PeaceHealth honored for its commitment to the health and wellness of its employees

PeaceHealth has been ranked No. 3 in the Portland Business Journal’s list of Healthiest Employers of Oregon for organizations with 5,000 or more employees. This is the second year in a row PeaceHealth has been honored for encouraging the health and wellness of its employees, and its highest ranking yet.

The award, which is given annually to organizations that are committed to creating a healthy workplace, acknowledges the success of PeaceHealth’s employee wellness program spanning all PeaceHealth’s facilities in Alaska, Oregon and Washington. The designation uses an online assessment to measure employee participation, health outcomes and leadership commitment, among other measures.

PeaceHealth’s wellness program takes a holistic approach by focusing on short-term and long-term financial health, nutrition, stress management and physical fitness of its employees. The program fosters a culture of wellness by offering an interactive, personalized wellness platform with fun, health-related resources and rewards. For example, all employees receive a free Fitbit device for enrolling and completing a voluntary biometric screening.  Employees can also earn monetary incentives throughout the year by tracking individually chosen healthy habits and engaging in friendly competition with fellow coworkers, family and friends.

“At PeaceHealth, we believe wellness is contagious,” said Susan Bruechner, senior vice president and chief human resources officer for PeaceHealth.  “We’re extremely proud of our program’s unique, holistic approach, and its ability to extend our culture of wellness to improve the health of the communities we serve.”

Employees can also take advantage of a variety of health-focused discounts from local, regional and national vendors, such as health clubs and fitness centers, massage treatment, travel and more. A variety of offerings are available at PeaceHealth facilities, including gyms and shower facilities, walking trails, flu shot clinics, healthy vending machines and discounted healthy food options.

“We’re extremely grateful for our caregivers’ outstanding dedication to personal and community wellness,” said Bruechner. “Our caregivers lay it on the line every day for our patients. To provide great care, we believe they must also receive great care.”

PeaceHealth’s health and wellness goals also extend beyond its employees to include patients, families and our communities. This can be seen through PeaceHealth’s Healthy You platform, which is available to anyone and everyone and offers helpful classes, webinars, recipes and much more to support people on their wellness journey.

PeaceHealth continues to explore community partnerships to enhance the health of our communities and employees. A great recent example is PeaceHealth Rides, Eugene’s first bike share system. The PeaceHealth-sponsored program with the city of Eugene and other partners has already logged more than 73,000 miles and has quickly become one of the most successful bike share systems in the U.S. 

Read more about PeaceHealth’s wellness program in The Portland Business Journal’s spotlight article.

About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 900 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.