July 14, 2006

MGH selected as a Best Employer for Be Fit program

It has been a year and a half since the MGH started its Be Fit program and already it is gaining national recognition. This June, the National Business Group on Health honored more than 30 U.S. employers — including the MGH — for encouraging healthy lifestyles for their employees. The MGH received a Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles Award in the Silver category, which recognizes employers that have initiated programs or services to promote healthier lifestyles. The overall goal of the awards program is to motivate all employers to take action to encourage health and fitness.

According to the National Business Group on Health, obesity and unhealthy lifestyles have been found to result in loss of productivity in the workplace. Based on this recent urgency to prioritize employee health, many American businesses have made efforts to reduce obesity, promote healthier lifestyles and increase the quality of life for their employees.

The MGH's Be Fit program takes on a similar mission by encouraging employees to incorporate healthy nutrition and exercise into their daily lives. The Business Group's Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity acknowledged the MGH for the Be Fit program's implementation of incentives to increase employee participation through team competitions, convenient fitness center access at The Clubs at Charles River Park, weight management support groups through team participation and changes in the cafeteria options to cater to the Be Fit program's healthy eating mission.

With ready-made Be Fit lunches in hospital cafeterias, scheduled walks, team exercise sessions and regular weigh-ins, employees throughout the MGH have
participated in the quarterly competitions in a race to a healthier lifestyle.

For more information about the Be Fit program, visit intranet.massgeneral.org/befit/index.htm.