Samaritan Is Among Top 100 Healthiest Employers Nationally November 27, 2019 Healthiest Employers Inc. has named Samaritan Health Services to its list of the 2019 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America. Earlier this year, the organization and the Portland Business Journal named Samaritan the healthiest employer statewide for organizations with more than 5,000 employees. The final list of the top 100 nationwide has Samaritan as the 25th healthiest across the U.S. “This is such an honor,” said Alyssa Wink, director of Wellness and Fitness for Samaritan. “This was a highly competitive year. Several Samaritan teams had a part in earning this high ranking.” Springbuk, a health intelligence firm that works with employers on employee health initiatives, administers the national competition, While the application process is more extensive for the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America than the statewide competition, both focus on these six categories: Culture and leadership commitment. Foundational components. Strategic planning. Communications and marketing. Programming and interventions. Reporting and analysis. The 2019 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America award winners include organizations as small as 32 full-time employees and as large as 200,000 employees. The winning organizations span nearly every industry, size, geography and include both private and publicly-funded organizations. Each exemplary company above has a story highlighting the success of its well-being programming and executive leadership. Companies named to the list have a holistic approach to employee well-being, including financial, mental, emotional, spiritual and social aspects. In addition, several winners have taken an outcomes-focused approach to employee health, by leveraging employee feedback, program results data and understanding how to tailor their programming to their employee population’s needs. Samaritan is one of those employers: This year, the organization invited all staff to take a Culture of Wellness survey. Results from that survey led the organization to expand several of its wellness initiatives, including: Increased duration and locations for on-site produce sales with local farmers and their produce, with payroll deduction available for purchases. Financial wellness seminars on home buying, debt consolidation, retirement planning, investments and budgeting. Expanded fitness class offerings, health coaching and personal training through the four SamFit locations, as well as discounts for dependents at SamFit facilities. Creation of an Employee Engagement committee which focuses efforts on staff recognition and helping employees enhance their professional and personal lives. Shining Star recognition program for employees to nominate peers who they see demonstrating PRIDE. On-site arts programming with music. In the past year, 71% of Samaritan employees have participated in the organization’s employee wellness programs. Samaritan continues to expand these programs, including more offerings targeted toward employee well-being, on-site produce markets in each community and employee recognition programs. Samaritan also integrates many aspects of its wellness initiatives with its Samaritan Choice insurance plan for employees and their families. This past year, employees could earn points towards a receiving monetary incentive through the Healthy Habits rewards program for completing e-learnings, annual physicals, flu shots and routine screenings. The incentive is supported with year-round communications that keep these important self-care reminders in the forefront. As a result, Samaritan Choice claims show an increase in preventive care, most notably in annual physical exams. Become a part of the Samaritan team. Learn about employment opportunities with Samaritan Health Services. Learn more about Samaritan’s community initiatives as a not-for-profit health care organization in Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley.
