ROCKLEDGE, FL. (July 30, 2009) — Health First Health Plans (HFHP) was recently named one of Florida’s Best Companies To Work For.

One-hundred companies were recognized in small, medium and large company categories, and HFHP ranked #29 of 50 medium-sized companies. The rankings—the first statewide Best Companies list—appear in the August issue of Florida Trend and on FloridaTrend.com.

The Best Companies To Work For in Florida program was created by Florida Trend and Best Companies Group and endorsed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals, the Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC), the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, the Florida Society of Association Executives (FSAE) and the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“Our goal is to recognize companies that strive to build even better workplaces for their employees, thereby strengthening their own as well as Florida’s competitive advantage in the national and global arenas,” says Florida Trend Publisher Bruce Faulmann.

To be considered for participation, companies or government entities had to employ at least 15 workers in Florida and be at least a year old.

Companies that chose to participate in the Best Companies To Work For in Florida process underwent a two-part survey process. The first part consisted of evaluating each company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure employee satisfaction. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration, survey and analysis process and determined the final rankings. Companies were not required to pay a participation fee to go through the online assessment process.

“Since our mission is to improve the health of our community, we’re always encouraging our members to get active and get healthy, but we also practice what we preach,” said HFHP CEO Peter Weiss, MD.  “For example, we’re sponsoring the American Heart Association’s Brevard Heart Walk, but we also have several employee teams raising money and exchanging their coffee break for a walking break—and we encourage it. This has the double benefit of not only improving health, but also reducing stress and building teamwork so we can truly focus on our priority—serving our members,” he added.

We’ve highlighted the practices of companies that have established themselves as great places to work —including everything from how they train their workers to how they communicate and the kind of pay and benefits they provide. This is a great opportunity for companies in Florida to learn from each other as they go about improving their own effectiveness,” says Mark Howard, executive editor.

For a complete list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in Florida, go to www.FloridaTrend.com/BestCompanies.

About Health First Health Plans

HFHP has served residents of Brevard County and part of Sebastian in Indian River County for 13 years.  HFHP was founded as part of Health First, a not-for-profit family of healthcare services that also includes Cape Canaveral Hospital, Holmes Regional Medical Center, Palm Bay Hospital, Viera Hospital, Health First Physicians, and Pro-Health & Fitness Centers. HFHP also recently received an Excellent Accreditation—the highest level possible—from the National Committee on Quality Assurance. For more information, visit www.healthfirsthealthplans.org or call 321.434.5665.

About Florida Trend

Celebrating its 50th anniversary last year, Florida Trend business magazine is recognized each year in regional and national award competitions for editorial and creative excellence and is committed to providing the very best, forward-looking and in-depth reporting on business, finance and public policy in Florida. Florida Trend reaches 156,000 readers monthly.  For more information, please visit www.FloridaTrend.com.

About Best Companies Group

Best Companies Group works with national and local partners around the country and in Canada to establish and manage “Best Places to Work,” “Best Companies,” and “Best Employers” programs on a national, statewide and regional basis. Through its thorough workplace assessment, utilizing employer questionnaires and employee-satisfaction surveys, BCG identifies and recognizes companies that have been successful in creating and maintaining workplace excellence. For more information, please visit www.BestCompaniesGroup.com.