Nemours Children’s Health System has received the Excellence in Health and Well-Being award for the second year in a row. 

For the past 15 years, the National Business Group on Health has presented employers with the Best Employers: Excellence in Health and Well-Being awards. The National Business Group on Health is the nation’s only nonprofit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers’ perspectives on national health policy issues and helping companies to optimize their business performance through improvements in health, innovation and healthcare management.

The Excellence in Health and Well-Being awards recognize employers who are committed to improving their employees’ overall quality of life, productivity and well-being. The award recognizes the best workforce well-being programs in the United States with particular focus on those with exceptional and holistic approaches to financial, emotional, social and community well-being. The National Business Group on Health presented 50 employers with these different levels of these awards, ranging from silver to platinum awards.

Nemours Children’s Health System was among the 19 employers who received the platinum award for 2019, meaning that the organization has recognized a connection between workforce well-being and key business outcomes and implemented a strategy with results across several dimensions of well-being. Nemours’ programs address physical activity, healthy eating, nutrition, stress management, sleep health, and a mindful meditation series that focuses on behavior change. They also offer weight management programs, including cooking classes. What is unique about the program is that they integrate with their employee health initiatives that include safety, prevention of influenza, and tuberculosis screenings. At Nemours, they ensure that their employee incentives are linked to health, well-being, and safety.

Nemours’ strategy for integrating these programs into their employees’ lives also centers around ensuring that their employees have a sustainable work-life balance and enhancing access to programs around mental health services and the like to support them. In the future, they hope to continue enhancing work-life integration of these programs. 

The reaction of Nemours employees to these initiatives has been very positive. According to James Jadallah of Nemours Human Resources, Nemours conducts a survey each year to gather how employees feel about it. They usually have about 80% of employees engaged in the programs ranging from those who are involved in the medical plan to those who are not but enjoy the opportunity to get involved. 

According to Jadallah, for Nemours, winning this award is an honor. To be recognized alongside prestigious and powerful companies for the second year in a row is a testament to their commitment to health. Their programs and initiatives have grown and will continue to grow for years to come.