Health New England Earns WELCOA Well Workplace Award at Gold Level

SPRINGFIELD — The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) awarded Health New England its Well Workplace Award at the gold level. The awards recognize organizations that contribute to workplace health and employees’ ability to lead healthy, resilient, and fulfilling lives through their wellness efforts.

WELCOA, a membership organization for health promotion and wellness professionals, judged employers over seven benchmarks, including support for the whole employee, support for a health-promoting environment, policies and practices, commitment of leadership, and meaningful data collection.

Health New England’s employees have access to the same health programs the insurer offers its customers. Its Healthy Directions worksite wellness programs include reimbursements for fitness and wellness activities, nutritional counseling, tobacco-cessation programs, health education, and more.

Health New England has been honored in past years with the Well Workplace Award at the bronze level. In 2022, the company concentrated even more on expanding its programs and ensuring its employees understand the resources available to support their mental, physical, and emotional health.

“Earning a WELCOA Well Workplace Award at the gold level affirms Health New England’s dedication to the health and well-being of our employees,” said Katie Bruno, Public Health and Wellness program manager for Health New England. “I am proud of the areas we focused on growing in the last year. We became even more focused on offering the support employees need mentally, physically, and emotionally. We also celebrated associates’ successes, whether related to one of our programs or not. We are all on different health journeys, and it is important to be recognized for progress.”

For Health New England’s Mary Santiago, a Senior Provider Relations representative, the programs helped her through a time of great loss.

“I have experienced more grief than most people do in a lifetime. My mental health was suffering; I was functioning like a robot,” said Santiago, who signed up for Health New England programs, including one on resilience and thriving. “I began to rewire myself to switch from sad to happy. It was like I was a caterpillar who became a butterfly. Using the tools from the programs helped me get better physically, spiritually, and mentally. I am more present with my children, family, work, and friends.”