UofL scored 67.09 out of a possible 100 on the health employer index (HEI), which is 10 points higher than the national average (58.7) and higher than the Louisville average as well. The average index for a Louisville company this year was 60.4 – up 17 points from last year.��

“It is great to see how we stack up against so many other business and organizations, locally and nationally, and to know UofL is well-positioned as a leader,”  said Patricia Benson, AVP of Health, Wellness and Disease Management.��

Benson said the UofL team will review the six key metrics of the HEI index to consider how to improve the employee wellness program, as well as how to best serve the entire campus community.��

“That is one of the positives that come from events and competitions like Healthiest Employer.�� It gives us an understanding of how we are doing in comparison to the industry as a whole and where to make changes,” she said.��

UofL has participated in the Business First Healthiest Employer competition since inception, securing the title as Healthiest Employer in the inaugural event in 2010. This year’s large group category competition included companies such as Yum! Brands, Humana, Norton Healthcare, GE Appliances and more.

Benson said since 2010, more companies — both locally and nationally — have implemented worksite wellness programs, reaping positive rewards.��

“UofL has a great story to share in that regard – both in terms of return on investment and value on investment,” she said. “We will continue looking for ways to expand our comprehensive health and wellness offerings with the heart of every employee in the forefront of our mind.”

Methodology

The Healthy Employer Index (HEI) is based on an analysis of the company’s wellness program in six key metrics:  

• Culture/leadership commitment;
• Foundational components;
• Strategic planning;
• Communications/marketing;
• Programming/interventions; and
• Reporting/analysis.

The scores were calculated by Healthiest Employers, an Indianapolis-based research firm. The scores are calculated using an online survey completed by participating employers. Each employer is ranked with their individual Healthiest Employer Index (HEI). The survey consists of 75 scored questions.

On April 14, Van Amstel will bring that fitness program to UofL. Get Healthy Now will host two LaBlast classes taught by the Dancing with the Stars world champion. Offerings include LaBlast Fitness, April 14 from 9-10 a.m., and LaBlast Line Dance, April 14 from 6-7 p.m. Both will be held at the GHN Wellness Center, 601 Presidents Blvd. Cost per class is $10, $15 or $20, depending on when tickets are purchased.

For the Early Bird pricing of $10, tickets need to be purchased by March 31.

LaBlast is a described as a multi-level dance fitness program designed for the absolute beginner to the already experienced dancer. While enjoying dances like the Disco, Cha Cha, Jive, Samba, Paso Doble, Merengue, Salsa, etc., over time students progress at their own rate.

“We teach the true skill of dance, to modern music, based on all of the dances you see on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ It’s an excellent way to get your heart rate up, working out your physical body, and work out your emotional-self, by connecting with yourself,”  Van Amstel said.

His visit to UofL was facilitated by Paula Kommor, senior wellness specialist. She met Van Amstel during the Building Healthy Academic Communities Conference in Florida in 2017 and was “more than impressed.”

“Seeing him in action was the highlight of the conference for me. I appreciate his approach, which is similar to the wellness coaching approach that we teach at UofL. Our goal is to get our clients out of their thinking (self-talk) brain into their feeling brain and tap into their heart and their values,” Kommor said.

Kommor connected to Van Amstel and followed up after the conference. At the time, he had rolled out the LaBlast program at Ohio State University, which turned out to be a serendipitous connection.

“Patricia Benson, our AVP of Health, Wellness and Disease Management, has a strong partnership with Ohio State and therefore Louis was thrilled to come to UofL,” Kommor said.

This isn’t the first time GHN has hosted a dancer of this magnitude, however. Ten years ago, UofL hosted Beto Perez, the creator of Zumba Fitness, at Papa John’s Stadium. That year marked the beginning of the Zumba Fitness trend in the U.S. and there were maybe eight instructors in Louisville. Kommor says there are now more than 500 in the city.��

She believes LaBlast is on a similar trajectory.��

“I am personally excited about Louis’ approach to teaching dance. It is powerful and he can motivate anyone – even if you think you have two left feet – to get up and move. He can help them get out of their thoughts and begin by standing up and merely feeling and clapping to the different rhythms,” Kommor said.

Van Amstel’s appearance at UofL will mark the first time he has hosted a master class in the state of Kentucky.

LaBlast offerings at UofL

To get more of an idea of what to expect from LaBlast, the program’s taglines are:  

• “Dance like a star and workout in disguise.”
• “If you can clap it, you can dance it.”

