The city of Enumclaw has been honored with the WellCity Award by the Association of Washington Cities.

Enumclaw was one of 34 Washington cities and towns that received recognition for its workplace wellness program at the association’s annual conference.

The WellCity Award recognizes cities and towns that demonstrate best practices in employee health promotion. A city must meet the minimum criteria in each of nine WellCity standards to receive the award.

Healthcare costs have hit Washington cities and towns hard during the past decade, increasing 200 percent between 1998 and 2008, according to Mike McCarty, AWC acting executive director. He noted more than 200 of the state’s cities and towns now offer wellness programs for employees.

Statewide, city employees with strong wellness programs average $300 per year less in health care claims than those without wellness programs.

Other benefits of employee wellness programs include improved morale, increased productivity, reduced use of sick leave, reduced workers’ compensation claims and reduced health care utilization and costs,” said Gayla Gjertsen, AWC’s director of insurance services.