POTEAU–An upcoming training seminar for “Make it Your Business for a Strong and Healthy Oklahoma” will be held April 3.

The training lasts from 9 a.m. to noon and will be held at the Kiamichi Technology Center at 1509 S. McKenna in Poteau.

The event is sponsored by The Poteau Chamber of Commerce, Southern Star Incorporated, The Choctaw Nation, LeFlore County EMS, Snyder Lawn and Landscaping, LeFlore County Youth Services, Boys and Girls Club of LeFlore County, Body Works, LeFlore County Coalition for Healthy Living, Tobacco-free LeFlore County, Wreck-Less Drug Free Communities, Oklahoma Department of Health and the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.

Make it Your Business is an employee wellness training program opportunity with a curriculum designed to enhance the health of your employees.

Businesses will learn how to implement policies and practices that will ensure employee health. The Make It Your Business curriculum is an easy to use toolkit divided into three sections: eat better, move more, and be tobacco-free. All three sections give businesses practical ideas to create their own wellness policies and programs for the workplace at little or no cost. We call this Worksite Wellness! Learn how your business can:

· Improve employee morale
· Reduce number of medical claims filed by employees
· Reduce sick days taken by employees
· Increase employee productivity
· Enhance the work environment
· Attract new employees to your business

Especially in these economic times, businesses must seek ways to reduce cost, enhance productivity, and ensure employees have a healthy work environment. The facts are clear: an obese employee costs $2,485 per year; Oklahoma ranks first in deaths due to heart disease and third in the nation for deaths due to stroke; smokers, on average, miss six days of work annually due to sickness, compared to nonsmokers who miss three days of work per year.

Any business, big or small, is invited to join us and learn more about how to implement physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco cessation policies in your business.

“ This is a great opportunity for all businesses in our area,” said Karen Wages, CEO Poteau Chamber of Commerce. “We are very proud to be a part of Make It Your Business.”