Awards
Work-Life Supervisor of the Year: Jody Ensman
(Left to right) Dr. Robynn Pease, Work-Life Director, Jody Ensman, Health & Wellness Program Manager, and Mary Ferlan, Human Resources Operations Director
Jody Ensman, UK Health & Wellness Program Manager, was named the Work-Life Supervisor of the Year. The award is given to one supervisor each year who is highly regarded by his or her employees for consistently supporting the work-life needs of employees.
Jody was among nearly 50 UK supervisors nominated for qualities such as enhancingthe quality of Work-Life, beingfair and consistent,and treatingothers with dignity and respect.
Here is an example of what Jody's team had to say about her in the nomination summary: "Jody has created an environment that is open and flexible. There is never a time when an employee is 'afraid' to go to Jody with ideas, concerns, or questions. She encourages new ideas and innovation and is attentive to any staff concerns. If there is a problem, she works to solve it instead of putting it on the back burner. Jody encourages participation from every staff member, but is mindful of each person's particular skills and experience. Jody makes sure to include the whole group when working in a team environment and ensures everyone's voice is heard."
Please join us in congratulating Jody for this well-deserved honor!
UK receives recognition for its commitment to employee health
The University of Kentucky has been recognized by the American Heart Association as a Start! Fit-Friendly Company. The award is given to employers who go above and beyond when it comes to their employees' health and demonstrate a commitment to promoting exercise and good nutrition in the workplace.
UK was awarded Gold Level recognition for companies that fulfill criteria such as offering employees physical activity support, increasing healthy eating options at work, and promoting a wellness culture. UK was one of only four companies in Lexington to receive this recognition.
UK to Host 2008 Governor’s Health Summit
Health & Wellness Manager Jody Ensman, Governor Ernie Fletcher, and Tammy Akin, UK Wellness Specialist Sr.
Staff from the University of Kentucky Health & Wellness Program recently participated in the Governor's Get Healthy Kentucky Summit, hosted by the University of Louisville.
Representatives of state universities, public health, media and government came together to find solutions to Kentucky’s growing health problems – high rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and a lack of physical activity.
Each university and its community partners developed one strategic wellness initiative to be implemented over the next year. During the coming year, the UK Health & Wellness Program and its partners will work with the Bluegrass Partnership for a Fit Kentucky to strengthen worksite wellness in the Bluegrass. Partnership for a Fit Kentucky is a public/private partnership, which supports the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s CDC Obesity Prevention Grant.
In addition, UK was selected to host the Governor’s Get Healthy Kentucky Summit in 2008, during which university teams will report on the success of their initiatives.
“Working together and pooling community resources is the smartest and most effective way to combat Kentucky’s health problems” said Jody Ensman, program manager for UK Health & Wellness. “We are proud to host the 2008 Governor’s Get Healthy Kentucky Summit and excited to see the results of the initiatives.”
The UK Health & Wellness Program is part of UK’s employee benefits package and is available to all UK employees, retirees, spouses and sponsored dependents. For more information, call (859) 257-9355.
UK HR's Health & Wellness Program Receives Koop Award Recognition
Health & Wellness Manager Jody Ensman and HR Operations Director Mary Ferlan with former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, who was in attendance for the award ceremony in New Hampshire.
The University of Kentucky Health and Wellness Program was recognized on December 7, 2005 as one of several annual C. Everett Koop National Health Award winners.
With this recognition, UK becomes one of only three universities to receive such recognition since the Koop Award program began in 1994 and is the first to be recognized for a broad-based health improvement initiative. Koop Awards are conferred each year by The Health Project, a private-public partnership that seeks to highlight programs that positively influence personal health habits and encourage cost-effective use of health care services.
With this year’s Honorable Mention Award, the UK Health and Wellness Program was recognized specifically for its Healthtrac Rewards initiative, which has helped University employees take a more active role in improving their health.
UK’s Healthtrac Rewards Program was designed to help promote healthy behaviors with a monthly financial incentive paid to each participating employee, with the goal of encouraging better health and containing the organization’s overall health care costs. The program, which was introduced in July 2003, has played an important role in helping UK employees achieve measurable health improvements, while also supporting efforts to limit the impact of rising medical costs.
Speaking of Healthtrac, did you know UK Healthtrac Rewards Program reached a major milestone in December by enrolling 7,000 UK employees, retirees and or spouses into the program? That means 38 percent of all eligible participants are currently participating!.
What's more, Healthtrac Rewards is key part of a successful multi-year effort by our Health & Wellness and Benefits teams to improve the health of our staff and faculty - while also containing health care costs.
Click here for a more complete overview of the HR's efforts in this area!
Only University of Kentucky employees, retirees, spouses, and sponsored dependents are eligible for UK Health & Wellness services and programs.
Wellness Links
