The city of Walthourville recently was selected by the Georgia Municipal Association to receive an Employee Health Promotion and Wellness Incentive Grant. The grants are awarded statewide to promote worksite programs designed to enhance the health and wellness of city employees and family members.
The grants, which are underwritten by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, are awarded based on a city’s commitment to employee health and demonstrated collaboration with other community groups and organizations engaged in health promotion.
As part of the grant process, the city designated a health-promotion leader to develop a workplace health-promotion action plan and to attend Local Government Risk Management Services’ high impact health promotion and wellness training session.
The GMA offers wellness services to all member cities through Local Government Risk Management Services, a nonprofit agency operated jointly with the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.
Employees will be offered a confidential health-assessment program using a health-risk appraisal. The assessment will include a blood-pressure screening and health-improvement feedback.  
“We are pleased that GMA recognizes our interest in employee health and in managing health-care costs,” Walthourville Mayor Daisy S. Pray said. “This grant will help us provide new programs to our staff.  We are very excited to partake in making our employees healthier.”