Oklahoma State University named 2014 Health at Work Award Winner

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Oklahoma State University has been named a Silver winner of the 10th-annual Health at Work Awards sponsored by ComPsych®, honoring organizations who promote employee health and wellness. Winners were selected based on their wellness program’s comprehensiveness, delivery, promotion, participation rates and results achieved.

ComPsych® Corporation is the world’s largest provider of employee assistance programs and is the pioneer and worldwide leader of fully integrated EAP, behavioral health, wellness, work-life, HR, FMLA and absence management services under its GuidanceResources® brand.

“We applaud OSU for promoting health and wellness and improving the lives of employees,” said Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, Chairman and CEO of ComPsych®.

“ComPsych® is an amazing multi-dimensional wellness tool, providing answers and solutions to everyday, and not so everyday, questions and problems,” said Dr. Suzy Harrington, OSU Chief Wellness Officer. “As America’s Healthiest Campus®, it is important to have a resource in which our employees can call and talk to a real person who can answer personal and professional quality of life questions around a myriad of non-traditional topics, home repair, child and elder care, counseling, and legal and financial services.”

Some highlights of OSU’s health and wellness program include:

• OSU provides free access to not only students, but also faculty and retired faculty to the Colvin Recreation Center and the Seretean Wellness Center, over 240,000 square feet of the highest quality facilities for sport, recreation and fitness in the nation.
• Pete’s Pet Posse, a comprehensive pet therapy program that has gained national attention for positively enhancing physical and emotional health.
• The Reboot Center to help students relax and improve stress management through games, visualizations and workshops.
• OSU was the first Big 12 institution and state-funded university in Oklahoma to adopt a tobacco-free policy in 2008. In 2013 OSU adjusted the policy to ban all tobacco, smokeless tobacco and vapor products.
• Wellness Workshops are provided free of charge by the Department of Wellness and are perfect for staff meetings and in-service training sessions. A variety of topics are available and can be tailored to meet the needs of the staff.
• “We are pleased to offer ComPsych® services to our employees and it is one more way we are America’s Healthiest Campus®,” said Jamie Payne, Chief Human Resources Officer. “With this honorable designation comes high standards and benchmarking from other institutions. I often receive calls from peer institutions asking about our progressive wellness offerings.”

The Health at Work Awards are sponsored by ComPsych® and its HealthyGuidance® program. HealthyGuidance® is a comprehensive and consultative wellness program that addresses the full continuum of employee issues and targets behavioral and lifestyle issues before they become significant illnesses. Drawing upon ComPsych’s behavioral health expertise, HealthyGuidance® uses a high-touch approach that empowers employees to make healthy changes through health risk assessments, biometric on-site testing, tobacco cessation, lifestyle coaching and weight management programs as well as incentive administration.

About Oklahoma State University

As America’s Healthiest Campus, Oklahoma State University thrives within a culture of wellness. OSU is empowering its employees, students and communities in which they live, learn, work, and play to be well. This includes all 5 of its campuses, A&M’s and its 77 county extension offices, with the goal of improving the health of all Oklahomans. Awarded “Most Innovative Wellness and Nutrition” program by the National Association of College & University Food Services, OSU will continue to strive to improve the total health of students, employees and communities. For more information about America’s Healthiest Campus® visit www.AmericasHealthiestCampus.com.

About ComPsych

ComPsych® Corporation is the world’s largest provider of employee assistance programs (EAP) and is the pioneer and worldwide leader of fully integrated EAP, behavioral health, wellness, work-life, HR, FMLA and absence management services under its GuidanceResources® brand. ComPsych® provides services to more than 23,000 organizations covering more than 62 million individuals throughout the U.S. and over 120 countries. By creating “Build-to-Suit” programs, ComPsych® helps employers attract and retain employees, increase employee productivity and improve overall health and well-being. For more information, visit www.compsych.com.  

Story by Tory Dwyer