Rowan County recognized among healthiest employers in region

Published 12:02 am Thursday, June 30, 2022

ROWAN COUNTY — As one of the largest employers in the area, Rowan County is more than just a municipality but also a place of work for over 1,000 different individuals around the area according to recent N.C. Department of Commerce data.

One point of emphasis that the county has maintained while employing this sizable workforce has involved the focus they placed on healthy lifestyles for their employees.

In recent years, Rowan County has not only been named one of the healthiest workplaces in the region, but also among the best in the nation as well.

This trend of healthy lifestyles and outcomes for county employees has continued in 2022 as the Charlotte Business Journal recently named them the third healthiest employer for organizations between 500-1,499 employees in the Charlotte region.

Rowan County was applauded for the efforts of their human resources department as well as the County Wellness Committee, which was designed specifically to offer seminars, workshops, exercise programs, an annual benefits program and more.

“We are proud of our wellness programming because it offers a variety of opportunities for employees to participate in which focus on our employees’ physical, mental and emotional well-being. We are able to offer many of these opportunities on-site at the employee’s place of work, which promotes engagement and encourages employees to participate in activities that they otherwise may not be able to find or make time for in their personal lives,” said Debbie Holshouser, the county’s assistant director of benefits and risk management.

The county was also recognized for their introduction of health coaching and individualized care planning. In addition to this, employees had no-cost co-pays for diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol medications.

The improved health of the workforce remains a priority for the Rowan County government as they work to set an example not only for themselves but for the community as a whole at a time when the county itself recently dropped in national health rankings.