Maple Grove 'Fit for Life' Program Earns National Nod

Maple Grove is in the national limelight for a wellness program focused on promoting worksite health.

The city's “Fit for Life” Wellness Program is featured on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, according to a community alert. A couple of years ago the CDC selected the local initiative as one of only eight worksite wellness programs from across the nation to participate in its Swift Worksite Assessment and Translation (SWAT) project.

SWAT's focus was to identify worksite health-promotion programs that showed promise in helping employees maintain or attain a healthy weight and additionally, assist employers in developing better ways to evaluate such programs.

Maple Grove's program was selected by a panel of experts for its innovative approach. The resulting CDC Worksite Health Promotion video tells the local story, captures the essence of Maple Grove's wellness program and promotes emerging best practices that can be shared with others.

The video is now available on the CDC’s website and will featured as a best practice at conferences around the country.

"Special thanks to all of those city employees who participated in this project and who also continue to participate in the city’s 'Fit for Life' Wellness Program!" Ann Marie Shandley, Maple Grove's human resources director, said in a community alert.

Watch: CDC SWAT Project Video.