ARLINGTON — The city of Arlington has earned its 13th consecutive WellCity Award from the Association of Washington Cities Employee Benefit Trust, making it one of 84 cities receiving the award in 2012. The award is based on meeting stringent best practice standards in employee health promotion.

Arlington is the only city in the state to have earned this prestigious award 13 years in a row. The city continues to provide a wellness program built and run by employees, which encourages them to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle choices.

Award recipients receive a 2 percent premium discount on their Regence BlueShield or Asuris Northwest Health medical coverage for employees and spouses in 2013. While the discount is an incentive for earning the award, the benefits to the employees and the city as a whole reach far beyond.

Founded in 1933, the Association of Washington Cities is a private, non-profit, non-partisan corporation that provides legislative representation, educational training, technical assistance, municipal liability insurance, health insurance and other services to Washington’s cities and towns.

AWC’s Employee Benefit Trust provides health benefits to more than 15,000 city employees in Washington.