit company was recognized as an organization that is deeply committed to improving the health of its employees and its workplace.  Tufts Health Plan was selected as one of five in its category for engaging a substantial percentage of employees in its programs.  

Tufts Health Plan provides a comprehensive wellness program for its nearly 1,700 employees.  More than 500 employees utilize a state of the art 12,000 ft. fitness center at its Watertown headquarters. They also host a variety of wellness programs such as group exercise, walking and weight loss competitions, team sports and more—all designed to improve employee health and increase satisfaction and productivity.   In addition, health club memberships are subsidized and smoking has been banned from its property.  Healthy food choices are also readily available in both the cafeteria and at vending machines.  

According to Dena Miller, vice president, health and wellness management, wellness and prevention are front and center at Tufts Health Plan.  "We're known as the health insurer that does the most to keep you healthy. That's why it's important that we start at home—with our own employees. We are committed to offering our employees the same wellness programs that we offer to our employer customers.  And just as we've demonstrated with our own workforce, we can help our employers create a custom worksite wellness program to meet their company's needs."

Eastern Bank, a long time Tufts Health Plan client was also named a finalist in the large company HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS® category.   Tufts Health Plan is in partnership with Eastern Bank who uses some of its wellness offerings. 

"HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS® is an innovative awards program created to recognize those companies that proactively enhance the health of their employees. These companies have made commitments to improve the health of their workplaces ... and their bottom lines," Business Journal Publisher Christopher McIntosh said.

The HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS® assessment, conducted by Indianapolis-based Healthiest Employer LLC, comprises six key categories: culture and leadership commitment; foundational components; strategic planning; communications and marketing; programming and interventions; and reporting and analysis.  "This esteemed honor captures the spirit of what we are all about as a company and what we want to contribute to our members and the community at large – creating an environment that encourages and supports healthy lifestyle choices,"  says Rebecca Levanduski, Director of Marketing at Tufts Health Plan.  

About Tufts Health Plan

Headquartered in Massachusetts, with membership in that state and Rhode Island, Tufts Health Plan, a nonprofit organization, is nationally recognized for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage to its members.  The plan supports its members and employers with an array of physician-led health management programs that use evidence-based medicine to design coverage that supports proven approaches to providing care and improving quality.  Tufts Health Plan's HMO and POS are ranked second in the nation, and its Medicare Advantage program is ranked seventh in the nation, by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).  Since 1999, those products also achieved Excellent accreditation status from NCQA, the highest possible achievement for consumer protection, quality improvement and clinical effectiveness. For more information please visit: http://www.tuftshealthplan.com/  

HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS is a registered trademark of Healthiest Employer LLC and is used with permission.

SOURCE Tufts Health Plan