INSTITUTIONAL HONORS
- The Staff and Faculty Health and Well-Being Program scores silver on the American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index
- UC Davis Health earns Excellence in Healthcare Award as top provider
- UC Davis recognized as “top performer” on Sustainable Campus Index
- Student Housing and Dining Services wins awards for video and social media
Staff and Faculty Health and Well-Being, a 4-year-old program serving the Davis and Sacramento campuses as well as remote sites, led the university to silver-level recognition on the American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index for 2020.
This marked UC Davis’ first time submitting data for the index.
Staff and Faculty Health and Well-Being offers a variety of programs, such as yoga and mindfulness meditation, Nature Rx, Ergonomics at Home, Financial Well-Being, Diabetes Prevention Program and campaigns such as the Healthy Holiday Challenge, all free for staff, faculty and students as well as retirees.
“This recognition is representative of how workplace health and well-being programs and policies are positively impacting the UC Davis workforce,” said Stacey Brezing, director of the Staff and Faculty Well-Being Program, part of Safety Services.
“None of this is possible without our partners on both sides of the Causeway, including WorkLife, the Academic and Staff Assistance Program, Campus Recreation, UC Living Fit Forever, Health Management and Education, Occupational Health Services, the Ergonomics Program and many more,” she said.
UC Davis is among 776 organizations that completed the Workplace Health Achievement Index for the period July 30, 2019, to June 30, 2020. Thirty-five percent received gold recognition, 29 percent silver and 25 percent bronze.
The index is a web-based scorecard that looks at organizational best practices and employee health data (in aggregate form) to evaluate the overall quality and comprehensiveness of workplace health programs.
Health data submitted by UC Davis covered the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Simple 7”:
- Biometric measures — maintaining a healthy weight, managing blood pressure, controlling cholesterol and reducing blood sugar
- Modifiable behaviors — living tobacco-free, being physically active and eating healthy
The index also takes into account skills development and behavior change programs, employee assistance programs, and promotion of healthy workplace culture and policies.
For additional support and policy work, the Staff and Faculty Health and Well-Being Program works through Healthy UC Davis, a campuswide initiative that brings multiple partners and stakeholders together with a similar vision “to make UC Davis the healthiest community in the nation.”
The nonprofit industry association evaluated more than 190 provider organizations. UC Davis Health and 19 others earned top honors by placing in the top 50 percent in clinical quality, patient experience and total cost of care.
“California provider organizations are leading the way to high-quality, affordable, patient-centered care,” said Jeff Rideout, president and CEO of the Integrated Healthcare Association. “We commend their hard work and dedication to improving care for Californians.”
The Integrated Healthcare Association leverages its expertise, objective data and role as a trusted facilitator to solve challenges across the health care community.
Read the association’s news release.
- Buildings — Maintenance and operation of existing buildings as well as new building design and construction.
- Energy — Recognizing reduced energy use and the development and use of clean and renewable energy sources.
- Investment and finance — Sustainable investment, committees for responsible investing, and investment disclosure.
The index lists top-performing colleges and universities in 17 sustainable impact areas, as measured by the association’s Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, or STARS. Earlier this year, UC Davis earned an overall STARS rating of gold.
The new Sustainable Campus Index further highlights UC Davis for its Bicycle Friendly platinum and sustainable fleet certifications.
Student Housing and Dining Services, in its first time entering a marketing competition, won awards for a video and a social media campaign.
The Association of College and University Housing Officers-International presented its 2020 marketing awards during the association’s Business Operations Virtual Conference. The competition drew 174 entries from 100 institutions around the world.
Here are UC Davis’ winning projects:
- Video, second place — “Living on Campus at UC Davis,” showcasing for prospective students the experience of living with Student Housing and Dining Services. “This was an important video,” said Richard Ronquillo, associate director, Student Housing and Dining Services, “because, at the time we released it in March, prospective students could not visit the campus, due to COVID-19.” Production credits: Ronquillo; Alex Fisher-Wagner, multimedia specialist; Nikolaus Wylie, student videographer; Camille Ramos, social media specialist; Lizanne Shera-Seitz, marketing specialist; and Tia Settanni, Gauruv Virk and Katherine Yanogacio, students. Watch the video here or at the top of this page.
- Social media, third place — “Latitude Dining Experience,” introducing Dining Services’ newest location, Latitude, a global dining experience. Credits: Ronquillo, Fisher-Wagner, Wylie and Ramos; Jeremiah James Noel, student photographer; Aisleen Hulipas Santos, student designer; and Roger Thompson, executive chef.
Dateline UC Davis welcomes news of faculty and staff awards for publication in Laurels. Send information to dateline@ucdavis.edu.
Media Resources
Dateline Staff, 530-752-6556, dateline@ucdavis.edu