For Release: February 23, 2010 
Contact: Pamela Williams, Office of Communications 
(405) 271-5601

2009 Oklahoma Certified Healthy Business Awards Announced

The Oklahoma State Department of Health recently joined the Oklahoma Academy, The State Chamber, and the Oklahoma Turning Point Council in announcing 194 award winners in the 2009 Oklahoma Certified Healthy Business Program.

The Oklahoma Certified Healthy Business Program recognizes Oklahoma businesses that provide health and wellness opportunities, and are working to improve the health status of Oklahomans. To be certified, businesses must meet specific criteria, including providing employee health screenings, workplace health and nutrition education, opportunities for physical exercise activities, management support for healthy workplace environments, tobacco use prevention activities, and sharing wellness activities within their respective communities. There were 46 businesses selected to receive Certificates of Excellence, 79 Certificates of Merit, and 57 Certificate awards. 

A new category called the Certified Healthy Restaurant was added this year.  There were six applications and all received certification.  Healthy Restaurant application criteria are similar to the business application but include the addition of healthy menu offerings. 

The program was initiated in 2003 and so far, 688 certificates have been awarded to businesses certified statewide. The three categories are: Certificates of Excellence, Certificates of Merit and Certificate Awards. Those categories are then broken down into groups by size as follows: small workplaces of 1-25 employees, medium workplaces of 26-100 employees, large workplaces of 101- 999 employees, and corporate workplaces of 1,000 or more employees. Employer types are grouped as education, or for-profit, or non-profit.  

To learn more about the Oklahoma Certified Healthy Business program and to apply for certification, visit the Oklahoma Turning Point Council Web site at www.okturningpoint.org.

Note to editors: A list of the 2009 Certified Healthy Businesses is attached.

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