Winners of the C. Everett Koop Health Project Award...( Organizations are recogn...),Health

Organizations are recognized for improving health and saving money through health promotion and disease prevention

WASHINGTON, July 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Health Project announced this week that it has awarded the prestigious C. Everett Koop National Health Award to three organizations with documented evidence that their health promotion and disease prevention programs have improved the health of employees while saving money for their organizations. The 2009 winners include L.L.Bean, Inc., Alliance Data, and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

"These companies have demonstrated that they can improve their employees' health and save money," said Dr. Ron Goetzel, president and CEO for The Health Project. "They do this by providing comprehensive and evidence-based health promotion programs designed to help employees adopt and maintain healthy behaviors such as a healthy weight, being physically active, eating healthy foods, and not smoking."

This year's winners join a growing list of previous Koop Award winners that include The Dow Chemical Company, Energy Corporation of America, IBM Corporation, Lincoln Industries, Vanderbilt University and USAA. Organizations applying for the award are judged by an independent panel of experts who decide whether there is sufficient proof that improved health and cost savings have been achieved. Additional information about past award recipients is available at http://thehealthproject.com.

"Rather than stand by and do nothing while watching their health care costs escalate out of control, these companies are getting to the very heart of the problem: unhealthy behaviors," said Carson Beadle, chairman and co-founder of The Health Project. "Individuals who have healthy behaviors also hav
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