Last month, Amazon received more than 200 proposals from citiesacross the country vying to become home to the company’s covetoussecond headquarters, an honor that will bring a $5 billion facilityand 50,000 jobs.

Though Amazon’s conservative benefit offerings have set it apartfrom others in the tech industry offering trendy benefits such asfree food of laundry services, its Seattle campus is a legendaryexample of corporate culture, boasting rooftop gardens,biospheres, and flexible, pet-friendly office spaces. What citywouldn’t want to welcome Amazon’s second headquarters?

Cities’ bids included everything from the sensible--outlines oftransportation and infrastructure and myriad tax incentives—to theabsurd—Stonecrest, Georgia, offered to rename itself Amazon, andBirmingham, Alabama placed giant Amazon boxes throughout the cityto promote its bid.

Related: How to influence employee behavior with thebenefits you offer

In an editorial published on Huffington Post, however, public health policyexpert Brian Castrucci makes an appeal directly to Amazon founderJeff Bezos to put one factor ahead of the rest as the companyevaluates the bids: Health policy.

“You can’t divorce the health of your company from that of thesurrounding community where your employees will live, raise theirfamilies, and educate their children,” he writes, asking ofAmazon's courting cities, “Did any of them discuss their success inreducing absenteeism from illness, or how their investment in theircommunity’s health might help lower your health insurancepremiums?”

When so many businesses are focusing on implementing incentivesand programs to improve employee wellbeing and lower health care costs for themselves and theiremployees, Amazon is in a unique position to nip such issues in thebud from the get-go.

Castrucci, whose background includes years working with stateand local health departments, implores Bezos to draw on a set ofrecommended policies drafted by the de Meaumont Foundation known asCityHealth aimed at helping people live longer andhealthier lives. In his letter to Bezos, Castrucci outlines severalof the nine policies his foundation considers critical to peoples’wellbeing and quality of life, including:

Paid sick leave: According to Castrucci, thereis a significant disparity between paid sick leave offered topeople in management positions and those working in the serviceindustry. “These are the folks we interact with every day, the waitstaff at lunch, the grocery clerk, those with whom your employeeswill share public transportation,” he writes. “If they are sick atwork, they can make your employees sick.”

Complete streets: This policy point encouragescities to consider the various modes of transportation available toresidents, including cars, public transit, bike and foot traffic.“Complete streets policies also keep people active, which,ultimately, will mean lower health care costs for you,” saysCastrucci.

High-quality, universal pre-kindergarten: Thisparticular policy takes aim at long-term community improvement,connecting investment in education to better, higher-paying jobslater in life.

Other policies addressed include inclusionary zoningregulations, the sale of alcohol, efforts to curb tobacco use,access to healthy food and air quality standards. “Ultimately, weknow that a healthy workforce is more productive workforce and hasfewer absences,” writes Castrucci. “It is undeniable that employeehealth is indelibly tied to the health of the community.

“Mr. Bezos, you changed how we buy and sell products,”Castrucci writes in his final plea, “By including the presence ofspecific policies that are business-friendly and that supporthealth in your decision-making process, you have an opportunity toset a new standard for how businesses interact with and influencethe communities where they are located; how businesses can impactand improve the health of the nation.