Drake University
PA-13: Wellness Program

Wellness Programs for Students: -Counseling Center - The University Counseling Center (UCC) offers to all currently enrolled Drake students a variety of counseling services at no additional cost to students. The UCC is available for workshops, training, various assessments, and referral information. Additionally, they offer consultation services to students, staff, and faculty who might have questions about student mental health issues or topics. https://www.drake.edu/counselingcenter/ -Every semester Drake Wellness offers a variety of programs for students, faculty, and staff to enjoy in addition to access to different recreational services and facilities and intermural sports. All programs are free for all Drake students, faculty, and staff. Services and programs provided by Drake Wellness include: *Group Exercise Classes *Custom wellness programs *Bulldog Swim Challenge *NETA Fit Fest *Bulldog Bootcamp *Glow Hip Hop *Dead Day Yoga https://www.drake.edu/recservices/wellness/ Wellness Programs for Faculty and Staff: -All full-time Drake employees and their family members may utilize the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefits from Employee & Family Resources (EFR). Besides the more familiar services such as phone-based support and in-person counseling, they also offer financial and legal consulting, eldercare resources, childcare resources, and identity theft resolution services. I have attached a copy of their available resources. -Drake also offers employees well-being services through a comprehensive wellness program. The wellness initiatives can be broken down into awareness, educational, behavior change, and miscellaneous programming. -Awareness: The goal of awareness programs is to make employees conscious of an event, condition, or problem. This includes items such as wellness screenings, fitness assessments, & body composition analysis. *Wellness Screenings - A wellness screening is offered once a year to those participating in Drake’s medical benefits plan. By participating the employee can qualify for small savings on their health insurance premium. The primary goal of screening is to make employees aware of their biometric numbers so they can take action if needed. *Fitness Assessment & Body Composition Analysis – This is offered through the Recreational Services Department. The body composition analysis breaks down the percentage of fat, bone, water, and muscle in your body and what that means when determining certain health risk factors. The fitness assessment is designed to evaluate your health and fitness. It provides baseline measurements of your current endurance, strength, flexibility, and coordination. There is a small fee for faculty and staff. It is a free service for students. -Education: The goal of educational programs is to impart fundamental knowledge to grow and expand. This includes wellness presentations and the Wellness Library in Recreational Services. *Wellness Presentations - These are offered during the fall and spring term, addressing various topics related to wellbeing. Many of these classes are part of the BUILD (Bulldogs United in Learning Drake) series. Wellness Library (managed in the Recreational Services office) - Drake employees may check out books, audiotapes, workout, and educational videos. -Behavior Change Programs: The goal of behavior change programs is to teach people behavioral skills to help them incorporate healthy habits into their daily routine. This includes nutrition and health coaching, wellness action programs, weight loss group meetings, group exercise classes, and community supported agriculture (CSA). *Nutrition Coaching - Sodexo Campus Dietitian Lucas Flaherty offers free services including 1-on-1 dietary consultation, allergy management, disease management, and meal ideas/recipe guidance. *Health Coaching Through the College of Pharmacy & Health Science (CPHS) - This team of certified health coaches are also clinical CPHS faculty. They can help employees set goals in all aspects of wellness including exercise, nutrition, managing medications, stress management, and smoking cessation. There is a small fee to participate. *Personal Training Programs – Recreational Services offers faculty and staff personal training sessions for a small fee. They will create a customized exercise program for the individual. *Wellness Action Programs – These individual or team-based challenges are designed to teach and encourage participants to make healthy choices across the various dimensions of well-being. They are a great way to incorporate all faculty and staff (including our off-campus employees) into wellness programming. Samples include Holiday Trimmings Weight Challenge, Couch to 5K training, and a Financial Fitness Challenge. Weight Watchers – This is a 12 or 17-week weight loss program that provides employees with a weekly educational session and support group meeting with the goal to provide the tools necessary to maintain a healthy weight. It requires a minimum of 15 paying members to bring this on campus. *Group Exercise Classes (through Recreational Services) – A variety of group exercise classes are offered each semester by trained students, faculty, and staff to accommodate all fitness levels. Classes are held in the Drake Bell Center and all equipment is provided. *CSA (Community Supported Agriculture – During the spring/summer, interested faculty and staff purchase a share of the season’s bounty before it has been planted and in return receive a share of what the farm produces. Weekly or bi-weekly, participants receive a box of seasonal fruits and vegetables. This is a good way to encourage employees to add a variety of fruits and vegetables to their table. -There are a number of programs that don’t readily fit into just one type of wellness programs. This includes items such as chair massages, the Des Moines Corporate Games and the Healthiest State Walk. *Chair Massages - The goal is to give employees who don’t normally have the time or resources for a full message the chance to participate. They are held in various locations around campus in ten or twenty-minute time blocks. *Des Moines Corporate Games – This local event gives employees a chance to participate in a variety of competitive and non-competitive sports with other companies and universities in Des Moines. *Healthiest State Walk – This one-mile walk is part of the State of Iowa’s Healthiest State initiative. It is an opportunity to include faculty, staff, and students in a wellness program. *Stand-alone Events – This includes programs such as bone density and vascular screenings which are facilitated by either an outside vendor or inside resources and which may or may not include a cost to the participant.