Group dedicated to promotion of employee health and well-being 

Here are some facts about the state of the University’s health – an estimated 14 percent of UNC Charlotte employees smoke, and the collective cost of chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and heart disease amounts to approximately $625 annually per employee.

This information resulted from the work of an interdisciplinary committee appointed by UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. The Advisory Committee to the Chancellor for Employee Health and Wellness (ACCEHW) is charged with collecting, organizing, developing and communicating about health resources for faculty and staff.
          
“The creation of this committee is a statement - it is a declaration by UNC Charlotte’s leadership that the health and well-being of employees is a priority,” said Gary Stinnett, committee chair and associate vice chancellor of human resources. “UNC Charlotte has a growing population of students and employees, and it is imperative that the University’s culture is focused on health and wellness.”

The committee’s first tasks were to survey stakeholders, inventory resources and review health claim statistics from the state health plan to determine the ways in which the University might be able to promote more healthy behavior.
           
In tandem with Way-to-Health, a research group based in Chapel Hill working with 12 North Carolina public universities and community colleges to enhance the efforts of their employee wellness committees, the ACCEHW has identified three areas to target during this academic year: smoking, nutrition and physical activity.

The initial focus is to reduce the negative impacts related to tobacco use. In the coming months, the group will begin by educating the campus community about available smoking cessation resources; a new employee-focused smoking cessation program will be offered free-of-charge in the winter months. Information about the program will be publicized in Campus News and on the University Web site as it becomes available.
           
Stinnett stated that in light of forthcoming changes to the State Employee Health Plan, the committee’s work takes on even greater urgency.

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