Category: Wellness

Well Wisconsin Radio: Let’s Talk Exercising for Longevity

If you are looking for well-being tips and advice from local experts, Well Wisconsin Radio is the podcast for you!

February 2024 Episode: Exercising for Longevity

Many Well Wisconsin program members are participating in the Move for a Million Challenge! As the focus is on moving more, Thad Hubbell, a WebMD health coach and certified personal trainer with 25 years of experience working with beginners to professional athletes. Thad talks about exercising for longevity, supporting an active future and living longer. Also discuss starting an exercise routine after injury or with chronic pain and new Well Wisconsin coaching resources available to support your well-being.

Listen HERE!

NOTE to those eligible for the 2024 Well Wisconsin Inventive – Listening to two episodes of Well Wisconsin Radio from season 3, dated November 2023 and later, will qualify for well-being activity credit.

The Academic Staff Professional Development Programming Committee Upcoming Training Opportunities

The Academic Staff Professional Development Programming Committee (ASPDPC) invites all staff and faculty to 2 training opportunities this semester, though priority will go toward academic staff. Registration is required and details are as follows:

 

“Autism Thinking”

DATE CHANGE: February 20, 2pm-4pm, online

“Autism Thinking” is designed to inform participants of the neurodevelopmental characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Topics include, but are not limited to: Executive Functioning, Context Blindness, Theory of Mind, Central Coherence, Joint Attention, and One-Channel Processing. An understanding of these characteristics and challenges arms participants with the knowledge required to support individuals with ASD in their daily lives (in the classroom, in the home, or in the community). This presentation ends with a discussion of the methods used to support individuals with ASD. These practical tools and strategies will help participants be proactive and confident in their efforts to support individuals with autism in a variety of settings.

Register for Autism Thinking, attendance is limited to 60 participants.

 

“Mental Health First Aid”

March 21, 8am-3pm, lunch included, in-person, location TBA

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Higher Education teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This training — which focuses on the unique experiences and needs of college students — gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care.

Register for MHFA, attendance is limited to 30 participants.

 

Sent on behalf of the Academic Staff Professional Development Programming Committee (Christopher Ledvina, Daniela Beall, Katie Morois, Lynn Rotter, Pooja Agarwal).

Well Wisconsin Radio: Let’s Navigate Diet Trends

If you are looking for well-being tips and advice from local experts, Well Wisconsin Radio is the podcast for you!

January 2024 Episode: Navigating Diet Trends

If you are focusing on healthy eating habits in the new year, don’t miss this episode on navigating diet trends. Get advice from a registered dietitian on identifying credible nutrition information from fad diets. During this interview with Mackenzie Burke, RD and lifestyle coach from UW Health, explore popular weight loss diets including keto, intermittent fasting, intuitive eating, Mediterranean, MIND, flexitarian and more.

Listen HERE!

NOTE to those eligible for the 2024 Well Wisconsin Incentive – Listening to two episodes of Well Wisconsin Radio from season 3, dated November 2023 and later, will qualify for well-being activity credit.

Positive January Challenge

This time of year, can have people feeling the winter blues, the next Wellness Challenge is here to help. From January 7th to January 27th, we are going to focus on positive thoughts!

For one week keep track of how many times you complain. Then the next 2 weeks focus on not complaining or changing those complaints into positive thoughts on your situation instead.

Please email completed forms to wellness@uwgb.edu by February 7th to be put in a prize drawing.

If you are enrolled in the State Group Health Insurance complete this challenge as part as your well-being credit for the $150 incentive!

Follow these instructions to report your completion for your well-being activity – Report completion for Well-being credit – January. Make sure to select Kindness in Step 7.

Need some inspiration on this challenge? Attend the Well Wisconsin Changing Your Thought Pattern Webinar on Thursday January 11, 2024 11:30 am – 12:00 pm. Register here, or check out the blog post for more information on the webinar.

PDF: Positive January Challenge

Well Wisconsin Changing Your Thought Patterns Webinar

Understand ways of thinking that cause people to view reality in inaccurate ways and identify how to change your thought patterns. Explore the benefits of practicing self-compassion and reflection. Discover new resources available through the Well Wisconsin program that can help you feel happy, healthy and at home as you work toward well-being.

Join the webinar Thursday January 11, 2024 11:30 am – 12:00 pm.

Register HERE!

If enrolled in the State Group Health Insurance attending two Well Wisconsin Webinars throughout the year will earn your well-being credit for the Well Wisconsin $150 incentive. Also complete the health assessment on WebMd.com, and complete a health check, to get the incentive. Available for spouses also enrolled in your State Group Health Insurance.

For more information on the Well Wisconsin Program or to complete your activities, log in to webmdhealth.com/wellwisconsin/.

 

2024 Onsite Health Screenings

Time to register for your onsite health screening!

A free health screening* event has been scheduled for employees (and spouses) who are enrolled in the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program.

At an onsite screening, you’ll learn your measurements for blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol (HDL, LDL, and total), triglycerides and glucose, and be in and out in 20 minutes. Register Today!

