On Thursday, the American Heart Association recognized Casa Dorinda as a Gold Level Fit-Friendly Worksite for providing healthy eating options and promoting a culture of physical activity and wellness for employees.

“We are proud to be recognized by the American Heart Association,” said Ron Schaefer, chief executive officer at Casa Dorinda. “A very important aspect of being a successful retirement community is having people who are happy and healthy. It is very gratifying to be recognized for our commitment to our employees’ health and well-being.”

“We have worked really hard to be considered a Fit-Friendly worksite, so this is a great honor. We have twice-weekly fitness classes for staff, healthy menu choices at our employee grill, and the response from our employees is outstanding,” said Marilu Greene, health and fitness manager at Casa Dorinda. “It’s exciting to see our employee wellness programs take off so positively and to such acclaim. I know we will achieve platinum status next year!”

Gold Level Fit-Friendly worksites fulfill criteria such as offering employees physical activity support, increasing healthy eating options at work, and promoting a wellness culture. Requirements for Gold Level achievement are a minimum of 25 employees at the worksite, implementing at least six of the physical activity criteria, and two of the nutrition criteria provided by the American Heart Association.

— Toby Ayars is a publicist representing Casa Dorinda.