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The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) joined today with the Oklahoma Academy, The State Chamber, and the Oklahoma Turning Point Council to announce 143 award winners in the 2008 Oklahoma Certified Healthy Business Program.



The announcement came as part of this week's Eleventh Annual Oklahoma Turning Point Council Forum held at the University of Central Oklahoma, George Nigh Center, in Edmond. A separate awards ceremony and luncheon for employers receiving awards will be held Jan.13, 2009, at the Pavilion at the Governor's Mansion.



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.

Thirty-one businesses were selected this year to receive Certificates of Excellence, 83 Certificates of Merit were awarded, and 29 businesses received Certificate awards.

The program was initiated in 2003 and so far, 497 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.

The 2008 Oklahoma Certified Healthy Business Awards of Excellence include the following:

- Cherokee Nation
- St. Anthony Hospital
- Norman Regional Health System
- INTEGRIS Health
- LinkAmerica Corp.
- Chesapeake Energy Corp.
- Okmulgee Memorial Hospital
- Tulsa City-County Health Dept.
- Stillwater Medical Center
- Oklahoma State Department of Health-Central office
- Cleveland County Health Department Norman & Moore
- The Bama Companies, Inc.
- SYSCO Food Services of Oklahoma
- Boeing Aerospace Operations
- Washington County Health Dept.
- Garfield County Health Dept.
- Rogers County Health Dept.
- CFR, Inc.
- Lifecare OK Home Health, Hospice, and Personal Services
- Nextep
- Center for Children and Families
- Meals on Wheels of Norman
- Stillwater Family YMCA
- McClain County Health Dept. Purcell & Blanchard
- Personal Best Training Studio & 24 Hr Gym
- Rely on Rehab
- Oklahoma State University, Tulsa
- Osage Nation
- Francis Tuttle Tech Center
- Noble Public Schools
- Oklahoma State University, Stillwater

Oklahoma's Turning Point Council was created in 1998 and is acknowledged as a national model for involving the efforts of organizations, communities and consumers to maintain and improve the health of Oklahoma's citizens.



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.