AUBURN — Healthy Androscoggin recognized this year’s Work Healthy Award winning businesses during the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce breakfast at Lost Valley recently.

This year’s 27 awarded businesses employ more than 9,000 employees across Androscoggin County. The Work Healthy Award program recognizes businesses for their wellness efforts in supporting tobacco-free and substance-free lifestyles, physical activity, healthy eating, and breastfeeding in the workplace. Employers who support the wellness of their employees benefit from higher morale, reduced absenteeism, and positive community impressions.

This year’s Gold Award winners were: Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice, Auburn-Lewiston YMCA, Central Maine Medical Center, Central Maine Orthopaedics PA, Geiger Group, General Electric, Maine Regional School Unit 16, Pioneer Plastics Corporation, Schooner Estates, St. Mary’s Health System, Thayer Corporation, The Maine Oxy Group, and University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College.

Silver Award recipients were: Androscoggin Bank, Central Maine Community College, Community Concepts Inc., FISC Solutions, Safe Voices, and The Dingley Press.

Bronze Award recipients were: Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, Austin Associates, PA, Bangor Savings Bank, Mechanics Savings Bank, Rose’s Commercial Cleaning, and Tri-County Mental Health Services.

Receiving the Merit Award: Gleason Media

Healthy Androscoggin is a community coalition funded in part by the Fund for a Healthy Maine and is a Healthy Maine Partnership. Healthy Androscoggin is also the connection to Healthy Maine Works, a free online tool designed to guide Maine employers in developing an effective work site wellness plan.

Healthy Maine Works offers employee surveys, an inventory of wellness offerings, and a work plan generating tool. This free resource is available to all Maine businesses, and can be used with the support of the local Worksite Wellness coordinator, Shanna Rogers. For more information, call 795-5927.