Researching Employee Wellness Programs: Partnering with a Health Promotion Class

Given that healthcare costs are becoming a major concern for worksites more employers are recognizing the benefits of on-site health and fitness programs. Universities are not immune to the rising costs in healthcare and thus are turning towards wellness and prevention programs. Recently on our campus, a committee made up of interested faculty, staff and supervisors began collecting information about what to offer to employees. The formation of this committee became a perfect opportunity to involve a health promotion class learning about program implementation. This poster will detail a project between a health administration class and an employee wellness committee interested in starting a wellness program on a college campus. The committee asked the class to research and report on other universities' wellness program offerings. As an assignment for the class, the students had the opportunity to serve on the committee and report information on the viability and sustainability of the wellness programs they researched. The employee wellness committee will use the students' research efforts to determine what is feasible for our own campus. This poster will outline the following: 1) how the partnership formed and the project was executed; 2) highlights on the successes and challenges encountered throughout this class project; and 3) suggestions for other campus-based opportunities that may offer potential interdisciplinary partnerships. Health promotion classes are prime settings for bridging out-of-classroom learning experiences and in-classroom discussions, but identifying projects in which students can become involved is key.