The Florida Heart Research Institute, in partnership with the Consortium for a Healthier Miami-Dade – an initiative of the Miami-Dade County Health Department, proudly announced winners of the "2012 South Florida Worksite Wellness Forum and Awards" at a ceremony presented by Seitlin, A Marsh & McClennan Agency LLC Company, at the Miami Beach Resort in Miami Beach.The program honored South Florida companies (from Orlando south) that demonstrated a commitment to employee wellness and whose programs produced positive health outcomes. The winner of the small business category – businesses with less than 500 employees, went to Constitutional Tax Collector Serving Palm Beach County, an office serving Palm Beach County’s 1.3 million residents with 291 employees. The mid-sized category winner, businesses with 500 to 1,000 employees, went to ABB CONCISE, the nation’s largest distributor of soft contact lenses with 600 employees. The winner of the large business category, businesses with more than 1,000 employees, went to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, a global cruise vacation company with 38 ships in service and 3,000 employees.
The luncheon and awards presentation was emceed by CBS-4 Anchor Cynthia Demos. Michael O’Donnell, PhD, Founder and Editor of the American Journal of Health Promotion, delivered the Keynote Address, focusing on the financial benefits to worksite wellness. The event was complemented by a morning educational session earning attendees CEU credits.
The awards were presented by Lillian Rivera, PhD, Administrator of the Miami-Dade County Health Department and the Honorable Carlos Gimenez, Mayor of Miami-Dade County. "Worksite wellness programs – especially those targeting the major health issues shared by your employees, can save anywhere from $2.00 to 6.00 for every dollar spent on the program," said Kathleen T. DuCasse, Chief Executive Officer of Florida Heart Research Institute. Business owners, managers, human resource professionals, insurance brokers and those interested in wellness attended the luncheon.
