City of Fernandina Beach Media Release
Mary Hamburg, Public Information Officer
Contact: (904) 310-3102
May 18, 2017 9:05 a.m.
The City of Fernandina Beach has been named one of the 2017 Healthiest Companies by the First Coast Worksite Wellness Council (FCWWC) as a Gold Level Award winner. The Council announced the winners at the 9th Annual First Coast Worksite Wellness Conference and Healthiest Companies Awards Luncheon in Jacksonville on May 10, 2017. The companies who received awards were honored for their commitment to employee health and wellness and for making noteworthy strides to improve the health and well-being of their employees. This was the fifth straight year the City has been recognized by the FCWWC for its health and wellness program, and its first Gold-level award. Human Resources Director Robin Marley and HR Administrative Specialist Toni Brown accepted the award on behalf of the City of Fernandina Beach.
Marley shared that organizations must meet certain criteria in their wellness plans to be considered for each award level. One of the notable actions the City has taken since 2004, is to plan and execute a Health and Benefits Fair which includes health screenings and helps educate employees about better health management and their benefit options.
Beginning in 2016, the City partnered with Baptist Health and the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast to implement a wellness program, Personalized Approach to Health (PATH), which assists employees in developing a manageable wellness plan, including a baseline health assessment and information to help them achieve personal health goals. This year, the City introduced a new weight loss and healthy living program called Real Appeal for its covered employees and dependents, provided at no cost by its medical insurance carrier.
These programs support the City’s Wellness Operating Plan objectives, which are to 1) create and support an organizational culture of health and well-being to improve employee morale, and 2) identify and mitigate direct healthcare cost drivers in correlation with employee health risk factors. These efforts are paying dividends for the City in improved employee morale and in helping the hold down the cost of employee health insurance.