Four Wellness Awards Announced

SNOW HILL – Four Worcester County businesses will be recognized next month for earning Healthiest Maryland Businesses (HMB) Wellness at Work awards.

Atlantic General Hospital (AGH) and Worcester County Government each received gold, Taylor Bank received silver and the Worcester County Commission on Aging received bronze from HMB in May for their successful wellness initiatives.

Worcester County Health Department’s Prevention Services Director Kat Gunby said the statewide initiative brings wellness plans to work environments and promotes activity, healthy food choices and the like.

“Healthiest Maryland Business is a movement across Worcester County and the state to make the healthiest choice the easiest choice,” she said.

Gunby explained that businesses receive a HMB designation by contacting the health department. The local health department’s role, she said, is to support the statewide initiative and help businesses track wellness efforts.

Gunby said the four businesses had to submit an application to be considered for the award. State representatives were then tasked with reviewing the applications and picking award winners.

“This is the second year AGH won gold and the first year Worcester County Government, Taylor Bank and the Commission on Aging even applied and they were recognized too,” she said.

This year, Gunby said the four businesses each took a unique approach to promote healthy practices.

For example, AGH received gold for its effort to improve signage and healthy food options at the facility’s onsite cafeteria. The Worcester County Government received gold for offering healthier vending options, food demonstrations and the like. Taylor Bank received silver for implementing a Fiscally Fit Committee to promote physical activity and healthy eating habits. The Commission on Aging received bronze for offering a healthy food cart with healthier options located on the top trays.

“It says a lot about the efforts businesses are doing to promote wellness,” she said.

HMB offers tools and programs to help private and public entities create and implement wellness plans. The Worcester County Health Department, Gunby said, also offers participating businesses funding and technical support in the form of mini-grants and online tracking to implement and measure wellness initiatives.

“We provide funding and resources for ideas they have,” she said.

Gunby explained that the goal of the program was to make the healthiest choice the easiest choice and provide employees with healthier options and activities that aren’t usually found in an office setting.

“We are so incredibly proud of all of our local Wellness at Work Award winners,” Gunby said. “It’s fantastic to see Worcester County organizations striving to create healthy work environments and encouraging staff to make healthy choices.”

The award winners will be recognized at a Healthiest Maryland Symposium in Baltimore on June 2.

Gunby said Worcester County businesses wishing to participate in the initiative can visit healthiestmdbusinesses.org or call 410-632-0056.

About The Author: Bethany Hooper

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Bethany Hooper has been with The Dispatch since 2016. She currently covers various general stories. Hooper graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2012 and the University of Maryland in 2016, where she completed double majors in journalism and economics.