NCMC and McKee turn gold

Staff Reports
April 11, 2008

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North Colorado Medical Center and McKee Medical Center in Loveland earned the Gold Award this year for being among the healthiest companies in the nation.

The Health and Wellness Coordinator January Windell from McKee and the Wellness Specialist Bethany Wiley from NCMC put together the information to apply for the Well Workplace Award. In 2005, NCMC was awarded the Bronze Award from the Wellness Councils of America.

The awards are distributed to those companies that have demonstrated comprehensive wellness programs that are effective, according to a release.

Some of the changes that NCMC has made since the first application to the Well Workplace Award in 2004 is the smoke free environment, said Gene Haffner, the director of public relations at NCMC

"We don't allow smoking on any of our properties," Haffner said. "That was a decision to make a healthier environment."

NCMC and McKee's wellness program is called Echo or Employee Choosing Healthy Options. The facilities hold various classes such as yoga, health risk assessments and blood screening for their employees, according to a release.

The award came after a combination of changes to the work environment such as the participation of the staff and the accessibility of the classes in the program, Haffner said.

"Our desire is to offer things that are of interest to our employees," Haffner said. "We want to minimize their participation in activities that are risks to their health."