Rhode Island Companies Recognized For Employee Wellness Programs

American Heart Association publishes list of Fit-Friendly Companies in Forbes magazine

October 1, 2008

PROVIDENCE — FM Global and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island have been recognized by the American Heart Association's Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program for being corporate leaders in promoting physical activity and health in the workplace.

FM Global received the Platinum designation and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island earned the Gold one.  They join Lifespan as the only companies in Rhode Island to be recognized by the American Heart Association in 2008.  Lifespan earned the Gold-Level certification in the beginning of the year.

Rhode Island's largest private company, FM Global is the first in the state to earn the Platinum designation.

Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program participants implement various options to encourage physical activity, nutrition and culture enhancements such as on-site walking routes, healthy food options in cafeterias and vending machines, annual employee health risk assessments and online tracking tools.

"The Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program offers a free, easy-to-implement opportunity for corporations to increase employees' physical activity, which will help improve their health – and their employers' bottom line," said Tracey Kennedy, Chair of the Rhode Island Board of Directors of the American Heart Association.  "Even people who haven't exercised regularly until middle age can reap significant benefits by starting a walking program.  A study published in 1986 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that individuals could gain two hours of life expectancy for every hour of regular, vigorous exercise they performed."

Adult Americans spend the majority of their waking hours at work, many in sedentary careers — amplifying the risk for medical problems such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.  Obesity alone costs American businesses $12.7 billion in medical expenses and $225.8 billion in health-related productivity losses per year.

Studies suggest that implementing a worksite physical activity program and promoting a culture of physical activity will help companies increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, lower turnover and reduce hard costs.  Research shows that employers can save $16 for every $1 they spend on health and wellness.

"At FM Global, we highly value our employees and their well-being," said Enzo Rebula, senior vice president of human resources, FM Global.  "As a company in the business of risk management, we recognize the benefits of prevention and associated risks of physical inactivity.  Receiving this platinum-level honor is a testament to our employees' hard work in achieving their health and fitness goals."

"Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is delighted to receive a Gold award from the American Heart Association in recognition of the strength of our employee wellness programs, said Eric Gasbarro, vice president of human resources at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island.  "As the state's largest health insurer, we understand the importance of maintaining a healthy workforce, and therefore work hard to offer our own employees various programs, tools and opportunities to engage in physical activity throughout the day.  We are fortunate to benefit from the considerable health management solutions offered by the Health & Wellness Institute, which offers worksite wellness programs and preventative health services to our employees as well as to other companies."

A special advertising section in the Oct. 27, 2008 issue of Forbes magazine will include a list of all the companies across the nation participating in Start!

Companies interested in joining the Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program should contact the American Heart Association office in Providence or visit www.americanheart.org/start to download an application.  Applications are due in January for review by a volunteer expert panel.  The panel consists of seven physicians, all of whom are American Heart Association volunteers.

Start! is sponsored nationally by SUBWAY® restaurants, Healthy Choice® and AstraZeneca.  For more information about the Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program, visit heart.org/start.
 
About Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has been the state's leading health insurer for 69 years and now covers more than 680,000 members.  Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

About the American Heart Association 
Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke.  These diseases, America's No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases claim nearly 870,000 lives a year.  In fiscal year 2006–07 the association invested more than $554 million in research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives.  To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit americanheart.org.

About FM Global
Established in Rhode Island nearly 175 years ago, FM Global (www.fmglobal.com) is a $4.7 billion company that insures more than one out of every three FORTUNE 1000 companies and similar-sized organizations in more than 130 countries.  The company, ranked 583 among FORTUNE Magazine's largest companies in America, employs 4,800 people in 57 offices worldwide. Nearly 1,700 of those employees work locally at the company's headquarters in Johnston, R.I., at its state-of-the-art research campus in West Glocester, and in offices in Waltham and Norwood, Mass.  Clients work with FM Global to develop robust property insurance and engineering solutions to protect their business operations from fire, natural disasters and other risks.