Manatee County Commission Endorses Organizational

MANATEE COUNTY – Manatee County Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution formally endorsing Manatee County Government’s ”Culture of Health.“

Employee Health Benefits Manager Kim Stroud told the Board Tuesday morning that Manatee County fits into a group of ”forward thinking agencies“ that have created healthy programs to promote physical activity, healthy nutrition, tobacco cessation and stress management in order to promote a culture of health. Such programs, she said, decrease employee absenteeism, boost employee morale and increases productivity across the organization.

 ”This resolution is an opportunity to reinforce the commitment this Board has made to employees to promote the culture of health,“ Stroud said.

The resolution touts a number of healthy measures Manatee County Government has taken to improve the wellness of its employees including:

á        Providing access to vending machines which sell at least 30 percent of their snacks with a positive health value;
á        Encouraging employees to participate in educational wellness programs focused on nutrition and healthier eating;
á        Ensuring bicycle racks are located at employee entrances where feasible;
á        Providing tobacco education to nicotine-exposed members to encourage and support ongoing efforts to become nicotine-free;
á        Providing stress prevention training to managers and supervisors to improve skills in identifying and preventing work-related burn out.  

To read the entire resolution, visit the agenda area of mymanatee.org, download the agenda for the Sept. 6 Board meeting and find item 52. For more information on Manatee County Government, visit online at www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501.