Got a family or behavioral health problem that affects your life and your job?

Human Resources has a program for that—the Employee Assistance Program.

Want to lose that spare tire or just get those muscles working?

Human Resources has a program for that—the Discount Fitness Club Program.

Want to find out about how you can live a healthier life overall through a variety of strategies?

Human Resources now has a program for that too—the Health and Wellness Program.

The program, launched this spring, is a partnership with Independence Blue Cross that features educational activities aimed at letting you take control of your well-being and pursue a healthier lifestyle.

The Health and Wellness Program has four main components: Health Awareness Seminars, Health and Wellness Videos, Helpful Tips for Health and Wellness and on-site health screenings.

The seminars are lunchtime brown-bag talks led by healthcare experts. The videos offer lessons on a wide range of topics, produced by leading healthcare organizations and offered as lunchtime brown-bag sessions. The Helpful Tips for Health and Wellness quarterly newsletter, produced by Independence Blue Cross and available on the Human Resources Web site, offers advice on health matters, and the on-site health screenings are offered during the annual Open Enrollment Health Fair.

Best of all, these activities are free.

Jack Heuer, vice president for Human Resources, explained that the Health and Wellness Program was created in response to inquiries by faculty and staff. “We had some programs and services related to health and wellness that existed in the University environment, and the new programs add to these services.”

Marilyn Kraut, Manager of Quality of Worklife Programs and the HR manager responsible for this program, can attest to the usefulness of the videos in the program. “We previewed these videos to make sure they contained information that a Penn audience could use,” she said. “One of them was on how to trigger-proof your home for asthma and allergies.

“I was listening to the advice with half an ear, but afterwards, I went home and cleaned up my whole bedroom” using the tips in the video.

The video and Health Awareness Seminar are free, but registration is required.

“Healthy Eating for the Whole Family” video

- May 6, noon, Room 103, Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, 3620 Locust Walk

“Good Mornings! Better Sleep” Health Awareness Seminar

- April 23, noon to 1 p.m. in Room 314, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St.

To register, visit www.hr.upenn .edu/quality/wellness, click on “Health and Wellness Program,” then click on “Registration.”

If there are subjects you would like to see addressed in a video presentation, e-mail Orna Rosenthal, Quality of Worklife events coordinator, at rosenthal@hr.upenn.edu.

Newsletter

The quarterly publication is available on the Web at www.hr.upenn.edu/quality/wellness/newsletter.asp.