Institutional Wellness Committee issues progress report
The EVMS Institutional Wellness Committee has issued a progress report on its efforts to implement a comprehensive, institution-wide approach to wellness.
Serina A. Neumann, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and EVMS Wellness Officer, says she is pleased with the committee’s work and the community’s support of the effort.
“Together, we can work toward creating and sustaining a healthy community at EVMS that educates, motivates and empowers all institutional members to engage in wellness and fulfillment,” she says.
Among the highlights of the report, the Committee has:
- Created a Mission and Vision for EVMS Wellness and identified and centralized programs and resources on the EVMS Wellness Website.
- Expanded awareness and access to Health Advocate to make it available across all levels of the institution. The group also is working on supporting a campus-wide incentive program to monthly challenges.
- Continued to identify gaps in wellness programs and resources.
- Teamed with Faculty Development to create the Waldholtz Family Wellness Series which is now supported by the Waldholtz Family including an Annual Wellness Event in October each year.
- Implemented Quarterly Professional Satisfaction Check-ins across campus.
- Assessed institutional wellbeing outcomes to inform systemic changes to promote wellness across campus.
- Established Faculty and Staff Pro-briefing Programs to address stress and prevent burnout and created the Support U program to mitigate stress and prevent burnout among residents and fellows.
- Assisted in proposing the approved revised paid leave policy that now allows faculty — in addition to classified and unclassified staff — to carry over up to 80 hours of vacation time from one fiscal year to the next. (NOTE: to access this document you must be logged into MyPortal.)