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Health & Fitness

Summa Western Reserve Hospital Named "Fit-Friendly" Workplace

Summa Western Reserve Hospital recently earned the American Heart Association’s Gold-level, “fit-friendly” worksite award. Fit-Friendly worksites are recognized by the American Heart Association as employers who support and encourage a healthy atmosphere to better their employees’ health.

“As a Fit-Friendly organization, Summa Western Reserve Hospital is a corporate trailblazer that has adopted the spirit of the initiative and has a vision to improve the health and wellness of employees and the company,” said Regional Director for the American Heart Association, Jen Ewing.

Summa Western Reserve Hospital exemplifies the American Heart Association’s initiative to fight obesity and cardiovascular disease through the development of wellness programming dedicated to providing a healthy working environment for staff.

“The physicians and staff at Summa Western Reserve Hospital are proud to accept the Fit Friendly award from the American Heart Association,” says Dr. Stephen Heupler, Cardiologist. “As health care professionals, we appreciate the importance of healthy lifestyle choices for the well being of our patients and our community. Our commitment to the individual health of our employees is a reflection of our overall dedication to the wellness of our community.”

Part of that programming includes the hospital’s new FitOne Wellness initiative, which helps establish health and fitness resources for employees. Employees can participate in free weekly yoga and Zumba classes as well as specialty events such as self-defense seminars and walking events, including the American Heart Association’s annual Heart Walk. FitOne also provides weekly recipes and health tips to staff members automatically via email, and promotes the hospital’s Lung Health Program that provides resources to help employees and their family members quit smoking or locate resources for smoking cessation. The program features free “How to Quit” classes for employees as well as members of the community.

Additionally, Summa Western Reserve Hospital’s food service offerings have been improved to provide even healthier options to patients, guests and employees. The hospital also utilizes a nutrition program comprised of onsite dietitians who created a color dot system to make healthier food choices easier to recognize on the menu. Nutrition factors are evaluated in the cafeteria’s menu planning and meal preparation and given a coordinating dot reference to indicate the “healthiness” level of the meal. A green dot indicates the menu item is “dietitian recommended” for optimum nutrition. Yellow dot items are ones that note "caution" and red dot items are considered "poor".

Summa Western Reserve Hospital received the gold-level ranking in 2012 as well. Gold-level honorees implement at least six physical activities, two nutrition activities and one cultural activity per guidelines set by the American Heart Association. The notable honor is awarded to registered facilities that promote employee physical activity programs, improve upon healthy eating options and promote a wellness culture through solutions designed to encourage employees to adopt healthy lifestyles.

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