For the 9 a.m. class, LaBlast Fitness, participants can expect an energizing dance fitness class that blends the true skill of ballroom dance with calorie-blasting properties of interval fitness. Carefully-curated music playlists from all eras and genres keep participants engaged and entertaining while learning the Tango, Rumba, Quickstep and more. It is partner free and high energy. .��

For the 6 p.m. class, LaBlast Line Dancing, participants can expect a new approach to traditional line dancing through the easy-to-learn Disco, Foxtrot, Samba, Paso Doble and more. All dances are partner free and can be done anywhere. .��

For additional information, contact Paula Kommor via email.

Report: John Elliott

Elliott provided a number of updates from HR, including:

The number of RIFs as of last week is 113. That includes 57 grant positions and 19 retirements. The RIF pool is now active and HR has received four applications so far. No hires have been made through this channel yet.

The COO search is underway, and the committee will have recommendations to President Postel by the end of November. The director of total rewards search is also underway.

A reboot of performance evaluations is on the radar for HR, though no actions are likely until 2018. Elliott said the evaluation process is a common grievance he hears throughout campus.

The HR department continues to reorganize and includes the hiring of additional compensation analysts to make that a more streamlined and efficient process.

Elliott said HR is looking to add more leadership development opportunities for staff employees, including skills training.

Finally, the grant-funded hiring process has been refined. It used to take candidates months to onboard. It should now take about two to three weeks.

Report: Patricia Benson

Benson provided an update about Get Healthy Now’s new $15-per-month fee going into effect Jan. 1. The fee is being implemented to cover costs of the GHN Wellness Center and its operations/classes, and it includes the use of the gym equipment, fitness classes and additional wellness resources.

Benson encouraged employees to take tours of the wellness center and host meetings in the facility.

“You will be able to see how dedicated we are to the health and wellbeing of the Cardinal family,” she said. “We want to keep you healthy and strong so you can achieve your goals.”

Benson answered a few questions about the new fee, and outlined the number of resources offered compared to a Planet Fitness-type of gym. For example, GHN recently partnered with UofL Health Management Services and now has a nurse and nurse practitioner on site to work with employees who have diabetes, COPD and hypertension. This service is done at no additional cost.

Report: Lee Smith

Smith said the search for a new permanent chief of police has kicked off. Also, the inaugural Veterans Day event for employees was a success, with about 60 to 70 people in attendance, and he hopes this becomes an annual celebration.

He also provided updates on the operations and procurement savings his department has been tasked with achieving. For the $10 million goal in operational savings, the university has identified about $5 million in savings through the first quarter, well ahead of schedule.

For the $10 million goal in procurement savings, the university has identified about $3.4 million since the end of Q1.

“Looking through October, however, the data suggests we may have lost some of that progress, so we’re asking that purchases be put on hold unless absolutely necessary. We also have new tools available to help you make sure you’re getting the best prices on procured items. These tools will provide quotes within 24 hours,” Smith said.

If an employee is making a purchase item of $25,000 or more, they’re asked to go through the bidding process.

Smith said his department has received a number of emails from SGA and other organizations requesting the availability of personal hygiene products on campus. He said tampon and maxi pad dispensers will be added to some buildings around campus soon.

Finally, Lee provided an update on safety initiatives that are underway. The blue light phones placed sporadically throughout campus were installed pre-mobile phone and are outdated. They also cost about $70,000 a year to maintain.

“Other than pranks, they are never used. The SGA has approached us about removing these and we will look at ways to reinvest that money for better lighting and more and better cameras. This is not a cost-saving initiative, but a reinvestment,” Smith said.

Also, a federal grant has been secured to further enhance the lighting on the L Trail. Pedestrian safety is also being looked at along Cardinal Boulevard, especially by First Street, and a traffic study has been requested by the university.

Finally, as the usage of the escort services increases, UofL is looking at ways to make this more efficient during peak hours and reduce wait times. Some ideas include looking at shuttles.

“These four safety initiatives add up to a $750,000 investment. Our campus safety statistics are good, especially compared to other campuses. The effort for us is to try and keep improving,” Smith said.

Other reports

Valerie Casey, director of the Women’s Center, announced a new UofL Women’s Network for personal and professional development and advancement. The group includes representation from all over campus and will host a meet and greet in December, along with events in the spring.

