NEWRY — Sunday River Resort has been received an award for excellence in injury management for 2022 from the Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Co.

The ski resort was considered the best among more than 20,000 policyholders insured by MEMIC when it comes to caring for injured workers.

The award recognizes that the employer uses the insurance group’s best-in-class services to focus on the injured person’s return to health and eventual return to work. Characteristics for consideration include use of First Call 24/7 injury triage service, timely filing of claims, strong return-to-work and light-duty procedures, coordination with risk control to avoid similar injuries, use of in-network care as allowed, little or no attorney involvement, utilization of First Fill Rx, and practicing values of transparency and partnership.

“Sunday River has instilled a culture of care that is an example for all our policyholders, and for their entire industry,” MEMIC Group president and CEO Michael P. Bourque said. “We’re proud to partner with the people at Sunday River to make it a consistently safer and more productive place to work, and we will continue to deeply collaborate with them on our team approach to safety.”

Sunday River was recommended for the relationships they build with their partners, including MEMIC. The company has formed solid relationships with preferred providers that allow them to provide needed services to their injured workers 24 hours a day, including transportation to appointments from work or home.

“Sunday River has worked hard to create a culture of care for its many team members,” Cathy Witherspoon, chief human resources officer for Boyne Resorts, parent company of Sunday River Resort, said. “Leading that charge is Rachel Padovani, Sunday River’s workers’ compensation coordinator. Rachel’s empathy and attention to detail are simply unmatched and play a huge role in why Sunday River Resort is being recognized for this award.”

Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Co. annually reviews the work of policyholders to recognize their distinction in injury management and is dedicated to helping policyholders avoid unnecessary costs by keeping workers safe on the job and to efficiently handle claims for injuries when they occur.

The MEMIC awards were established in 1994 to celebrate best practices in workers’ compensation. Since 2021, the MEMIC award for excellence in injury management has recognized employers that help injured workers regain health and return to work.