State Health Department Names FSU to List of “Healthiest Maryland Businesses”
Nov 15, 2017 9:30 AM
Frostburg State University’s focus on health in the workplace has led Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) to recognize the University on its newest list of “Healthiest Maryland Businesses.”
DHMH issues the recognition to employers that invest in employee health and worksite wellness. Focusing on health helps employers and employees thrive, according to DHMH, as healthier employees tend to have reduced healthcare costs and absenteeism and increased productivity and performance.
“People are our most important resource here at Frostburg State University, and like any institution, we function best when our employees strive to remain healthy and fit,” said Lee Ann Nightingale, manager of Benefits and the Wellness Program at FSU. “I’m so proud to see FSU recognized for our efforts to create a healthy, vibrant workplace. I look forward to working with DHMH’s specialists to identify even more ways of encouraging the well-being of our employees.”
A new initiative among many healthy living activities offered at the University is the mile-long campus Bobcat Walking Trail. It was inaugurated on Wednesday, Oct. 4, by about two dozen faculty and staff who embarked on group walks with their colleagues. More than 60 workplace walks took place that day across the state to mark Walk Maryland Day 2017.
FSU will host a Health Fair in coordination with the Allegany Health Department on Thursday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring healthcare providers from across the county. The Health Fair, in the Lane University Center’s Atkinson Room (232), is free and open to the public.
Frostburg’s Healthiest Maryland Businesses recognition brings access to a series of statewide learning events and regional trainings from DHMH and other health agencies, as well as free technical assistance from DHMH’s Worksite Wellness Specialists. Those specialists provide science-based health resources and help employers develop annual worksite health improvement plans.
As a recognized Healthiest Maryland Business, FSU will also submit annual Worksite Health Scorecards, helping DHMH assess existing strengths and identify areas where it can offer additional support.
FSU currently offers a broad range of activities, events and policies designed to promote healthy lifestyle choices. Frostburg’s non-smoking campus encourages the cessation of tobacco use. Dining Services at FSU lists calorie counts and serving sizes on its website for each dish at every dining location, as well as guides to healthy eating. The Activities for Life program offers a variety of health-oriented classes such as water aerobics, group exercise and cardiovascular fitness classes, dance-based exercise classes and a thrice-weekly Masters Swimming Class with FSU’s swim team coaching staff.
Staff and faculty can use the Cordts Physical Education Center’s gymnasiums, weight rooms, climbing wall, running tracks and more. The new Bobcat Walking Trail adds a convenient one-mile walking path through Frostburg’s scenic campus.
The start of the Bobcat Walking Trail, marked by a series of red signs, can be found at the FSU Clock Tower, heading northwest toward University Drive. There, the trail follows the road west past Bobcat Stadium. The trail then turns south through the FSU Arboretum, parallels Braddock Road to the Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center, before looping back toward the Clock Tower and ending behind the Hitchins Administration Building. The Bobcat Walking Trail is open to the public free of charge.
You can learn more about wellness online at Frostburg State University. For more information about the Healthiest Maryland Businesses initiative, visit the Healthiest Maryland Businesses web site.
FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.
