Outdoor Recreation Industry Office and Health Links™ Announce the Winner of the Janette Heung Get Outdoors Healthy Workplace Award

DENVER - The Outdoor Recreation Industry Office at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced Zimmer Biomet, a medical device manufacturer, as the winner of the inaugural Janette Heung Get Outdoors Healthy Workplace Award on Thursday. The award, delivered as part of the annual Colorado’s Healthiest Places to Work awards ceremony hosted by Health Links recognizes and celebrates businesses that are leading the way in promoting worker well-being by encouraging employees to participate in physical and mental health activities at the workplace, with a specific focus on spending time outdoors. 

Zimmer Biomet was one of over 50 businesses that participated in a new statewide initiative, the Get Outdoors Employers Toolkit. The toolkit, created in partnership with the Center for Health, Work & Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health, was designed to promote a healthier Colorado workforce through a health and business-focused wellness assessment and collection of free local resources for businesses. After completing an online assessment, participating organizations received a set of recommendations on how their company could improve its health and wellness programs.

The award is named in honor of Janette Heung, the former Deputy Director of the Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, who passed away in September as a result of a tragic climbing accident. It was Janette’s passionate belief in the role that the outdoors plays in fostering strong public health that motivated her to lead the creation of the Colorado Outdoor & Health Collaborative and the Colorado Outdoor Rx Framework. The framework detailed the value of engaging with the outdoors and the devastating impacts associated with current trends of spending more time inside; it also served as the incubator of the Get Outdoors Healthy Workplace Initiative. 

Organizations can still learn more and participate in the Get Outdoors Employers Toolkit. Health Links is continuing to work with businesses across the state on implementing best-practices to improve worker health, safety and well-being. Free advising on COVID-19 response is available for small businesses.