Featured Company – University of Iowa
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
www.uiowa.edu
Year the company was established: 1847
Company Mission statement:
In pursuing its mission of teaching, research and service, the University of Iowa seeks to advance scholarly and creative endeavor through leading-edge research and artistic production; to sue this research and creativity to enhance undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, health care, and other services provided to the people of Iowa, the nation, and the world; and to educate students for success and personal fulfillment in a diverse world.
Describe your main business:
The University of Iowa is a major national research university located on a 1,900-acre campus in Iowa City in southeast Iowa. The University is composed of 11 colleges, the largest of which is the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, enrolling most of Iowa’s undergraduates. The Henry B. Tippie College of Business, the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, and the Colleges of Education, Engineering, Law, Nursing, Pharmacy, enroll undergraduates, and with the Colleges of Dentistry and Public Health provide graduate education in conjunction with the Graduate College. The University of Iowa is also home to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, a world class academic health care center.
Total number of employees: Approximately 22,000
Briefly describe your wellness program:
The liveWELL program is a comprehensive and integrated worksite health and productivity program for faculty and staff at The University. Health-related lifestyle management programs are offered in-person, via telephone, and electronically via web-based platforms. A Personal Health Assessment survey is the foundation of the program with nearly 70% of those eligible participating annually. At-risk individuals or those seeking to make a lifestyle improvement can participate in free one-on-one or small group health coaching at the worksite. Health Coaches are well-positioned to work with the individual and also provide warm referrals to counseling, family services, primary care, or disease management. Web-based interactions –highly tailored to readiness to change and University/community resources- are available for topics like stress management, weight management, managing high blood pressure and cholesterol, physical activity and nutrition. There are five campus recreation facilities where faculty and staff receive a membership incentive for using the facilities an average of one time per week. “UChoose” is a campus-wide nutrition campaign which designates healthy food items with an apple logo that has an “I” in it, showing all consumers of food at The University that healthy options are available.
Approximately when did you begin a wellness program at your company: 1999
What has been your greatest challenge in wellness within your company:
The University has a decentralized campus with over 100 buildings, 11 colleges, and a diverse workforce. One of the challenges is communicating liveWELL programs, services, and benefits to this wide range of faculty and staff in a way that is meaningful to them. This challenge, though, has also been one of our greatest opportunities in terms of being able to tap into campus experts in health care, communication, and business.
What goals do you have for 2011 for company wellness:
- Improving/enhancing faculty and staff health
- Managing health care costs
- Improving performance/productivity of faculty and staff
- Demonstrating population risk migration for specific health risk factors
What is one idea/lesson that you have learned about wellness within your own company that you would like to share with other people:
We all know that a one-size-fits all approach is not the best approach. What works well at other higher education or health care institutions may not work well in our culture. At The University of Iowa, we have learned that we need to segment our communications to target various groups within our setting to get the type of participation we want. Postcards go to people who don’t use email very often; emails go to people regularly at their computer; home mailings go to people who may work off-campus or who spend portions of the academic year out of the office. We also need to communicate regularly to leadership on campus about the business case for health and wellness, and positive outcomes associated with our health management efforts. Leadership support is critical to the overall success of our initiatives and in the engagement of our faculty and staff.