On June 16, KVC Kentucky concluded its six-week Bluegrass Wellness at Work Fitness Challenge with an award ceremony at Central Bank Thursday Night Live to honor 25 participating companies for their dedication to implementing wellness in the workplace. The challenge began on May 1 with a total of 33 registered organizations from across the state and over 4,000 participating individuals.

At the end of the six-week competition, there were nine teams who rose above the rest, taking home first, second and third place in the small, medium and large organization size category. (see below for full list of winners)

Bluegrass Wellness at Work is a competition for Kentucky companies to improve employee health using a custom smartphone app. Proceeds from the program benefit Kentucky children and families receiving behavioral healthcare services and foster care. The program incorporates two challenges: a 6-week fitness challenge and Healthiest Places to Work recognition. Companies of similar size competed against eachother in the fitness challenge in one of three categories; Small (under 25 employees), Medium (25-99), and Large (100 or more). Employees used the BWAW App to input and track their activity, receiving 1 point for every 15 minutes of exercise recorded.

In addition to promoting wellness in the workplace, the competition serves as a fundraiser for KVC Kentucky, a nonprofit child welfare and behavioral healthcare organization that each year serves more than 10,000 children and families in eight regions of the state by providing behavioral health services, foster care, family preservation and diversion, and other family-related services. One hundred percent of each company’s registration fee to join the challenge is used to support the health and wellbeing of children and families across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Congratulations to our 2016 Bluegrass Wellness
at Work Fitness Challenge Winners: 

Large Companies (100+ Employees) 

1. Lexington-Fayette County Health Department

2. Clark Material Handling

3. Gray Construction

Medium Companies (25-99 Employees)

1. RossTarrant Architects

2. Commonwealth Eye Surgery

3. Kentucky Bank 

Small Companies (Less then 25 Employees) 

1. Tate Hill Jacobs Architects

2. Radio Eye

3. KC Wellness

Another popular component of the Wellness Challenge is the Healthiest Places to Work Recognition. Every company who participates in Bluegrass Wellness at Work has the opportunity to receive recognition for their commitments to workplace wellness through a survey and description of organizational commitments that have been made either during the challenge or throughout the year. Companies and organizations can qualify for Platinum, Gold or Silver level recognition based on their companies efforts toward employee wellness.

2016 Platinum level award winners for are CLARK Material Handling, United States Equestrian Federation, KC Wellness, Inc., Bluegrass Area Development District, Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance, Central Bank, Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, Gray Construction, AssuredPartners NL, Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC, Crowe Horwath LLP, Retina Associates of Kentucky, RossTarrant Architects, Hospice of the Bluegrass, KVC Behavioral HealthCare Kentucky.

2016 Silver level award winner is Frontier Nursing University.

There were no 2016 Gold level award winners.

To learn more about the Bluegrass Wellness at Work’s Fitness Challenge and Healthiest Place to Work Awards, visit bluegrasswellnessatwork.org.