Absentee Shawnee Tribe "Certified Healthy"

As part of an effort to create healthy places in Oklahoma to live, work, learn and play, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), along with the Oklahoma Academy, The State Chamber, and the Oklahoma Turning Point Council announced the annual award winners for the state Certified Healthy Oklahoma programs. This year, more than 570 applications were submitted from groups throughout the state, and over 480 award winners received the “Certified Healthy” status in the categories of Certified Healthy Businesses, Certi-fied Healthy Restaurants, Certified Healthy Schools, Certified Healthy Campuses, and Certified Healthy Communities. An awards ceremony honoring the winners was held in March.

The Absentee Shawnee Tribe was awarded as one of the Not-for-Profit Businesses for Oklahoma Certified Healthy Business. Accepting the Certified Healthy Oklahoma award at the March Awards Ceremony were our Wellness staff: Sacha Almanza and Sidna McKane. Other tribal organizations were also awarded the Certified Healthy Oklahoma. 

Through the Certified Healthy program, Absentee Shawnee is creating an environment to provide health and wellness opportunities and is working to improve the health status of their tribal members and employees. To be certified, businesses must meet specific criteria, including providing employee health screenings, workplace health and nutrition education, opportunities for physical exercise activities, management support for healthy workplace environments, tobacco use prevention activities, and sharing wellness activities within their respective communities.