Wellness program banks on convenience

For the busy employee, BankNewport’s wellness initiatives emphasize empowering people to take their health into their own hands.
Employees at the Rhode Island community bank can look forward to a new wellness center – equipped with two elliptical trainers, two bicycles, two treadmills, free weights and a locker room with shower, said Carolyn Odell, human resources generalist/officer at BankNewport – when the bank opens its new Middletown headquarters.
The company also has expanded the range of activities offered by its wellness program, Vitality, to include Zumba, a sleep seminar, and workshops in weight management and family nutrition. By providing numerous opportunities to practice fitness and health awareness, BankNewport makes healthy living a convenient choice.
“People who are not joining the gym are attending these events and workshops,” said Odell. She also noted that BankNewport stocks its vending machines with healthy options.
In addition to supplying resources that make a healthy lifestyle easier for employees, BankNewport will continue its annual Walk for Fitness this fall. The program challenges employees to see who can walk the most steps over a period of six weeks, measured by personal pedometers.
Walk for Fitness usually has a participation rate of more than 100 of BankNewport’s 270 employees, according to Odell. •