January 31, 2014

Vanderbilt named a ‘healthiest workplace in America’

Vanderbilt University has been named one of the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America for 2014 by Healthiest Employers, an independent corporate wellness research and data analysis firm.

Staff and faculty work out on machines at the newly expanded Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness Center. (Steve Green/Vanderbilt)

Vanderbilt University has been named one of the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America for 2014 by Healthiest Employers, an independent corporate wellness research and data analysis firm.

The designation comes after a yearlong, two-stage assessment process that includes companies of all sizes from all regions and industries.

“Vanderbilt’s faculty and staff are the greatest asset to our organization, and that’s why we work to give our best to support their well-being,” said Mary Yarbrough, associate professor of clinical medicine and executive director of Faculty and Staff Health and Wellness. “Achieving the distinction of Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America displays our continued effort to implement innovative programming and to create opportunities to build a healthy and productive community.”

Health Plus staff serve refreshments from the demonstration kitchen at the Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness Center. (Steve Green/Vanderbilt)

According to the Healthiest Employers website, institutions that made the list “have moved beyond healthy living sound bites to the development of a practical, effective and continuously improving framework for creating a substainably healthy workplace.”

Rod Reasen II, president of Healthiest Employers, said in a release that “this highly selective award recognizes employers who demonstrate exceptional leadership in using wellness as a strategy to drive workplace productivity, employee health and community well-being.”

Yarbrough credited the staff and faculty of Vanderbilt’s medical center and university for the honor. “Without the continued support and participation of the Vanderbilt community in our services to protect faculty and staff at work, to promote healthy lifestyle practices, and to provide psychological support, this would not be possible,” she said.

Vanderbilt Faculty and Staff Health and Wellness has impact on staff and faculty health and safety through several agencies, including the Occupational Health Clinic, Work-Life Connections-EAP and Health Plus.