LINCOLN – Governor Pete Ricketts and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced this year’s recipients of the Governor’s Wellness Award. Steffany Lien, Miss Nebraska 2022, joined the Governor and DHHS to congratulate the award recipients and highlight the importance of workplace wellness.  Five Nebraska organizations are being honored for offering evidence-based worksite wellness programs.

 “The Governor’s Wellness Award recognizes employers who have built a culture of wellness in their workplace,” said Gov. Ricketts.  “I commend this year’s winners for investing in the physical and mental health of their teammates.  An organization’s people are its greatest assets.  It makes smart business sense for companies to encourage good nutrition and healthy lifestyles through workplace programs.”

 In the past year, award recipients have offered stress-reducing activities like yoga, hosted blood drives, created a school health index, planned community events to promote exercise, and provided free health assessment screenings for teammates.

 The Governor’s Wellness Award began in 2008, making this the 15th year it has recognized organizations that dedicate resources and time to wellness efforts in the workplace.  Each applicant must provide information in the areas of leadership, data collection, intervention strategies, policy/environment support, and evaluation of outcomes.

 The Governor’s Wellness Award has three categories:

• The Sower Award recognizes workplaces that have established quality wellness programs.
• The Grower Award honors businesses and organizations demonstrating significant improvement in employee health behaviors.
• The Harvester Award recognizes employers that are experiencing documented value and return on investment from their wellness initiatives.

 The 2022 Governor’s Wellness Award winners are:

• Associated Staffing (Grand Island) – Sower Award
• Grand Island Northwest Public Schools – Sower Award
• Nebraska Methodist College (Omaha) – Grower Award
• ESU #2 (Fremont) – Grower Award
• University of Nebraska Foundation (Lincoln) – Harvester Award

 Including this year’s winners, 490 total awards have been distributed across the state since the Governor’s Wellness Award program began. 

Nebraska employers can learn more about the Governor’s Wellness Award online: https://20210503181049.webstarts.com/governors_award.  Awards are presented annually and are good for three years at which time reapplication is encouraged.

 The Governor’s Wellness Award is sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and administered by the Panhandle Worksite Wellness Council, part of Panhandle Public Health District.  For employers interested in starting a wellness program, or enhancing an existing one, contact Nicole Berosek at 308-279-3496 or nberosek@pphd.org.