Oklahoma State University was named the 2015 Champion of Health in the Corporate Health Champion category. 

The Champions of Health awards program is presented by the Office of Secretary of State and Native American Affairs, the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians, the Oklahoma Dental Association, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the Oklahoma Hospital Association, the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association, the Oklahoma Primary Care Association, the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the Oklahoma State Medical Association in partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, a Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company. 

“Winning this award is quite an honor,” Chief Wellness Officer Suzy Harrington said. “Blue Cross and Blue Shield has been a key collaborator to enhance wellness in our work environment. A multifocal, multi-level approach is required for success, so we synergize personal, interpersonal, organizational, environmental, and policy behavior change strategies.”

Since 2004, the Champions of Health awards have honored organizations and individuals who are making a difference in the health of Oklahomans.  It recognizes the organizations, projects and programs that work to overcome Oklahoma’s negative health statistics.

“Oklahoma State University, America’s Healthiest Campus, is a leader in university wellness,” Harrington said. “OSU defines wellness broadly. It is being the best we can be – the most engaged, most productive, most successful, and the most confident. It is who we are – more than what we do, much more than diet and exercise. We are transforming health for our students, our employees, and within the Oklahoma communities in which we live, learn, work, and play. We strive to harmonize the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and professional dimensions of wellness.” 

The following winners will be recognized at the gala: 
  
The Family & Children’s Services – Women in Recovery (WIR) program has been named the recipient of the Dr. Rodney L. Huey Memorial Champion of Oklahoma Health, the highest honor of the Champions of Health awards. 

Champion of Children’s Health 
WINNER: Suzanne Nance Cyrus, Action Based Learning (Tulsa) 
FINALIST: Cabrini Wellness Ministry (Oklahoma City) 
FINALIST: Global Gardens (Tulsa) 

Champion of the Uninsured 
WINNER: Oklahoma Project Woman, Inc. (Tulsa and Oklahoma City) 
FINALIST: Hospice of Green Country (Tulsa) 

Champion of Senior Health 
WINNER: Eastern Oklahoma Donated Dental Services, Inc. (Tulsa) 
FINALIST: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Healthy Aging (Talahina) 

Community Health Champion 
WINNER: D-Dent (Statewide) 
FINALIST: HeartLine, Inc. (Oklahoma City) 

Corporate Health Champion 
WINNER: Oklahoma State University (Stillwater) 
FINALIST: Nabholz Construction Corporation (Oklahoma City and Tulsa) 
  
The Champions of Health Gala will be held Sept. 29 at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Johnny Bench, Oklahoma native and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, will be the keynote speaker.  The Champions of Health gala benefits the Oklahoma Caring Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that provides Oklahoma children with immunizations at no charge. For more information about sponsorships or the gala, visit championsofhealth.org.