The National Business Group on Health (NBGH) has recognized 63 large employers — representing the full spectrum of the U.S. economy — as “2009 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles’ award winners for their exceptional commitment to a healthy workplace and for helping their employees and families make better choices about their own health and well-being, the non-profit group announced in a recent press release. The award-winning large employers were recognized at the NBGH’s Joint Summit of the Institutes on Health Care Costs and Solutions & the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity held on June 24 in Arlington, Virginia.

Winners of the 5th Annual “Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles” awards were honored in one of three categories: Platinum, for established “Healthy Weight, Healthy Lifestyles” programs with measurable success and documented outcomes; Gold, for creating cultural and environmental changes that support employees who are committed to long-term behavior changes; and Silver, for employers who have launched programs or services to promote living a healthier lifestyle. Among the noteworthy accomplishments:

• As a testament to the increased value employers place on workplace health and wellness programs, the number of award-winning employers in 2009 (a total of 63) grew by 21 percent compared to 2008 when 52 employers were recognized. The 2009 tally is nearly triple the first-year number of employers, 22, who were recognized by NBGH in 2005.
• Of the 17 large employers achieving Platinum-level recognition, seven are first-time award winners. Of these, two are first-time applicants. A recurring theme of this year's Platinum-award level winners is a corporate-wide culture of health and specific commitment to improving employees' well-being through healthy choices.

2009 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles Winners

PLATINUM
Aetna®
Baptist Health South Florida
Campbell Soup Company
CIGNA
Dell Inc.
FPL Group
Hannaford Supermarkets
IBM
Medtronic
Occidental Petroleum Corporation
PepsiCo Inc.
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Quest Diagnostics
Texas Instruments Incorporated
Union Pacific
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Health Plan
Volvo Group Companies including Mack Trucks, Inc.

GOLD
American Specialty Health Incorporated
AstraZeneca
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Chrysler Group LLC
Cummins Inc.
CVS Caremark
General Dynamics Electric Boat
General Mills
Healthways
Humana
Intel Corporation
JPMorgan Chase
Mayo Clinic
Paychex, Inc.
Pfizer Inc.
Raytheon Company
Saint-Gobain Corporation
Sprint
The Boeing Company
Unum
Verizon
Visant Corporation
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
WellPoint, Inc.

SILVER
Accenture
American Express
ARAMARK
Cardinal Health, Inc.
H. J. Heinz Company
Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Meijer
Michelin North America
PRO Sports Club
Qwest Communications
Rockwell Collins
sanofi-aventis U.S.
Target
Texas Health Resources
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The Home Depot
Unilever
Watson Wyatt Worldwide
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
Xcel Energy