The data obtained from the health screenings of a new campus wellness program will help to guide future employee wellness efforts, says Jayme Nekuda, UNMC’s manager of health promotion.
UNMC will receive the compiled, aggregate data, with no individual indicators, from the health screenings and Personal Wellness Profile questionnaires of the SimplyWell program, introduced recently at UNMC. The program is free to UNMC employees who participate in UNMC’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield medical insurance plan. Employees may still enroll by returning their sign-up cards to the SimplyWell office.
Nekuda, who also manages the Center for Healthy Living at UNMC, said that the university will use the aggregate data to target the most prevalent health needs. Areas in which many people may have unhealthy tendencies can affect such things as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high blood sugar.
“We will look at the findings from the aggregate report and focus on the most prevalent four to five needs of the population and then develop specific programs that could significantly impact the health of all UNMC employees. The data that we receive will help us shape the specific types and levels of interventions to implement in the future.” Nekuda said. “For instance, if we find that many of our employees are inactive, we could begin a walking program and target informational and behavior change interventions toward activity/exercise.”
Other possibilities, Nekuda said, include reward programs; self-care books; wellness and disease management classes; and health-care utilization information, as well as helping to inform employees of specific medical benefits information.
Employees must be enrolled in the UNMC medical insurance plan to participate in SimplyWell. Eligible employees should have received a sign-up card in their campus mail within the past week. This pilot study is limited to the first 1,500 employees who enroll by returning their sign-up cards to the SimplyWell office.
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“There’s nothing more important than one’s health,” Nekuda said. “We are responsible for our own personal health and we can each have a huge impact on it through prevention efforts, early detection and early treatment. It’s never too late to make improvements in your overall health and well being. The best time to make some healthier lifestyle choices is before you develop a disease or illness and before a not-so-healthy behavior has become even more ingrained.”
After employees return their sign-up cards, they will be sent a Personal Wellness Profile questionnaire. This questionnaire serves as confirmation of the employee’s registration, and it should be completed prior to the employee attending a SimplyWell health fair. There are 10 such fairs scheduled for the Omaha campus, and fairs also will be scheduled for employees in Lincoln, Kearney and Scottsbluff.
At the fairs, SimplyWell personnel will measure participants’ blood pressure; height and weight; as well as draw a blood lab for a lipid profile, blood sugar and a complete blood cell count to check for anemia and infection. Participants of the health fairs need to fast – eat or drink nothing – for eight to 10 hours before the lab draw. Participants should continue to take any prescribed medications with a small sip of water. If participants have any medical conditions, such as diabetes, which may be effected by fasting, they should consult their physician before doing so.
Other components of the wellness program include:
- A confidential report mailed to participant’s home address to educate the employee about his or her lifestyle and medical risk factors, as well as identifying possible lifestyle changes.
- With participant authorization, results can be forwarded to a physician
- Follow-up information and educational classes
- Free self-care guides for new participants
If you are an eligible employee, but have not received a sign-up card or have misplaced your card, contact Jayme Nekuda at jnekuda@unmc.edu or (402) 559-8448. With questions about the SimplyWell program, call 559-6786 or e-mail your question to info@simplywell.com.