Employee wellness program recognized for making Lipscomb a healthier community
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
Employees who exercise and eat well together stay healthier together.
Lipscomb University administrators firmly believe this thought. They also know that numerous studies show that healthier employees are also happier and more productive.
To help foster healthy habits the university’s HealthyU Employee Wellness Program provides a variety of opportunities for the Lipscomb community to learn about healthy food and lifestyle choices as well as offers incentives to exercise. The program has been so successful that Lipscomb University was recently named a Healthier Tennessee Workplace by the Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness for its commitment to encouraging and enabling employees to live a healthy lifestyle at work and at home.
“Lipscomb University has created a culture of wellness that encourages and enables employees to be healthier, more productive and more satisfied with their jobs,” said Rick Johnson, president and CEO of the Governor’s Foundation. “It’s good for business, and it’s good for Tennessee.”
Being named a Healthier Tennessee Workplace not only acknowledges the quality and impact of Lipscomb’s employee wellness program, but also gives participants access to additional health and wellness resources.
“This recognition validates the impact that we hope to have with our wellness program,” said Anna Rose Robertson, PhD and coordinator of Lipscomb’s employee wellness program and assistant professor of kinesiology. “We want our employees to reap the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. In that process, we are helping create a healthier Tennessee.”
Robertson said the HealthyU Employee Wellness Program is a free benefit for all full-time Lipscomb employees that offers services and events to encourage employees to participate in the program and to engage in health-enhancing behaviors. A $300 tiered incentive is available to those who are covered by Lipscomb insurance. Services include health and fitness evaluations, wellness consultations, personal training and educational sessions.
This fall the university also added a new health and wellness website portal for personalized wellness and preventive care. Through this portal, developed by eDoc4U and The Visibility Company, Lipscomb employees may track fitness activity and healthy behaviors, log related information and progress toward goals and participate in competitions and challenges as well as receive recognition and incentives. The portal serves as a gateway for managing personal health, includes a health assessment, targeted educational programs, real-time automated incentive tracking, discussion and leader boards, blogs and individual dashboards for monitoring wellness patterns, measurements and program status. The university is providing this tool free to all of its full-time employees.
“This new portal is a very powerful way to improve the health and wellbeing of our community,” said Stan Lowery, director of human resources, which sponsors the program. “Leveraging the power of all of the integrated features of this new resource, we hope that all of our employees will want to engage in healthier lifestyle habits.”
Robertson said the new wellness platform makes it easier for employees to track their progress and encourages lifestyle changes.
“We continually look for ways to enhance the wellness program and to provide more opportunities for employees to improve their health,” said Robertson, who has directed the program since 2008. “This new approach encourages long-term behaviors that will contribute to a person’s health for years to come. The institution’s investment in this program is a concrete example of how Lipscomb cares for its employees.”
A major component of the new approach is a focus on preventive behaviors including regular well visits to physicians.
“If there are regular interactions with healthcare providers problems can be caught early and the outcomes improved,” said Robertson.
A spiritual component is also a key aspect of the HealthyU program.
“When we know whose we are, we are more likely to feel purposeful and motivated. We also tend to be more satisfied employees. Spiritual contentment coupled with physical strength gives us the energy and readiness to better use our talents to glorify God.”
The Lipscomb HealthyU Employee Wellness Program was launched in 1992 by Ruth Henry, PhD, professor of kinesiology, as a benefit to Lipscomb employees. Robertson said that through the years many employees have gained much knowledge about their health status and increased their quality of life.
The HealthyU program for the 2014-15 academic year began on Sept. 1, 2014 and runs through April 30, 2015. Five components comprise the program including a health risk appraisal, a series of lunch and learn seminars, online education, physical activity, a primary care physician visit and a spiritual component.
Full-time employees who wish to participate in the HealthyU program, may visit the HealthyU portal at www.lipscombhealthyu.com and create an account. For more information contact Robertson at wellness [at] lipscomb.edu.