UC Team Works to Make Employees Healthier

The University of Cincinnati’s Human Resources Benefits and Wellness team serves as a resource to assist faculty and staff in learning about medical plan changes and university wide wellness opportunities. 

“UC Employee Wellness offers several lifestyle services in order to have a positive impact on health behaviors and improve overall quality of life for UC employees,” said Elizabeth Aumann, UC Director of Benefits. “UC Wellness focuses on eight dimensions of wellness including physical, social, emotional, financial, intellectual, occupational, cultural and spiritual wellness.”

Assisting Aumann is Aubrey Culp, who is pursuing a PhD in health education and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. 

“We are committed to helping employees adopt healthy behaviors and healthy lifestyles by providing them with educational opportunities and resources to improve their knowledge about various health topics,” Aumann said.

The Wellness team works closely with wellness program partners including the Campus Recreation Center, Impact Solutions Employee Assistance Plan, UC Health and UC Physicians. Other partners include College of Nursing, The CECH School of Human Services, Lindner Center of Hope, Healthy Living Connection, University Health Services, and Student Wellness Center. 

Additional employee benefits and wellness offerings include Weight Watchers at Work, preventive health care screenings and exams available through the UC Medical Plan, ergonomic evaluations, lactation rooms, retirement/financial planning seminars, lunch and learn wellness seminars, flu shots, and UC Rec Rewards program. The UC Rec Rewards program allows benefits eligible employees to be reimbursed $26.66 monthly by using Campus Recreation facilities at least eight days per month. Over the next year or so, UC will be implementing enhanced wellness offerings that promote and support the health, safety, and well-being of all employees. Beginning in September, the College of Nursing will provide blood pressure screenings. 

“Many universities have successful employee wellness programs that include a variety of health and wellness opportunities such as health fairs, health education, biometric screenings, smoking cessation programs, health coaching, weight management programs, disease management programs, and onsite fitness and educational programs,” Culp said. 

“An additional component to some wellness programs is a health risk assessment, known as an HRA, a health questionnaire which is used to provide individuals with an evaluation of their health risks and quality of life with a focus on physical activity, eating practices, safety, social health, access to medical care, readiness to change, stress and mental health,” Aumann said.

As a team and in conjunction with campus-wide partners, the Human Resources Benefits and Wellness Team work together to ensure that UC employees are able to take full advantage of their benefits, including a new worksite health and wellness program. 

“Keeping people healthy and well is important to workplace productivity, absenteeism, and reducing health care costs,” Aumann said. “We hope you will support the team’s efforts in making UC healthier place to work!” 

Aumann and Culp will soon announce a program in which UC employees can volunteer as Wellness Ambassadors who share information about the employee wellness program. 

If you have questions about employee wellness opportunities contact Liz Aumann at Elizabeth.aumann@uc.edu or Aubrey Culp at wellness@uc.edu 

For additional information: http://www.uc.edu/hr/benefits.html

or http://www.uc.edu/healthylivingconnection.html