2021

2021 Healthiest Employers in the Healthcare Industry

December 8, 2021 - Caring for the Workforce and the Community

2021 Healthiest Employers in the Healthcare Industry

Healthiest Employers in the Healthcare Industry

Caring for the Workforce and the Community

December 8, 2021

Each year, the Healthiest Employers® awards program honors companies who are considered leaders and innovators in workplace wellness. Our main award programs are broken down by the regional level. All applicants are then eligible for national recognition in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America awards program.  

This year, we decided to take the program a step further and honor our Healthiest Employers based on industry.

Below we have named the Healthiest Employers of the healthcare industry. This industry made up 16.2% of our 2021 applicant pool, the most of any industry. Because of the pandemic, healthcare workers have had to overcome many obstacles and challenges within the workplace. These employers stepped up in a time of need to ensure their people were cared for and safe in a time of crisis.

If you are interested in viewing your personalized report options, check out our Benchmark Report page here. You may utilize discount code HE50 at checkout for 50% off your customized report.

Congratulations to the following organizations for their ongoing commitment to their people and caring for their communities!

1st Northwell Health

HQ: Lake Success, New York

Full-Time Employees: 55,973

2nd in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

Northwell Health serves as the state’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals and more than 665 outpatient facilities, providing services for more than 70,000 employees. Even with so many employees at Northwell, it is important for them to create a community to support and recognize each other. Many employees have experienced trauma and loss over the past year and a half, leading to an enhanced emotional well-being support network. They added emotional support call centers equipped with licensed healthcare professionals, a Center for Traumatic Stress Resilience and Recovery for in-person therapy, and held services for members of the team and their families who were affected by COVID-19. When surveyed anonymously, 90% of the population at Northwell said that they were “proud to work here,” a testimony to the positive environment that upper leadership has maintained during this difficult time.

“For quite some time, we’ve been advancing a broad definition of health that encompasses addressing social determinants of health equity. This has allowed us to build a comprehensive and sustainable model for achieving and sustaining optimal well-being.” – Maxine Carrington, CHRO


2nd Baylor College of Medicine

HQ: Houston, Texas

Full-Time Employees: 10,606

3rd in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a health sciences university that applies science and discoveries to further education, healthcare, and community service, both locally and globally. At BCM, their top priority is educating and communicating with their population and providing the resources they need to be the best version of themselves. They actively utilize 25-30 different forms of communication for wellness programming to include virtual options, newsletters and brochures, and in-person presentations and seminars. They believe their enhanced communication options have led to a 56% closed gaps in care over the past year among their top two chronic conditions. With the ongoing threat of COVID-19, BCM is continuing to add support for employees, including food delivery services, scrubs, and uniform cleaning to employees that are exposed to high-risk patients, and hotel stays for those exposed to COVID-19 to protect their families and friends at home.

“This program has helped numerous members of our community reach their personal health and well-being goals. By using innovative technology and internal partnerships, we have been able to successfully lower our overall health risks as well as reduce healthcare-related costs for both our employees and the College. As we continue to expand as an institution, it is essential we continue to provide these effective resources to support our employees as they continue their work carrying out the mission and vision of Baylor College of Medicine.” – Joe Doty, Chief Operating Officer


3rd Witham Health Services

HQ: Lebanon, Indiana

Full-Time Employees: 996

5th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

Witham Health Services is the preferred healthcare provider of Boone County, a northwestern county of the Indianapolis area. Witham Health Services has landed on the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America three years in a row. They place a heavy emphasis on mental health, as they believe that positive mental health leads to positive physical health. They are proud of their 93% participation rate and ability to help their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. They realize the importance of incorporating a diverse range of wellness programming to help reach all employees.

“Our wellness program's flexibility is one of its best features. There are any number of ways employees can participate, from classes to self-guided activities. It does not matter if you are an introvert or an extrovert, the variety of events sponsored by the wellness program make it easy for anyone to be a part of it.” – Emily Rogers, Vice President of Support Services


4th Norton Healthcare

HQ: Louisville, Kentucky

Full-Time Employees: 13,000

10th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

Norton Healthcare is a non-profit hospital and health system that has more than 250 locations throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Even with a global pandemic, Norton Healthcare employees experienced many triumphs. In the past year, tobacco use decreased 2.6%, participants’ health scores decreased approximately .5 on average, and hypertension decreased 2.5%. When reviewing their annual spend, they also discovered that their wellness participants cost 5.4% less than non-participants on medical claims and 9.4% less for prescription claims. This speaks volumes to their positive culture of wellness during such an uncertain year.

“As a healthcare organization, we know that employees who take care of their mind, body, and spirit are able to provide a more positive healing environment for the more than 600,000 patients we serve each year. From sponsoring friendly walking competitions to offering reduced-cost gym memberships and wellness workshops, we are dedicated to fostering a culture of wellness to give our employees the tools and motivation they need to be successful. A healthy workforce correlates to our high employee engagement, but, most importantly, it enables us to meet the healthcare needs of our community.” – Russ Cox, President and CEO

5th UnitedHealthcare – Kansas City

HQ: Overland Park, Kansas

Full-Time Employees: 2,850

11th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

6th DaVita, Inc.

HQ: Denver, Colorado

Full-Time Employees: 53,300

16th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America


7th Excela Health

HQ: Greensburg, Pennsylvania

Full-Time Employees: 3,421

17th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America


8th Riverside Healthcare

HQ: Kankakee, Illinois

Full-Time Employees: 2,030

25th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

9th Kaiser Permanente

HQ: Portland, Oregon

Full-Time Employees: 11,107

27th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America


10th Bon Secours Mercy Health

HQ: Cincinnati, Ohio

Full-Time Employees: 39,158

28th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America


11th University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

HQ: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Full-Time Employees: 77,000

32nd in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America


12th OrthoCarolina, P.A.

HQ: Charlotte, North Carolina

Full-Time Employees: 1,674

33rd in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America


13th South County Health

HQ: Wakefield, Rhode Island

Full-Time Employees: 814

43rd in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America  


14th Harris Health System

HQ: Bellaire, Texas

Full-Time Employees: 9,985

45th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America


15th PeaceHealth

HQ: Vancouver, Washington

Full-Time Employees: 16,195

46th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

16th Permanente Dental Associates

HQ: Portland, Oregon

Full-Time Employees: 136

47th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

17th Samaritan Health Services

HQ: Corvallis, Oregon

Full-Time Employees: 5,087

48th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

18th Premier Inc.

HQ: Charlotte, North Carolina

Full-Time Employees: 2,566

49th in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

19th Corrective Chiropractic

HQ: Atlanta, Georgia

Full-Time Employees: 18

63rd in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

20th AdventHealth

HQ: Maitland, Florida

Full-Time Employees: 83,000

63rd in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America

Interested in comparing your program to that of these top organizations? Click here to purchase your personalized report and utilize discount code HE50 at checkout for 50% off your report!



The Healthiest Employers® survey is scored and powered by Springbuk, a health intelligence platform that simplifies data-driven decision-making with an intuitive user experience, predictive modeling, and curated action steps. Since 2009, Healthiest Employers has been the leading recognition program for employee wellness. Today, we currently host award ceremonies in over 45 regions across the country and applicants are not only eligible for local recognition, but also have the chance to earn a spot on the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America. This national award takes the highest scoring applicants from all locations, company sizes, and industries. To sign up for the Healthiest Employers newsletter and get more information on our events, join our mailing list today!

To see more of our 2021 winners and finalists in the Healthiest Employers program, click here!