Morgantown designated elite \'Well City\' by Wellness Councils of America

March 13th, 2008

In a ceremony at West Virginia Universitys Student Recreation Center Thursday (March 13), Morgantown became only the 10th city in the nation to receive the designation ofWell Cityfrom the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA).

Stephen LaCagnin, chairman of the board of WELCOA , presented the award to Morgantown Mayor Ron Justice.

To achieve the award, 20 businesses from the Morgantown arearepresenting more than 20 percent of the citys work forcehad to first earn WELCOA sWell Workplacedesignation.

Those include:

  • University Health Associates, WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, WVU Hospitals
  • WVU Student Recreation Center
  • WVU Dining Services
  • WVU Division of Human Resources
  • WVU Mountainlair
  • Mon Health System
  • Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.
  • Allegheny Energy
  • Jackson Kelly PLLC
  • Steptoe&Johnson PLLC
  • The Dominion Post
  • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Health Works Rehab&Fitness
  • beBetter Networks Inc.
  • HealthSouth MountainView Regional Rehabilitation Hospital
  • Chemtura Inc.
  • Glenmark Holdings
  • National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)
  • Monongalia County Health Department
  • Centra Bank

LaCagnin said members of the local business community, in cooperation with WELCOA , have been working toward the designation since 1998 during the early years of the Vision 2000 project, which launched the rail-trail and other fitness and wellness initiatives in the area.

Among the longtime Well City Initiative Committee members are Janette Gidley, chair, WVU Foundation; Kristan Rogers, Pfizer; David Harshbarger, UHA /WVU Health Sciences/WVU Hospitals; Kimberly Zaph, WVU Division of Human ResourcesEmployee Wellness Program; Brett Rice, NIOSH ; Kelly Nix, WVU Extension; and LaCagnin, Jackson Kelly.

Speaking on behalf of WVU , Vice President for Student Affairs Ken Gray said the host site for the announcement, the Student Recreation Center, is truly one of the premier fitness and wellness facilities of its kind in the country.

Student Affairs is proud that the rec center is one of WVU s 5 �€~Well Workplacesand one of the 20 �€~Well Workplacesthat contributed to this elite designation for Morgantown,he said.

For the University, and perhaps for many of you, it is important to be able to underscore Morgantowns reputation as a healthy place to live and work as we go about recruiting faculty and staff,Gray added.Its also critical in helping us retain the great employees we already have here.

With more than 2,500 member organizations throughout North America, WELCOA is recognized for its innovative and results-oriented approach to worksite wellness.

There is an art and a science to designing a results-oriented workplace wellness program,said David Hunnicutt, president of WELCOA .These Morgantown companies have mastered this by demonstrating that their programs have advanced employee health, reduced health care costs and improved productivity and morale.

The Wellness Council of West Virginia spearheads WELCOA s workplace wellness initiatives in the state and was the first wellness council in the U.S.

For more information, visit www.welcoa.org;www.wcwv.org.