Concordia Plan Services named one of 100 ‘healthiest workplaces’ nationwide

For Immediate Release

Contact: Vicki Biggs, 314-996-1236, 314-556-3829 (cell)

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Caption: Concordia Plan Services employees celebrate being named a “Healthiest 100” workplace with a yogurt bar, fresh fruit and granola in their offices at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis. (CPS/Matt Madden)

Missouri Synod benefits provider garners recognition for making wellness a priority

ST. LOUIS, February 17, 2014—Concordia Plan Services (CPS) has found that an apple a day really does keep the doctor away. CPS, the benefits provider of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), has been named one of the 100 “Healthiest Workplaces” in America.

The new and first-of-its-kind “Healthiest 100” list – compiled by Healthiest Employers, a wellness technology company based in Indianapolis – represents employers of all sizes, regions and industries. Employers who made the list have comprehensively incorporated effective employee wellness programs and practices.

CPS encourages health and wellness among its employees – and all other Concordia Health Plan members – through the “Be Well … Serve Well” initiative, which is designed to help members establish and maintain healthy habits.

“Be Well … Serve Well” is the theme of our health and wellness initiative,” said Jim Sanft, CPS president and CEO. “The end result is not wellness for its own sake. Through stewardship of self we are better fit for the challenges that God has called each of us to take on. If CPS is going to be the champion and encourager of wellness among church workers, then we must be willing to be examples and lead the way for those we have been called to serve. Thanks be to God for allowing CPS to be recognized at a national level for our commitment to health and wellness as we serve the ministries and workers of the LCMS.”

Specific goals of “Be Well … Serve Well” are to help workers understand their health risks, provide tools they need to make and sustain lifestyle changes, and support healthy lifestyles that will benefit their lives and the lives of the people they serve.

The “Be Well Rewards” incentive program supplements “Be Well … Serve Well” by offering gift cards to workers who engage in healthy behaviors, such as eating five daily servings of fruits and vegetables or getting preventative screenings.

Concordia Plan Services administers health, disability, life and retirement programs for LCMS workers. The “Be Well … Serve Well” program is available to all CPS members enrolled in PPO, HMO and high deductible health plan options. For more information, visit www.concordiaplans.org.

About The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is a biblical, confessional, witness-oriented Christian denomination with 2.3 million members — 600,000 households — in 6,200 congregations. Through acts of witness and mercy, the church carries out its mission worldwide to make known the love of Jesus Christ. Learn more at www.lcms.org.

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