Manatee Chamber wants nominees for Champions of Healthcare Awards
"Business wellness" is a term we've all heard a lot about. Research shows healthy employees are more productive, and businesses that offer wellness programming are viewed as investing in their employees.
Many companies have implemented wellness offerings, but if it's not already part of your company's programming, it's difficult to know where to start. The Manatee Chamber is committed to help local businesses get started or take their efforts to the next level.
Creating a culture of health, safety and well-being can impact a business' bottom line. Little things can make a big difference and getting started has never been easier, even for small businesses. The chamber is a partner with the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County and Blake Medical Center in the launch of Health Links Florida. We are the first community in the state to offer the online resources and business certification program of Health Links.
The online Health Links tool -- found at HealthLinksFlorida.org -- helps businesses in several ways:
Start offering wellness programming to employees.
Implement wellness-related policies that become part of your company's culture.
Become a "Certified Healthy Business" and receive recognition in our community.
Become listed as a wellness vendor if your company's products or services can be part of local employee wellness programming.
The Manatee Chamber also is committed to recognizing excellence in our community. We have several community-wide, signature awards programs that honor local businesses and volunteers for their efforts. Currently, we are accepting nominations for the Champions of Healthcare Awards. These awards recognize those with a dedication to excellence who are making extraordinary impact on the Manatee County health care community -- often beyond the scope of their mission or "day job".
We are seeking nominations in nine health-related categories. To nominate a deserving business, individual or program, please visit ManateeChamber.com/HealthcareAwards. Past winners include volunteers, medical profes
sionals, students, research programs, and educators.
Both of these initiatives are designed to help promote a culture of health in our community and celebrate the successes achieved by businesses, people and programs working together. They are also designed to help local businesses and our workforce achieve the goal of Florida becoming the healthiest state in the nation by offering resources, highlighting achievements, and positively impacting our community's quality of life.
Jacki Dezelski, executive vice president of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, can be reached at JackiD@ManateeChamber.com.
This story was originally published March 20, 2016 at 10:51 PM with the headline "Manatee Chamber wants nominees for Champions of Healthcare Awards ."