DAVENPORT, Iowa - June 15, 2015 - For the second consecutive year, Genesis Health System is the recipient of an Iowa Healthiest Employers® award.
The award was presented June 12 at the Iowa Association of Business and Industry Conference, held at the Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf.
The Healthiest Employers of Iowa award program, a co-initiative of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, Business Record Iowa and Business Record, recognizes companies throughout the state that have committed to creating a healthy workplace for their employees. Genesis was chosen as the Large Employer recipient, and as one of three award winners, for Eastern Iowa.
Finalists were selected from each of three categories: small employer, 2-99 employees; midsize employer, 100-249 employees; and large employer, 250 employees or more. Winners were then chosen from three separate regions through the state: Eastern, Central and Western Iowa.
"Our employees are the core of our success," said Renee Stolmeier, Director of Compensation & Benefits. "Statistics show healthy employees are happier, more productive, less stressed and higher performers. Healthy employees also save the organization money in fewer benefit claims and absenteeism, so we all win."
Genesis has encompassed wellness into its benefits design to promote healthy lifestyles. For the first time this year, employees and their spouses had to have a biometric screening in order to be eligible for Genesis' traditional, benefit-rich insurance plans - a requirement that increased screenings from 70% to 93%. (Those who did not undergo a screening were eligible only for a high-deductible plan with high out-of-pocket costs.) Premium discounts ranging from $45 to $90 per pay period are tied to wellness results. In addition, the program includes a $20 tobacco surcharge per employee or spouse for each pay period.
Genesis' voluntary wellness program focuses on all aspects of a healthy life, including stress, diet and exercise. Through Genesis insurance, employees and spouses can receive support with the help of several weight-loss programs and diabetes management, smoking cessation and stress-reduction programs. A voluntary WellPower program for employees focuses on making health strides with the opportunity to earn gift cards.
To encourage exercise, Genesis employees can purchase bicycles and exercise equipment at discounted rates and use payroll deduction for their purchases each April.
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