ACHS #6 OF 100 BEST COMPANIES

Portland, Ore.—March 21, 2017American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS), an accredited, online integrative medicine college based in Portland, Ore., was recently recognized for being ranked #6 of 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon by Oregon Business magazine at their March 2, 2017 banquet at the Oregon Convention Center. The 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon recognition is based on employee survey responses about workplace practices and benefits. This is the first time ACHS has been named to the 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon list, and the college will be featured in the March 2017 edition of Oregon Business magazine with its cohort of 2017 recipients.

“As a wellness-focused college, our mission is to educate our students, as well as our staff and community, about how to live healthier lives,” says ACHS President and Founder Dorene Petersen. “We are committed to operating with integrity deserving of the trust of our students, customers, suppliers, community, and staff — so it’s a great honor to be recognized by our family of employees for our efforts to make working at ACHS a healthy, rewarding experience.”

ACHS offers innovative online certificate, diploma, and degree programs, study abroad, continuing education, and on-campus community workshops to a diverse community, including traditional students, healthcare professionals, military, and parents. The college has proudly been an Oregon business for more than 24 years.

“I was fortunate to have the support of the President and our Board to formalize many family friendly policies over the past two years,” says Erika Yigzaw, Chief Strategy Officer. “I was inspired by a collaboration with the head of the Center for Parental Leave Leadership, Amy Beacom, and a group of businesses in Portland that were striving to ensure meaningful—and funded—work-life balance for working parents. Our policies reflect the value of each staff member to the overall team and demonstrate the social impact that thoughtful corporate policies can have in the absence of legislation. Creating policies like our paid parental leave (6 weeks at full pay or 12 weeks at half pay) and subsidized daycare also helps ensure that we retain our valuable brain trust of long-term employees. In a knowledge-based industry like ours, that adds significant value and that is the heart of the B Corp™—supporting the triple bottom line of people and the planet, as well as profits.”

Administratively headquartered in the John’s Landing neighborhood of SW Portland, ACHS’s mission is to provide: professional online and on-campus education and high-quality natural products with a commitment to sustainable practices and principles. The college’s commitment includes a focus on green practices and principles to ensure a clean and safe working environment and to foster a culture of environmental stewardship within the office and greater community.

ACHS was the first accredited higher education institution specializing in holistic health and wellness to become a Certified B Corporation® and in 2016 was named #6 of 100 Best Green Workplaces by Oregon Business magazine. ACHS was also honored with a 2016 When Work Works award, administrated by the Families and Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management, and recently received the City of Portland Sustainability at Work Certification. The college also maintains Oregon Tilth Certified Organic status for its onsite Apothecary Shoppe.

The Oregon Business 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon award recognizes a company’s commitment to best workplace practices. The rankings for the 100 Best Companies list are the result of confidential responses from employees who answered 20 questions about their workplace satisfaction, including benefits, management, trust, work environment, and career development. More than 10,000 employees completed the 2017 survey.

Link for more information: http://www.oregonbusiness.com/article/the-magazine/march-2018/item/17552-100-best-companies-to-work-for-in-oregon-2017

For more information about ACHS and its current sustainability programs, visit www.achs.edu, call 800.487.8839, or email admissions@achs.edu.

For questions about this press release, email publicrelations@achs.edu.

About ACHS

Founded in 1978, ACHS.edu is a Portland, Ore. based accredited college offering online, on-campus, and study abroad integrative health education. With undergraduate and graduate degrees, diplomas, certificates, and CEUs in integrative medicine, ACHS makes holistic health and wellness education accessible to a diverse community of learners, including healthcare professionals, military students, stay-at-home parents, and lifelong learners. Specializations include aromatherapy, herbal medicine, holistic nutrition, and wellness. ACHS is a Certified B Corporation® and 2016 Top Green Workplace award winner from The Oregonian. ACHS is also accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Visit www.achs.edu.