BATON ROUGE, La. (Sept. 10) — The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) today announced recipients of its inaugural Capital Region Employee Health Innovation Award. The award, presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, recognizes companies in the region that have implemented and promoted innovative practices which led to healthier and more productive employees in the workplace.
"It was eye-opening to see the creativity and impact of these programs across the applications that we received,” said Adam Knapp, president and CEO of BRAC. “We strive to connect the region’s business community in ways that allows the transfer of best practices and look forward to seeing how organizations continue to innovate around healthy workplaces.”
Labarre Associates received the award for the small business category, and The Lemoine Company received the award for the large business category.
“We were pleased to see the innovative wellness practices being put into place by so many applicants across the region,” said Blue Cross Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation Darrell Langlois.” “We applaud the winners for their outstanding commitment to employee health and for their ongoing effort to create and sustain a healthy workplace that recognizes the importance of both an individual’s physical and mental well-being in their wellness program.”
Labarre Associates was selected for its well-rounded health program focusing on physical and mental health. The program provides healthier food options, flu shots available annually in the office, multi-step fitness challenges, financial education, and more. The organization has seen 90% employee engagement in the health program, and even extends some of its benefits to employees’ family members.
“Our main goal is to promote happier, healthier and more productive lifestyles -- both professionally and personally for our employees,” said Kristi Massey, director of administration for Labarre Associates. “Through the Go365 program, we provide healthier snacks, fruit, and water to employees to promote healthier food choices, as well as resources for financial and mental health. Not only have we seen weight loss and more energy from employees, but we have also seen an increase in teamwork and productivity.”
The Lemoine Company was selected for its dedication to creating a wellness program that caters to each employee’s’ individual needs. The company’s program consists of monthly and quarterly health challenges, rewards for outstanding wellness achievements, a nicotine cessation program, health education, healthy workplace policies, including a healthy meeting policy and a breastfeeding policy, and more. The program has yielded a 99% employee engagement rate.
"Our greatest mission at The Lemoine Company is to provide our employees a safe, healthy environment that encourages wellness of the whole self and helps our employees achieve a happy, balanced life,” said Dominique Juneau, human resources generalist for The Lemoine Company. “Our goal is to provide our employees with all of the resources and educational materials needed to make healthy decisions every day, giving special attention to overall well-being of the physical and mental health of the individual.”
A selection of members from the business and health community participated in a judges' panel to oversee the evaluation, selection, and presentation of the Capital Region Employee Health Innovation Award.
To qualify for the Capital Region Employee Health Innovation Award, a business was required to:
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) leads economic development in the nine-parish Baton Rouge Area, working to grow jobs and wealth and to improve the business climate and competitiveness in the region. Today, BRAC investors include more than 1,500 small businesses, mid-sized firms, large industry and entrepreneurial startups, as well as individuals and organizations that support business and economic development. In this capacity, BRAC serves as the voice of the business community, providing knowledge, access, services and advocacy. More information is available at brac.org.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. We invest both time and money in the health and wellbeing of Louisiana communities by supporting more than 200 charitable organizations through volunteer service, board participation, employee giving and focused grantmaking.
Our commitment to corporate citizenship was recognized in 2019 by Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana was honored as one of The Civic 50: the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States.
With our subsidiaries, HMO Louisiana and Southern National Life, we cover 1.8 million members, providing group and individual health insurance plans, life and disability insurance, group voluntary products and administrative services. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana also provides Medicare supplement and Medicare Advantage plans and is a partner in offering the Healthy Blue Medicaid managed care plan. Louisiana is the only state where we operate, with headquarters in Baton Rouge and offices in every major region to serve our customers.
Founded in New Orleans in 1934, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is a tax-paying nonprofit health insurer. We are a private mutual company, owned by our policyholders, with an independent Louisiana Board of Directors and no shareholders. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
We invite all Louisianians to visit our website at www.bcbsla.com or talk to us on social media.
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