  • LOCATION: University Union, Phoenix Rooms, Green Bay Campus
  • DATES: Wednesday April 3, 2024 OR Wednesday September 18, 2024
  • TIME: 8:00 am to 11:30 am

Please register at WebMD ONE – Login (webmdhealth.com) by clicking Get Started on the Biometric Screening card.

Earn your $150 Well Wisconsin Incentive

Complete three activities by October 11, 2024 to earn the $150 Well Wisconsin Incentive.

  1. Get a health screening or complete another health check option (ex: dental exam or coaching session).
  2. Complete the health assessment at webmdhealth.com/wellwisconsin  it takes about 10 minutes and is mobile and table friendly!
  3. Complete a well-being activity (ex. complete a challenge, listen to two Well Wisconsin pod casts, etc.)

For more information on the Well Wisconsin Program or to complete your activities, log in to webmdhealth.com/wellwisconsin.

*The Well Wisconsin incentive program is a voluntary program available to employees, retirees and spouses enrolled in the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program, excluding Medicare Advantage participants who have incentives available through their health plan. The Well Wisconsin incentive will automatically be issues to eligible participants upon completing the applicable activities. All wellness incentives paid to participants are considered taxable income to the group health plan subscriber and are reported to their employer, who will issue a W2. In some cases. the Wisconsin Retirement System acts as the employer. Retirees, continuants and their spouse will have some taxes withheld from the incentive amount earned. 

Well Wisconsin Program Participation – UW-Green Bay finished in top five!

Well Wisconsin is the uniform wellness program offered as part of the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program. This program is voluntary and provided at no cost to you and your spouse, if enrolled in the State Group Health Insurance Program. The program offers resources that can help you maintain or improve your current state of well-being and help lower your health risks and costs. There is also a monetary incentive available for you (and your spouse) to earn through the program.

The 2023 numbers are in, and 41.44 % of eligible UW-Green Bay employees (310 people) completed the three steps to get their $150 wellness incentive in 2023!  We also had 88 spouses complete the steps to get their incentive (21.10% of eligible spouses).  Listed below are the top five institutions.  For comparison, the 2023 participation rate for all eligible UW employees was 35.44%.  UW-Green Bay’s participation rate has been higher than the UW overall participation rate each year since 2019 – great job UWGB!

  1. Universities of Wisconsin System Administration (46.58%)
  2. UW-Oshkosh (45.03%)
  3. UW-Stevens Point (42.58%)
  4. UW-Stout (41.73%)
  5. UW-Green Bay (41.44%)

There are three steps to get our $150 wellness incentive, and the activity piece had the lowest completion rate for us:

  1. Health Assessment (44.12% of employees completed this step) (brief online questionnaire)
  2. Health Check (42.51%) (onsite health screening, dental exam or one coaching session)
  3. Health Activity (41.84%) (check out the new options for 2024: Well Wisconsin Well-Being Activities Flyer)

How do our health risks at UW-Green Bay compare to UW overall?  Our three highest health risks are the same:

  1. BMI (Body Mass Index)
  2. Blood Pressure
  3. Cholesterol (Total)

Get ready for 2024!

In good health, and with closer connection is exactly where you belong in 2024. Well Wisconsin is here to help. Learn how by joining one of the kick-off webinars on January 16 or January 31. With the new year comes new resources to support you through more personalized coaching options, including pain management, weight management, diabetes prevention, and more.

The incentive deadline will be October 11, 2024.  To participate in the Well Wisconsin Program, login or register on the WebMD ONE website (code: SOWI) or download the Wellness At Your Side mobile app through the App Store or on Google Play (code: SOWI).

Move for a Million in 2024 

Do you remember the Million Steps Challenge from years ago? It’s back and better than ever. Move for a Million is your challenge to move anyway that works for you, reaching the equivalent of one million steps. WebMD is hosting a webinar, “Move for a Million: Exercises for All” on January 18. Register for the webinar to get inspiration and movement recommendations for your life.

Don’t forget Wellness at Your Side this Holiday season

Take wellness with you wherever you go this holiday season. Chat with a coach, listen to guided meditations, or manage your Daily Habits plan. Keep Stress in Check, Cope with the Blues, Enjoy Exercise, Balance Your Diet, and more are all available anytime with the Wellness at Your Side app. Download the app and use connection code: SOWI. This app is available through Well Wisconsin.

More Information

For additional information regarding the Well Wisconsin Program, go to webmdhealth.com/wellwisconsin or contact the WebMD HelpLine at (800) 821-6591. Additional information may also be found at etf.wi.gov/well-wisconsin-members.

Personal health information is protected by federal law and will not be shared with the Universities of Wisconsin, Employee Trust Funds, or the group health insurance program. For more information, review privacy policy, short privacy video or the Department of Employee Trust Funds’ (ETF) Notice for Wellness Programs.

Reminder: To be eligible for the Well Wisconsin Program, you must be an employee, spouse or retiree enrolled in the State Group Health Insurance Program.  The incentive is considered taxable income.