Group Health is now in its 63rd year as an innovative, consumer-governed, non-profit healthcare system with 640,000 members in Washington and Idaho! There are 6,300 staff members located at five worksite affected by the state Commute Trip Reduction Law and at 13 non-affected sites just in King County. Program results demonstrate that practically 2,600 employees participate in the organization's trip reduction program within King County. What makes Group Health stand out in the crowd is its unrelenting commitment to climate change as a founding member of the Seattle Climate partnership and the company's emphasis on reducing air and energy pollution by reducing drive-alone trips, miles traveled and traffic congestion. The goal is to identify effective strategies to reduce the company’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions by reducing their carbon footprint.

In 2009, the company decided to make a substantial change in order to provide more concentrated incentives to employees. All parking subsidies were eliminated for drive-alone vehicles at all sites across Washington state. Alternative transportation subsidies were increased to provide enhanced support for options and to demonstrate the commitment to environmental sustainability and the promotion of healthy communities.

Group Health strongly supports bicycling as commuting option. The company is a presenting sponsor of the Commute Challenge Bike to Work Week during the month of May and also hosts a rest stop for cycling commuters on Bike To Work Day. Group Health is a main sponsor of the popular Seattle to Portland (STP) Bicycle Classic. Group Health has a company policy of going green, and this includes reducing paper usage and streamlining electronic processes for ordering transit passes, requesting information on biking and walking, and carpool requests. Group Health’s goal is to continue to be an innovative leader in the transportation arena.

 

*Some definitions: An "ETC" is the staff-level employee transportation coordinator responsible for the daily administration of the transportation program. "SOV" stands for single-occupant vehicle, and "CTR" for commute trip reduction.