Health New England earns award
Health New England was named a 2021 WorkWell Massachusetts Awards program award winner in the small group category for exemplary worksite health promotion.
The awards, powered by Healthiest Employers, recognizes achievements in developing, implementing, and participating in corporate health improvement and wellness programs.
HNE’s Healthy Directions outcome-based worksite wellness program empowers employees to reach their full health potential through education, skills development, and rewards. The program reimburses participants for farm-shares to encourage them to eat healthy foods from local farms. This award-winning program is the same one available to Health New England customers.
“We know that the well-being of employees and developing a culture to support them can help organizations not only achieve better business outcomes, but also encourage employees to be their best selves. Due to the many recent challenges facing employers today, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever, well-being has become a main focus” says Jenna Carter, board director for the awards program. “We are excited to recognize those organizations that are prioritizing a culture of well-being and providing best-in-class programs to meet the needs of their diverse workforce.”
“As a local non-profit health plan owned by Baystate Health, we are in the business of helping people be as healthy as possible. That begins at home with our employees,” said Richard Swift, president and CEO of Health New England. “Our health management team uses the same workplace wellness programs we offer our customers to empower employees to practice healthy habits. They educate and encourage mental and physical health so we all can live our best lives.”
Judging for the WorkWell awards is based on each organization’s Healthiest Employers Index — a metric based on six categories: culture and leadership commitment; foundational components; strategic planning; communications and marketing; programming and interventions; and reporting and analytics. The questionnaire, scoring, and benchmarking were formed with the help of a national, non-biased group of representatives from the academic, medical, and wellness communities.
Finance majors Michaela McCormick, John D'Aniello and Michela Kelley made up the Western New England University 2021 College Fed Challenge team.Third Party submitted
WNE students compete in Fed Challenge
Three Western New England University College of Business students will begin their spring semester with a competitive edge thanks to some real-world experience recently gained by competing in the College Fed Challenge, a competition that encourages students to learn about the U.S. economy, monetary policymaking, and the role of the Federal Reserve System.
Finance majors Michaela McCormick, of West Hartford, John D’Aniello, of Toms River, New Jersey, and Michela Kelley, of East Longmeadow, represented Western New England along with professional educator Wayne Durr serving as faculty advisor. The annual event sees students analyze economic and financial conditions and formulate a monetary policy recommendation, modeling the Federal Open Market Committee.
This marks the second year Western New England has participated in the challenge that is co-organized within five Federal Reserve districts in Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Richmond, Virginia.
The competition involves teams of three to five undergraduate students from universities and colleges located within the Boston Federal Reserve District. Students competed against semi-finalist teams from Tufts, Dartmouth, Bates, Providence, Harvard, Clark, Bentley, Boston University, Univeristy of Massachusetts Lowell,, Middlebury, Yale, Bryant, Manchester Community College and the University of Connecticut.
Teams create a 15-minute presentation of their recommendation and then defend it in front of judges, who were economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Teams were evaluated on economic analysis, responses to judges’ questions, teamwork, and presentation.
The policy recommendation by the Western New England team suggested that the government pursue more aggressive tapering – the reduction of the rate at which a central bank accumulates new assets on its balance sheet. “Ironically, though the team did not win the competition, the government has recently been discussing the need for a more aggressive tapering. It is rewarding to hear the government discussing the same idea we used for the competition. It reflects how innovative our students are and how well versed they are in finance,” said Durr.
The team scored a perfect score in teamwork, and a near perfect score in presentation. “These two highest scores are reflective of the types of students we had on this team. I couldn’t be prouder,” said Durr.
Mix & Mingle event planned Jan. 20
The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts will host annual Mix & Mingle membership event to support young professionals and encourage them to become more involved and invested in their local communities.
The young professional group is an organization built to exchange ideas, share common interests and cultivate its membership to serve as the Pioneer Valley’s leaders of tomorrow. The advertising club is an organization for all marketing and communications professionals in Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut.
The event will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Paper City Bar & Grill, 241 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke.
“I am thrilled to be parenting up with Springfield YPS to bring together the area professionals and creative community! I believe in the mission behind both organizations and am looking forward to growing awareness of both,” said Kelly McGiverin, multi-platform senior account executive of the Ad Club of Western Massachusetts.
Registration for the event can be completed online at EventBrite via the Young Professional Society website at springfieldyps.com.
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