Shawsheen Valley Technical High School Recognized with Award

Shawsheen Valley Technical High School is one of the winners of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ seventh annual Municipal Blue Innovation Awards. The award, along with a $5,000 wellness grant, was presented to the school on Feb. 24.

“Controlling healthcare costs begins by helping employees make the connection between their lifestyle and long-term health,” said Larry Croes, Blue Cross’ Vice President of Commercial and Municipal Markets in a statement. “That’s why we offer a comprehensive worksite wellness program to help municipalities empower their employees to make informed choices. Shawsheen Technical offers a role-model worksite wellness program. We are honored to partner with such an engaged leader.”

The Municipal Blue Innovation Awards highlight the new and inventive cost containment measures, collaborative and customized worksite wellness programs, and innovative health plan designs utilized by municipalities throughout the state.

Shawsheen Technical serves the five towns of Billerica, Bedford, Burlington, Tewksbury and Wilmington.

Shawsheen Technical offers a customized wellness program to their staff, which includes incentive awards for participating employees. They utilize Blue Cross’ ahealthyme platform extensively to advocate for their employees’ health and well-being and to give their employees the tools to live healthier lifestyles. They also hold wellness seminars, including classes on how to manage stress, as well as day long events to target their employees’ health.

“We are honored to partner with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, as they offer a wellness program unequalled in the marketplace,” said Charlie Lyons, Shawsheen Technical Superintendent in a statement. “The grant will allow us to continue to create new and innovative wellness initiatives which work best for our employees’ lifestyles. It will be used to augment equipment in the state of the art fitness facility used heavily by both students and employees.”

According to Blue Cross, the company has been serving Massachusetts cities, towns and regional school districts and their families for more than 75 years, and 79 percent of Massachusetts municipal entities are Blue Cross customers. The company says it’s committed to partnering with school districts and municipalities to reduce healthcare costs while improving the health of their employees.