Media Release

For: Immediate Release
Date: April 17, 2007

Health Department Presents Community Partnership Award to Worksite Wellness Council of Rhode Island

Today the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) presented the Worksite Wellness Council of Rhode Island with a Community Partnership Award. HEALTH's Community Partnership Award is presented to individuals and groups who engage in exceptional community efforts that support the mission of the Health Department.

The Worksite Wellness Council of Rhode Island (WWCRI) has invested volunteer time from a wide variety of private and public organizations to support Governor Carcieri's Wellness Objective to become the first Well State in the United States. Through the efforts of the WWCRI, 67 Rhode Island organizations have been certified by the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) as Well Workplaces. Well Workplaces offer their employees services such as personal health assessments, weight management and stress management workshops, vaccination clinics, and other health promotion services. This hard work has paid off, and earlier this month Rhode Island became the first Well State in the US and was given an award by the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) because 20% of the workforce in Rhode Island is employed by companies certified by WELCOA as Well Workplaces.

The WWCRI has a membership of 178 Rhode Island organizations in both the private and public sectors. The WWCRI works closely with the major health insurance plans and Chambers of Commerce in Rhode Island. Their work represents an enormous accomplishment in the field of health promotion and disease prevention, and HEALTH acknowledges their invaluable work in supporting its mission to promote and protect the health and safety of Rhode Islanders.