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Memorial Hermann Earns National And Local Recognitions As One Of America's Healthiest Companies

Houston, Texas, April 11, 2003 -- The Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA), North America’s premier resource for worksite wellness, and Houston Well City, a local initiative promoting corporate health, recently honored Memorial Hermann Healthcare System with special recognitions for the System’s commitment to being one of “America’s Healthiest Companies.”

Gold Well Workplace Award

WELCOA awarded Memorial Hermann a Gold-Level Well Workplace Award for successfully building comprehensive worksite wellness initiatives and for demonstrating and documenting concrete outcomes related to behavior change, cost effectiveness and return on investment. Memorial Hermann is the first organization in Houston to receive this prestigious national award.

“Memorial Hermann’s commitment to creating environments that address social, psychological, spiritual and physical cornerstones of wellness for employees is sizable and deserving of recognition,” said David Hunnicutt, PhD, WELCOA president. “Senior-level support for wellness at the organization is outstanding and data collection efforts are comprehensive and highly focused.

“Memorial Hermann also has several ongoing intervention programs with strong financial support aimed at reducing identified health risks among employees and members of the community,” he added.

Houston Well City Level 4 Award

Houston Well City awarded Memorial Hermann a Level 4 Award for outstanding employee wellness. Houston Well City offers four levels of achievement awards; Level 4 represents an outstanding commitment to employee wellness in terms of senior management support, fund allocations, personal assessments and quality programming.

Houston Well City, the local chapter for WELCOA, was developed to improve the health and productivity of the Houston Community by encouraging employers to provide environments that foster health and enhance the quality of life. Houston Well City seeks to have a minimum of 100 Houston companies, regardless of size, designated at the WELCOA Bronze, Silver, or Gold status for their wellness efforts. Accomplishing this goal would result in the City of Houston being nationally recognized as a Well City, a goal so far achieved by only three U.S. cities.

“The process of becoming a Well City starts with the journey of one workplace deciding it is time to take an active role in improving the health and wellbeing of their employees,” said Katherine Sturm-Chumout, Houston Well City Board Member. “Memorial Hermann has assumed that role and is leading the way for the rest of Houston.”

Promoting Wellness

“Both of these awards are important because they validate the outstanding programs and opportunities that Memorial Hermann continues to share with its employee partners,” said Jerry Mueck, vice president of Wellness and Business Development. “As one of Houston’s largest employers, and as the only health care organization in southeast Texas offering world-class services that span the entire cycle of a person’s life, we directly reflect the health of the Houston community. It’s essential we promote wellness from within our organization by helping our employees reach and maintain a healthy weight and manage chronic diseases, such as diabetes, if they have them.”

Mueck added that since receiving both awards, Memorial Hermann has introduced the Leaner Weigh, a self-managed, interactive weight management program, as well as a diabetes management program. Additional employee wellness programs are scheduled to begin soon.

The 11-hospital, not-for-profit Memorial Hermann Healthcare System provides quality comprehensive programs and services for a person’s whole life. As Houston’s most complete medical/fitness health facility, the 80,000-square-foot Memorial Hermann/HBU Wellness Center, located next to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, offers a variety of fitness, wellness, therapeutic, spa and psychological well-being programs unmatched in the Houston area.

For more information, contact Media Relations.