City of Washougal recognized for employee health

The Association of Washington Cities recently named the city of Washougal as one of 127 recipients of the 2026 WellCity Award, given to entities that meet the AWC Employee Benefit Trust’s WellCity standards and demonstrate a commitment to employee health.

“This is an important accomplishment. The wellness of a city starts with each one of us,” Washougal Mayor David Stuebe said in a news release.

Award recipients are part of the AWC Employee Benefit Trust, Washington’s largest local government employee health benefit pool for cities, towns and other local governments. The trust provides health benefits to more than 270 public entities and more than 36,000 employees and family members across the state. WellCity winners are given a 2 percent discount on medical premiums.

“We live in such a great place with so much to offer us. It is important that we take advantage of all its offerings. Many of our programs are designed toward behavioral changes, like exercising on a regular basis and eating more nutritional meals, because healthy lifestyle changes can lead to reducing or minimizing health risks and decreasing medical costs,” said Stuebe. “Our team-based programs promote a competitive spirit and support our fellow colleagues.”

The AWC is an Olympia-based nonprofit corporation that advocates on behalf of cities and towns and provides training and pooling programs.