NFRMC Recognized as an American Heart Association Start! Fit-Friendly Company
November 16, 2011
Gainesville, FL – North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC) has been recognized as a Gold-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company by the American Heart Association’s Start! movement for helping employees eat better and move more.
“Physical activity and employee wellness are important priorities at NFRMC. We are honored and excited to be recognized by the American Heart Association’s Start! movement as a Gold-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company,” said Matt Davis, Chief Operating Officer at NFRMC. “We’re committed to providing the best workplace environment possible. This will benefit our employees’ health and produce even more positive results for our company overall.”
Gold-level employers offer employees physical activity options in the workplace, increase healthy eating options at the worksite, promote a wellness culture in the workplace and implement at least nine criteria outlined by the American Heart Association in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and culture.
At NFRMC, one of our biggest accomplishments in becoming fit-friendly has been implementing a Get Heart Smart menu in our cafeteria. Get Heart Smart is about giving our employees what they need to make healthy choices. When people order, they see how many calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates are in what the hospital serves. When possible, NFRMC also shows how much fiber and sodium are in the meals. A symbol of a red heart next to a food item indicates a heart-healthy choice. In addition to our heart-healthy menu, we’ve created walking challenges by offering employees incentives for taking the stairs instead of using the elevators.
The Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program is a catalyst for positive change in the American workforce by helping companies make their employees’ health and wellness a priority.
American employers face increasing healthcare expenses and health-related losses in productivity that cost an estimated $225.8 billion a year. Many American adults spend most of their waking hours at sedentary jobs. Their lack of physical activity raises their risk for a host of medical problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Employers face $12.7 billion in annual medical expenses due to obesity alone. Start! helps change corporate cultures by motivating employees to start walking, which has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity.
“The Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program offers a unique, easy-to-implement opportunity for corporations like NFRMC to increase employees’ physical activity, which will help improve their health – and their employers’ bottom line,” said Jennifer Denault, Regional Director for the American Heart Association. “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.”
Companies interested in joining the Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program should contact the American Heart Association office at 407-481-6380 or visit www.americanheart.org/start to apply online.
About the American Heart Association
Founded in 1924, we’re the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke. To help prevent, treat and defeat these diseases — America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers — we fund cutting-edge research, conduct lifesaving public and professional educational programs, and advocate to protect public health. To learn more or join us in helping all Americans, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit americanheart.org
About North Florida Regional Healthcare:
North Florida Regional Healthcare is an organization centered around the only community hospital in Gainesville, Florida -- North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC). NFRMC is a 325-bed, full-service medical and surgical acute care center serving 14 counties and offering comprehensive cardiovascular care, oncology, orthopedics, neurosciences, weight loss surgery and treatment, women’s health and wound therapy, among other services. A proven leader, NFRMC is fully accredited, is certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organization, is an accredited Chest Pain Center, is designated as a Blue Distinction ™ Center for Knee and Hip Replacement ,Spine Surgery and Bariatric Surgery. Recognized by HealthGrades in 2011 for General Surgery care that is among the Top 10 Percent in the nation and the home of 5-star Maternity care, North Florida Regional Medical Center is a member of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). Based in Nashville, Tennessee, HCA remains the nation’s leading provider of healthcare services, composed of locally managed facilities that include approximately 166 hospitals and 112 outpatient centers in 20 states and England.