Waterford Today

Oakland County issued the following announcement on Sept. 11.

Corp! Magazine has named OakFit, Oakland County’s employee wellness program, as one of its Best & Brightest in Wellness® winners for the sixth year in a row, County Executive David Coulter announced today.

“Oakland County launched its employee wellness program, OakFit, when I served on the board of commissioners,” Coulter said. “One of the original goals of this program was to reduce the annual increase in the county’s health care costs. Stephanie Bedricky, Oakland County’s employee recognition and wellness supervisor, has done a superb job managing this program.”

Had medical costs continued to rise by industry projected rates, fiscal year 2018 medical costs would have exceeded $79 million dollars. Oakland County has been able to “bend the curve” of increasing medical costs through OakFit and other cost-saving efforts. As a result, the county has had estimated savings in accumulated cost avoidance of nearly $239 million since 2007.

OakFit has received a total of 14 awards since its inception in 2007. These awards include the Best & Brightest in Wellness award for six years running; National Association of Counties Achievement Awards in 2007, 2010, and 2015; Governor’s Fitness Awards in 2014, 2015 and 2016; one of Crain’s Detroit’s Michigan’s Healthiest Employers in 2013; and the Value Based Health Award in 2011. Fox News Channel has also spotlighted the wellness program as a national model for innovation in government.

“One of the key factors to the success of OakFit is our offering of timely health-related topics/programs that encourage our employees to take charge of our health,” said Jordie Kramer, director of human resources for Oakland County. “That is one of the reasons we have a lot of employee participation.”

The nationally-recognized OakFit program will be honored at the Best and Brightest in Wellness® Symposium and Awards Gala on October 4 and featured in the November print edition of Corp! Magazine.

 Original source can be found here.