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UB promoting healthy lifestyle
University to launch new initiatives at annual Wellness Awareness Day
By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Staff Writer
With the recent creation of the Wellness & Work/Life Balance unit in Human Resources and several new programs designed to encourage faculty and staff to pursue a healthy lifestyle, officials say they’re expecting UB’s new focus on health and wellness to prompt a strong turnout at the ninth annual UB Wellness Awareness Day.
This year’s event, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday in the main gym in Alumni Arena, North Campus, will offer a “global view” of health and wellness by providing information on everything from how to eat right and exercise to preventing disease, saving for retirement and volunteering in the community, says H. William Coles III, assistant vice provost, Educational Opportunity Program, and chair of the Professional Staff Senate’s Wellness Awareness Day Committee.
“We’re concerned about the health and well-being of our faculty and staff,” he says. “We really want to make sure that we pay attention to our general health, so we will have a variety of things going on at this one-day event—a lot of screenings, a pre-event blood draw and assessments are taking place.”
Kathie Frier, director of wellness & work/life balance, says Wellness Awareness Day also will mark the launch of three new initiatives.
The first is the Start Walking Program, a walking program for the university community that will promote physical activity by providing employees with information on walking routes on campus and small incentives and prizes for participation, as well as promoting friendly competition among departments. Faculty and staff members will be able to sign up as participants or team leaders at Wellness Awareness Day.
Amy Myszka, coordinator for wellness & work/life balance, says officials are hoping employee participation in the Start Walking Program will lead to a strong turnout among members of the university community for this year’s American Start Heart Walk on Sept. 20.
Other new programs launching next week are “Breath Free UB,” a smoking-cessation program being conducted in collaboration with the New York State Smoker’s Quitline and Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the Community Outreach for Employees program—or “UB CORE”—where UB employees interested in volunteerism can join a formal group that participates in university-sponsored events like the Linda Yalem Run and Ride for Roswell, as well as other local projects, such as Habit for Humanity or clean-up activities following weather-related events like a severe snowstorm.
“People here are very civic-minded and have a lot to offer the community,” Frier says, noting that UB CORE will provide a powerful outlet for UB employees who want to give back to the community.
The event also will spotlight members of the 15 teams participating in Move It To Lose It 2008, a fitness challenge for university employees based on the NBC television show “The Biggest Loser.” About halfway into the competition, Myszka says, approximately 250 pounds. have been lost by the 30 employees participating in the contest.
In addition, Wellness Awareness Day will provide an opportunity for Wellness & Work/Life Balance to highlight some of its other ongoing programs, including membership discounts for UB employees at some of the region’s most popular health and fitness centers, she adds.
More than 100 informational booths will be set up in Alumni Arena, with representatives from such organizations as Univera Healthcare, Upstate New York Transplant Services, Lifetime Health Medical Group and the Weinberg Campus, as well as on-campus groups and organizations such as Counseling, Student Health and Wellness Education services; the Psychological Services Center; and UB Green.
The event will feature about a dozen presentations specifically geared toward the interests of members of the university community, Cole says, noting that cancer prevention and healthy aging were among the top concerns of the approximately 400 individuals who responded to the Wellness Awareness Day Committee survey sent to faculty and staff members in February. Among the speakers will be Gretchen Leffler, regional vice president of the American Cancer Society, who will speak about early symptoms and cancer screenings; David Holmes, clinical assistant professor of family medicine, School of Medical and Biomedical Sciences, who will talk about healthy aging; and Anne Bielinski of Human Resources, who will run a special retirement information session. Other presentation topics include caring for aging parents, puzzling physical ailments, compulsive eating, self-defense for women, office workouts and “superfoods.”
Some local restaurants and supermarkets, including Lebro’s Restaurant, Wegmans Nature’s Marketplace and Tops Cooking School, will be on site to provide free healthy food samples.
For more information and a complete schedule of events, go to the Professional Staff Senate Web site.