Plus

The idea behind self-insurance is that retaining and calculating health risks,
as well as paying claims or losses, allows the overall process to be more costeffective
than buying commercial insurance.
and their families. Having healthier
employees and offerings that would
capture the entire university’s
interest would also support the
student population.
Drexel comprises 3 campuses with
23,000 students and 5000 employees.
Although such a wellness program
was a huge undertaking, the
challenge excited me. At the outset,
I was a 1-man band with no support
staff and a small budget. I remember
spending the first month or so trying
to understand Drexel’s landscape,
departments, divisions, campuses,
colleges, and facilities — while finding
a way to connect the dots and
define our strategy.
What I recognized rather quickly was
that Drexel, and higher education
institutions in general, have myriad
resources to promote health and
wellness. For example, the university
encompasses colleges and departments
with expertise in public health,
nutrition, and medicine. Other obvious
partners are the Office of Human
Resources and Athletic Department
— which operates a state-of-the-art
rec center plus numerous fields and
buildings dedicated to recreation/
physical activity.
Knowing that work in a silo wouldn’t
get me very far, I immediately formed
partnerships with department heads
and deans, in addition to researchers
and faculty members who might provide
insight on how to improve the
health of our population.
Coordinating with these leaders was
critical to developing a cohesive and
multifaceted program, and they would
form the core of what would become
the Drexel Wellness Committee.
WHAT WE KNEW
When considering program structure,
the employee benefits package is a
great place to start. After an evaluation
we were able to identify core
components that could be harnessed
under a wellness program umbrella:
• Our healthcare provider offers a
basic wellness suite with numerous
tools and resources, opportunities
for counseling, and smoking cessation
initiatives.
• The benefits also include components
like an EAP and retirement
plans, which fall under the emotional
and financial health labels.
But while programs baked into benefits
are attractive on the surface,
these weren’t likely to have the highest
impact on our population’s health.
THE HEAVY HITTERS
Based on research, we know that
most chronic diseases — such as
cancer, diabetes, heart disease,
stroke, and obesity, could be prevented
if individuals exercise more,
stop smoking, and eat healthier.
Research also teaches that modifying
policies and environments to change
behaviors tends to be more effective
than counseling or education
because they reach wider segments
of a population and are less laborintensive.
Therefore, our approach
needed to include:
• Changes to the environment
that support physical activity
and recreation
• Policies that promote healthier
food/beverage choices and deter
the use of tobacco.
With this in mind, it was time to work
on a strategic plan to foster a culture
of health at Drexel.
Stay tuned for part 2, where I’ll
describe how Drexel would meet the
challenge to nudge behaviors of a
large population on a small budget.
HOW YOU CAN
CONNECT THE DOTS
Whether you’re in an academic
setting, corporation, or broader
community environment,
consider these steps to
connect the dots and lay a
foundation for success:
• Seek out key stakeholders,
colleagues, and community
partners who can provide
value and insight for
your organization’s
wellness initiative
• Assess your organization’s
employee benefit package to
find core wellness resources
• Meet with health plan
representatives to explore
wellness services included in
your coverage
• Identify policies and
environmental issues that
may influence health-related
behaviors of your population.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 13