University applauded for commitment to employee health and well-being

Tufts Health Plan has presented the university with a worksite wellness award for outstanding participation in a wellness program. Michelle Scichilone, assistant vice president for human resources, accepted the award during a wellness summit held Sept. 14 at the health plan’s corporate headquarters in Watertown.

The worksite wellness awards are designed to recognize and celebrate organizations that are committed to improving the health and well-being of their employees while taking strides to create and sustain a culture of health in the workplace.

Earlier this year, Brandeis launched a new wellness program called “Healthy You - Working Together for Your Wellness” with a successful “Know Your Numbers” campaign. Employees were invited to attend an all-day health fair that featured free biometric screenings:  blood pressure, height, weight, total cholesterol, HDL and glucose.  Representatives from Tufts Health Plan, Weight Watchers@work, The Wellness Corporation and Delta Dental were available to answer employees’ questions.

Also, health education specialists provided information regarding nutrition, women’s health/breast health and men’s health and promoted group fitness classes that are open to the entire Brandeis community.   Two additional “Know Your Numbers” screenings were offered to employees who were unable to attend the health fair. An estimated 700 employees participated in the screenings.

To complement the “Know Your Numbers” campaign, employees enrolled in the health plan could take an online personal health assessment. Those who completed the assessment received a wellness report that gave instant feedback on their health risks and outlined steps employees could take to improve their health.

If potential health risks were identified, employees had the option of being contacted by a certified personal health coach who could coach them on steps to improve or maintain their health. Forty percent of employees enrolled in the health plan took the assessment and many engaged with a health coach.

Categories:

Return to the BrandeisNOW homepage