San Diego Unified School District was one of 186 companies to achieve Gold level, and one of only twelve educational services organizations in the nation to receive this recognition, out of the 105 educational services organizations that participated. Gold level companies received national recognition in the September 18, 2018 issue of Forbes magazine.
The American Heart Association created the Index with its CEO Roundtable members, a leadership collaborative of more than 40 CEOs from some of America’s largest companies who are committed to applying evidence-based approaches to improve their employees’ overall health. The Index uses science-based best practices to evaluate the overall quality and comprehensiveness of their workplace health programs. A unique feature of the Index is that it calculates an average heart health score for employees of participating companies that securely submit aggregate health data. Companies receive benchmarking reports, which allow them to identify potential areas of improvement so that they can advance their annual performance and recognition in the Index and help their workforce move toward ideal heart health. “San Diego Unified schools have made tremendous progress over the last few years in creating learning environments that not only support academics but also promote physical and social-emotional health, wellness and exercise,” said Superintendent Cindy Marten. “Encanto, Kimbrough and Rowan elementary schools show they are committed to improving student health by increasing opportunities for physical activity, promoting healthier eating, and creating an overall positive culture for students. We could not be more proud of their achievements.”
The Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index allows companies to measure the effectiveness of their workplace health programs as well as the overall heart health of their employees. Unlike other existing organizational scorecards, the Index also scores companies on the heart health of their employees based on Life’s Simple 7® – the Association’s scientifically validated definition of ideal heart health. The American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index assessment is grounded in data-driven science and a quality improvement framework. According to the Nielsen 2016 Employee Health Survey, robust and comprehensive strategies for wellbeing are associated with positive impacts on employees’ health.
To get involved in our district’s Wellness Initiative, please visit https://www.sandiegounified.org/health-and-wellness or contact Kate McDevitt, District Wellness Supervisor at wellness@sandi.net
