RANCHO MIRAGE — Eisenhower Health achieved Silver level recognition for taking significant steps to build a culture of health in the workplace, according to results of the American Heart Association 2018 Workplace Health Achievement Index.

The American Heart Association created the Index with its CEO Roundtable members, a leadership collaborative of more than 40 CEOs from some of America’s largest companies who are committed to applying evidence-based approaches to improve their employees’ overall health. The Index uses science-based best practices to evaluate the overall quality and comprehensiveness of their workplace health programs. A unique feature of the Index is that it calculates an average heart health score for employees of participating companies that securely submit aggregate health data.

“Studies show that healthy employees are happier and more productive, better able to deliver the outstanding care our patients have come to expect from Eisenhower Health,” David Kowalczyk, vice president, human resources, Eisenhower Health, said in a prepared statement. “To be recognized by the American Heart Association underscores why we focus on our employees’ health and well-being by offering annual biometric screenings, healthy food options in our cafeteria, and free exercise classes including yoga, strength training and more.”

More than 1,000 companies completed the Index assessment this year and, of those companies, 75 percent received either Gold, Silver or Bronze recognition. Companies receive benchmarking reports, which allow them to identify potential areas of improvement so that they can advance their annual performance and recognition in the Index and help their workforce move toward ideal heart health.

The Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index allows companies to measure the effectiveness of their workplace health programs as well as the overall heart health of their employees. Unlike other existing organizational scorecards, the Index also scores companies on the heart health of their employees based on Life’s Simple 7® – the Association’s scientifically validated definition of ideal heart health. The American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index assessment is grounded in data-driven science and a quality improvement framework. According to the Nielsen 2016 Employee Health Survey, robust and comprehensive strategies for well-being are associated with positive impacts on employees’ health.

Photo above: Dr. Jeralyn Brossfield; Danielle Grout, Regional Director, American Heart Association; and David Kowalczyk, Vice President, Human Resources, Eisenhower Health