If you are ready to quit smoking but need some help, the American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking program may be the answer. This free, at-work program features a step-by-step quit plan. Participants will meet once a week for eight weeks. Each class is 60- to 90-minutes long. The group format encourages individuals to work on the quit process both individually and as a group. Four to 10 participants are needed to hold a series.

For more information, please send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

If you get confused by all the studies and theories on nutrition and want to improve what you consume, join the Eat Right for Life challenge. This five-week program begins Feb. 10. During the challenge you will be asked to read one chapter a week from the book Eat Right for Life by Ann G. Kulze, M.D. and take a short survey to assess your current eating habits. Then select a nutrition goal for the week from a list provided and track your progress. Along the way you will receive weekly emails with resources and tips. To register for this challenge, please send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

We all experience stress in our lives. It comes from many sources, positive and negative. And although short-term stress may heighten your senses and help you in a crisis, chronic prolonged stress can have a negative effect on your physical and mental health. 

Join Danielle Green, director of the Student Counseling Center, on Feb. 12 from 2–3 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310–311, as she discusses stress, how it impacts us, how to cope with it, and how to make it your friend. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hr-build-stress-management-tickets-83694084259 or send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

In 2019 we took a closer look at the faculty & staff wellness program, including biometric screenings, to determine best practices as it relates to the well-being of our staff.  Aggregate reports indicated that wellness program biometric screenings did not significantly improved health measures for organizations’ participants. While screenings identify basic health risks, employees may or may not follow up with a physician for treatment of any conditions or issue detected in the screening. Biometric screenings are also limited in scope while annual physicals cover a wider array of physical and mental health conditions, including a review of health history, medications, vaccinations, mental health symptoms, and scheduling of recommended preventative screenings.

Articles were placed in OnCampus and HR Monthly explaining potential changes to the wellness premium incentive program.  After carefully reviewing the comments,the decision has been made to move forward with a physician only option in 2020. 

Those employees wishing to participate in the wellness program and receive the reduced premium for the 2021 plan year will need to complete an annual physical with a primary care doctor between Dec. 1, 2019, and Nov. 30, 2020, and submit the attached Physician Exam Completion Form by Dec. 2, 2020. 

We extended our timeline for receiving a physical back to Dec. 1, 2019, to include those employees with December physicals.  Any employee who completed their physical last December should have their physician fill out the attached Physician Completion Form and return it to the Drake Human Resources Office, attention Linda Feiden. 

The on-campus UnityPoint screening and Hy-Vee screening option will no longer be available.  Also, we will continue to offer voluntary on campus screenings with the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, but they will not take the place of the annual physical with a primary care provider.

Should you have questions, please contact Linda Feiden in Human Resources at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

The next Weight Watchers at Work series begins Jan. 29. Meetings are held Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in Cartwright Hall. This includes a 15-minute confidential weigh-in period followed by a 30-minute class. Cost is $158.10 for the 17-week series.

If you are interested in joining, please email Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu by Friday, Jan. 17.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

If you are ready to quit smoking but need some help, the American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking program may be the answer. This free, at-work program features a step-by-step quit plan. Participants will meet once a week for eight weeks. Each class is 60- to 90-minutes long. The group format encourages individuals to work on the quit process both individually and as a group. Four to 10 participants are needed to hold a series.

For more information, please send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Please join HR in welcoming six new, full-time Drake University employees for the month of December 2019.

Christine (Chris) Bass, Office of the Registrar, Veterans Advisor / School Official
Mohamed Farghaly, Public Safety, Campus Public Safety Officer
Gabriel (Gabe) Henderson, Public Safety, Campus Public Safety Officer
Alyssa Caldbeck, Head Start, Mental Health Consultant
Richard (Rick) Spellerberg, Business & Public Administration, Data Analytics Coordinator
Tanner Leth-Nissen, Athletics, Assistant Director, Relays Event Production

Please join HR in welcoming 14 new, full-time Drake University employees for the month of November.

Ciara Kissane, Athletics, Assistant Director, Relays Operations
Lisa Wyatt, School of Education, Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Jessica Morgan-Tate, Finance & Administration, Title IX Coordinator/Equity & Inclusion Policy Specialist
Michael Schnackenberg, Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Pharmacist, Sinfonia
Toni Turck, Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Pharmacy Technician
Alexandra (Alex) Rosburg (Wahlert), Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Administrative Assistant
Kayleigh Plew, Head Start, Head Start Teacher Associate
Darcy Baughman, Head Start, Family Engagement Specialist
Kylie Smith, Head Start, Head Start Teacher Associate
Damien Chance, Head Start, Mental Health Consultant
Amelia Satre, Head Start, Head Start Teacher Associate Substitute
Chance Tamminga, Public Safety, Campus Public Safety Officer
Jason Lamping, Ray Center, Director, Character Counts Business Development
Ryan Trump, Office of the Registrar, Associate Registrar, Scheduling, Registration & Transcripts

— Laura Schwarz, Human Resources

Human Resources and the University Benefits Committee regularly review best practices to ensure wellness programming is effective and impactful. Over the past few years, Drake has been following a trend away from employer-sponsored on-site biometric screenings in favor of annual physical exams with a primary care provider.  This trend was prompted by research suggesting that annual biometric screenings, without corresponding physician consultation, do not effectively impact wellness outcomes.

While biometric screenings identify some indicators of health risks, there is no follow-up to identify whether an employee with a potential health risk went to a physician for treatment.  Biometric screenings are also limited in scope while annual physicals cover a wider array of physical and mental health conditions.

With an annual physical, employees are more likely to develop a doctor-patient relationship.  The physician can review health history and medications.  Employees will receive age and gender specific physical exams, and recommended preventative screenings will be scheduled.  And when a health concern is found, the doctor will treat it and schedule follow-up appointments if necessary.

For these reasons, the University Benefits Committee and Human Resources are considering wellness program changes for 2021.  For those wishing to participate in the wellness program and receive the reduced premium for the 2021 plan year, an annual well-check with a primary care doctor would need to be completed between January 1, 2020 and November 30, 2020.  While the on-campus UnityPoint screening and Hy-Vee screening option would no longer be available, on-campus voluntary screenings by the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences would continue to be available for those who value periodic assessments of biometric information.

One key consideration in assessing this change, is making sure there are ample resources for those who wish to participate but do not currently have a primary care physician.  Human Resources will develop additional resources for this purpose.  The University Benefits Committee and Human Resources welcome input regarding this change.  You may send comments or questions to hr@drake.edu between now and December 11^th.  Watch for additional communications about these changes in January, 2020.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources