NORWAY — Twenty-seven businesses were recognized recently at the annual Work Healthy! Award Recognition Event held in Norway.

Recognition is based on a number of criteria, all pertaining to the amount of attention given to supporting the health and wellness of their employees.

New participants this year include Hannaford Supermarket, Norway Rehab and Living Center, CN Brown and Oxford Networks. The six award levels range from a Quality to Gold recognition.

This year, Gold recognition went to six businesses, Western Maine Health, Grover Gundrilling, New Balance, WJ Wheeler, Maine Veterans Homes and Oxford Networks. A business does not qualify for Gold unless they have a tobacco-free campus. Also, various amounts of physical activity opportunities and other pro-health support activities are taken into consideration.

Businesses earning the Silver recognition included Community Concepts, Hannaford Supermarket, Maine Machine, Norway Savings Bank, Hebron Academy, Keiser Industries, Richard Bader PT, CN Brown, NE Bank, Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice, Norway Rehab and Living Center, The Sun Journal and Safe Voices.

Earning the Bronze level were MCD, The Progress Center, Tri-County Mental Health, Oxford Federal Credit Union, Androscoggin Bank and WMCA.

Earning the Quality level were The Lost Gull and Paris Farmers Union.

New industries looking to expand look at the health of an area’s employee pool before choosing an expansion site. Currently, Oxford County has one of the highest obesity rates in Maine, and the smoking rate is higher than Maine’s average at about 25 percent. Due to the exploding medical care costs in the U.S., three out of four businesses now have some kind of wellness program.