The Brattleboro Retreat received a Governor’s Excellence in Worksite Wellness award at the 2015 Worksite Wellness conference held on Wednesday, March 25, at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center in Burlington. The award, which is presented by the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, was given in recognition of the Retreat’s efforts to promote employee health and wellness.
The Retreat has a robust Wellness Program that has supported its approximately 870 employees in focusing on areas including personal goal setting, stress management, nutrition, and physical exercise.
“The overarching goal of the Retreat’s Wellness Program is to support the hospital’s employees in creating a healthy balance in their lives,” said Natalie Audette, benefits manager. “We started by surveying staff to better understand their needs, and the results have helped guide the kind of training and education we offer. I think this has been a key to our program’s success.”
In addition to recognizing the Brattleboro Retreat’s organizational commitment to employee wellness, the Governor’s Excellence in Worksite Wellness award is also meant to honor the individual members of the hospital’s Wellness Committee: Joanna Burge, Enid Kypragoras, Paul Rodrigue, Florence Fitzmorris, Jill Terrell-Ouazzani, Jody Mattulke, Christopher Lucas, Cyndy Gray, Natalie Audette, Ryan Knock, Sherry Providence, Cathy Potter, Lynn Jenkins, Bethany Shippee, Jeff Corrigan, and Kelli Lee-Allen.
The Brattleboro Retreat, founded in 1834, is a not-for-profit, regional specialty psychiatric hospital and addictions treatment center, providing a full range of diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services for individuals of all ages and their families. Recognized as a national leader in the treatment mental illness and addiction, the Brattleboro Retreat offers a high quality, individualized, comprehensive continuum of care including inpatient, partial hospitalization, residential and outpatient treatment.