Lee County Government wins Aetna Workplace Well-being Award

Fort Myers, FL – Lee County Government has received a Making a Difference Gold Level Aetna Workplace Well-being Award. The announcement came during a regularly scheduled Lee Board of County Commissioners meeting during which employees were recognized with a video and comments.

Aetna’s award recognizes Lee County Government as an employer who successfully creates, provides and supports a healthier workplace for employees through effective programming, tools and resources.

“Lee County’s commitment to supporting employee physical and mental well-being is outstanding,” said Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass, who was chairman when the county received the award earlier this year. “Employees have embraced our expanding wellness programming.”

The program’s success is due in part to Aetna onsite staff members, Human Resources employees dedicated to benefits and wellness and departmental wellness representatives. The county employs about 2,600 people spread across two dozen departments.

The county’s workplace well-being program provides resources to assist employees in creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Examples of wellness programming include yoga classes, group fitness/wellness challenges, nutritional demonstrations and mental health and mindfulness classes. Educational webinars are available through partnerships with Lee Health, the Florida Department of Health, Tobacco Free Lee and the American Heart Association.

Physical health is supported through zero co-pays for CVS Minute Clinics and annual physical examinations, and extremely low employee/spouse/dependent monthly premiums ($160 for a family) with no annual deductibles for in-network care. Mental health support includes access to the Employee Assistance Program with five free clinical appointments, mental health applications and onsite critical-care assistance.

“Our organization continues to support our employees’ health, and our well-being program supports our goal to be Lee County’s employer of choice,” County Manager Roger Desjarlais said.

This is the second consecutive year Lee County Government has been recognized nationally by Aetna. In 2021, the county received an Inspiring Change Bronze Workplace Wellbeing Award.

The Workplace Well-being award was established in 2017 and recognizes middle market, public and labor employers nationwide who offer an Aetna medical plan to employees. Award recipients are selected based on information on their well-being strategy and design, communications and organizational engagement and program implementation and evaluation.

The Gold level, the award’s highest honor, is awarded to employers who successfully create, provide and support a healthier workplace for employees with effective programming, tools and resources to help everyone on their own personal well-being journey.

To watch the video produced to mark the award given to Lee County Government, visit https://youtu.be/bNjTQToIZMk.