Avery Kolers provided a Faculty Senate report, which is .��

Will Armstrong’s Chair’s report is also .��

Senator Bonnie Dean proposed a statement from the Staff Senate requesting that the presidential search be open, or at least an open forum for the final candidates. She will draft that language and send it to the executive committee next week.

Vickie Tencer’s Vice Chair’s .��

The Credentials and Nominations Committee reported two openings. If they are not filled, the at-large lists will be used.

Staff Grievance reported two grievances this month.

The Treasurer’s Committee reported that there is $17,605.09 in the general fund; $16,122.97 in the SHARE fund; and $1,674 in the technology fund.

The next Staff Senate meeting is Dec. 11 in Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library.

Starting immediately, the wellness center will switch to a  a month for UofL faculty and staff. Members will be able to sign up for auto withdrawal through payroll if they so wish.

To offset the fee-based membership, GHN is opening up all the activity classes, including “specialty classes” (yoga, Pilates, etc.), to wellness center participants as part of the membership package. Also, incentives – such as a lower rate for those who visit the wellness center more frequently – are currently being explored to lessen the blow of this change.

Patricia Benson, AVP for Health, Wellness and Disease Management, said this was not an easy decision to make, especially since free membership has long been a perk of working at UofL. But, she says GHN worked to keep the price as low as possible, and well below market price.

“In doing our research, we realized no other gym or wellness center offers their services for free, not even other universities do this – as discovered through benchmarking industry comparison,” she said.

For example, Planet Fitness charges between $10 and $19.99 a month, while more such as the Jewish Community Center ($48-$58/month) and Baptist East Milestone ($80/month) charge more for similar services.��

“The Get Healthy Now Wellness Center is a vital resource for the university and community as a whole during a time when preventative healthcare and active disease management resources are sadly lacking in our state, among the most unhealthy in the nation,” said GHN member Paul Salmon, associate professor of Clinical Psychology. “I know of no other health, wellness or fitness facility for adults in the Louisville community that offers such an outstanding array of benefits to its members.”

Prior to implementing the monthly fee, GHN solicited feedback from some members, many of whom expressed frustration over the proposed change. Benson said she understands where they’re coming from and is empathetic of morale issues.

“We kept our membership rate as low as possible and will continue to look for ways to minimize cost while maximizing value. This is critical to our mission of building a sustainable wellness program with measurable and meaningful impact to the organization and each employee we serve,” Benson said. “We have never lost sight of that goal and the associated objectives of healthcare cost containment, culture of health and wellbeing, and empowering each employee to champion their health.”

During the transition, the GHN Wellness Center Advisory Committee is seeking sponsorship opportunities for membership assistance should an employee need it.

“We simply can’t and won’t allow cost to be a barrier for participation. This is important to us and we will find a way to assist every employee seeking access to the wellness center,” she said.

GHN is currently transitioning the non-fee members through the end of this calendar year. Incentives, such as pedometers, heart rate monitors, work-out shoes, massages, t-shirts, an Apple watch, and a bike, are a few of the items that an employee may earn on a weekly basis by making the transition prior to the end of 2017. These incentives are courtesy of GHN sponsors Schellers and Health Fitness Corp.

GHN employees are ready to assist current members with this transition and have also been registering new employees on-site. Benson is also asking anyone who has additional questions or concerns to contact her directly at 852-1907.

“I understand why people are upset,” she said. “But we have to do a better job educating employees about our objectives. We’re more than just a gym. We are focused on preventative health benefits and saving our employees money on their health in the long term.”

Cost covers comprehensive offerings

For example, for the $15/month fee, offers a plethora of wellness resources such as one-on-one on-site health and wealth coaching, health screenings, fitness evaluations with individualized plans, professional and certified staff, including a nurse and nurse practitioner, and more.

GHN also offers 51 wellness and holistic programs, such as mindfulness and meditation, yoga/Pilates classes, educational lunch and learns, “on-demand” programs and wellness support for departmental meetings/retreats. There is also a full schedule of , including the benefit fair on the Belknap Campus for October’s .��

In 2016 alone, GHN offered more than 400 onsite wellness coaching sessions, 183 personal training sessions, 441 biometric screenings and nearly 5,000 health assessments (half of UofL’s workforce), as summarized in the .��

“Although we are implementing a wellness center fee, many of the resources and services we offer will continue to be available at no cost to the employee,” Benson said.

For more about GHN, check out this .