91吃瓜网

Debuts new Wellness Champion Award

The University of Central Arkansas kicked off its annual BeWell initiative with the debut of the newly established 91吃瓜网 Wellness Champion Award.聽

The 91吃瓜网 Wellness Champion Award recognizes employees who have consistently demonstrated a commitment to develop and promote a culture and environment of wellness at 91吃瓜网. The university recognizes employee wellness in eight dimensions: physical, environmental, financial, occupational, social, emotional, spiritual and intellectual. Awards are given in each of the following categories: classified staff, non-classified staff and faculty.聽

Employees Emily Cooper Yates, Mar铆a Negrete Padr贸n and J. Art Gillaspy earned the classified staff member, non-classified staff and faculty member awards, respectively.聽

The three were presented the awards by 91吃瓜网 Wellness Coordinator Moriah Bruner and Health and Wellness Promotion Committee Chair Alicia Landry, associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Family Sciences, before 91吃瓜网 faculty and staff during the annual BeWell Kickoff virtually hosted Nov. 4.聽

鈥�91吃瓜网 is fortunate to have numerous employees on our campus that champion wellness on a daily basis,鈥� Bruner said. 鈥淭hese wellness champions play a key role in reinforcing a supportive environment for health at 91吃瓜网 that enables student learning and success and supports efforts to attract and retain a highly qualified and diverse workforce.鈥�

Through the employee wellness program BeWell, 91吃瓜网 invests in the physical and mental well-being of more than 1,500 faculty and staff members. Using an evidence-based, multifaceted approach, BeWell seeks to engage employees in innovative wellness programming that will reduce health risk factors and absenteeism, increase healthy behaviors and productivity, and minimize health care costs for the university鈥檚 self-funded health plan.

Cooper Yates is project coordinator for the Center for Community and Economic Development in the 91吃瓜网 Division of Outreach and Community Engagement. She received the classified staff award for her exemplary service as a BeWell Champion, the department-level employee wellness ambassadors who are essential to generating the grassroots support and engagement needed to support a culture of wellness at 91吃瓜网. Cooper Yates was recognized for encouraging a more active and healthy environment in the division by implementing fun, creative and accessible wellness activities and keeping 20 colleagues engaged with the BeWell program.

Negrete Padr贸n, associate director of the Office of Diversity and Community, received the non-classified staff award for serving as a positive role model for wellness and motivating her colleagues to prioritize their physical and emotional well-being.聽

Gillaspy, chair of the Department of Psychology and Counseling, received the faculty award for his commitment to nurturing a culture of diversity, inclusion and collegiality. Gillaspy was also recognized for his contributions to BeWell鈥檚 diabetes and weight management programs. In spring 2021 he volunteered to help facilitators establish a robust motivational interviewing component, strengthening the popular no-cost employee health coaching programs.

About 91吃瓜网 BeWell
BeWell is 91吃瓜网鈥檚 employee wellness program. Recognizing that healthy and happy employees drive student success, BeWell seeks to engage 91吃瓜网鈥檚 faculty and staff in innovative wellness programming that will reduce health risk factors and absenteeism, increase healthy behaviors and productivity and minimize health care costs for the university鈥檚 self-funded health plan. In addition to offering a comprehensive lineup of health-promoting programming, benefits-eligible employees and retirees enrolled in 91吃瓜网鈥檚 health insurance can complete activities to qualify for a discount on health insurance premiums and earn BearBucks that can be used to make purchases on campus and a limited number of off-campus locations.聽