Midwest Business Group on Health Joins Building a Healthier Chicago
Executive Leadership Committee to Improve Health in Chicagoland
Knowledge and expertise of MBGH members will support efforts to reduce health risks,
impact health systems and eliminate health inequalities
Media/PR Consultant: Cary Conway
CHICAGO – The non-profit Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) joins the Institute of Medicine of Chicago and the Chicago Medical Society
in leading a community initiative of over 150 stakeholders in making
Chicagoland one of the healthiest cities and regions in the country. Building a Healthier Chicago’s (BHC) is focused on integrating effective,
and sustained community-wide partnerships for health promotion that can
be replicated nationwide. BHC was founded in 2008 by the Chicago
Department of Public Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services-Region V.
MBGH represents large self-insured public and private employers and is a recognized leader in offering education, research and community-based activities that increase the value of health benefits and health care services. “We’re pleased to be able to contribute to BHC our knowledge and the experiences of the private sector to address the challenges of improving the quality, cost and effectiveness of health care,” said Larry Boress, MBGH President & CEO, and a new member of the BHC leadership committee.
MBGH has been part of the BHC initiative since its inception with staff helping to lead the worksite wellness efforts of BHC’s Healthy Worksite Initiative. This initiative offers Chicagoland businesses access to no-cost worksite wellness assessment tools, resources and an annual awards program that recognizes companies for their excellence in worksite wellness.
About Midwest Business Group on Health
With more than 120 member organizations, MBGH is one of the nation’s leading non-profit business groups of large, self-insured public and private employers serving as a catalyst for community initiatives to improve the quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of the health care delivery system. MBGH is an essential resource to support employers in effectively managing their health benefits through high-quality education, research, networking and benchmarking. MBGH is a founding member of the National Business Coalition on Health.
About Building a Healthier Chicago
A collaborative of more than 150 local and national stakeholders, Building a Healthier Chicago’s goal is to improve the health of Chicago’s residents and employees through the integration of new and existing public health, business, medicine, and community efforts. The organization operates under the Social Ecological Model recognizing how environmental factors impact the decisions people make. Individual behavior is influenced by multiple factors: interpersonal, institutional, community, environmental, social, and public policy. The Social Ecological Model seeks to integrate these multiple perspectives to create a health promoting environment in the social space where people live. BHC works with stakeholders to develop and maintain a system of interventions that complement and reinforce each other to maximize reach and effectiveness where people live, work, eat, pray, learn, and play!