Wellness programs at UC locations often nudge employees to start or maintain healthy habits, whether it's a better diet or a new exercise program. At the Berkeley campus last year, a program had a more dramatic effect - it helped save an employee's life.

Trish Ratto, manager of the extensive UC Berkeley campus wellness program, Health*Matters, recounted the story of a decade-long Berkeley campus staff member who participated in Know Your Numbers, an on-campus health screening program that includes full lipid panel, glucose, blood pressure, weight, and body mass index testing, followed by individual counseling about the results.

The screening showed that the employee had high cholesterol levels, and when he went to his doctor for further blood tests, they found that he had an elevated prostrate-specific antigen (PSA) level, said Ratto. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was successfully treated. He recently returned to work.

"As you know, early detection is key to treating prostate cancer," said the employee, "and without Know Your Numbers, we might never have discovered this."

This story illustrates the impact that the wellness programs at UC locations can have on the health and well-being of faculty and staff and their families.

Wellness programs throughout UC are multi-faceted, often involving partnerships with other departments at the location - faculty and staff health and safety programs, recreational sports facilities, and other support and benefits services - the systemwide UC Living Well program and UC medical plans.

These programs provide employees with information and a buffet of approaches to achieve wellness and healthy lifestyles, such as physical fitness, exercise, and sports; healthy heart and stress reduction walking and other programs; interventions to help stop smoking, curb overeating and reduce weight; nutrition and diet education; online resources, workshops, and presentations on numerous health, wellness, and medical topics; personal support and counseling for various health conditions; and health risk screening such as Berkeley's Know Your Numbers program.

That program is very popular at Berkeley and may complement the health assessment program available through the new UC systemwide StayWell program (see accompanying article). The employee whose prostate cancer was detected early is not the only fan of Know Your Numbers.

"It was great to have all these screening measures completed in one short process, and to get the results right away, including counseling," said Barbara Kornstein, academic personnel specialist at the campus' Doe Library. "And it's way less stressful than doing it with your doctor, where anxiety and time constraints make you forget your questions. Excellent program! I've told my colleagues and they are signing up too."

Worksite wellness programs both support individual faculty and staff with the tools to a lead healthy lifestyle, as well as address the workplace environment to support those healthy choices. "We spend more of our week at work than outside of work so it is important that we have the opportunity to eat well and be active at work," says Ratto. In addition to providing programs to support individual behavior change, we are also working on inclusion of healthy food choices at meetings, vending, and restaurants, training supervisors on their role in supporting wellness and focusing on departments to promote a workplace culture that supports health and wellness." she said.

Berkeley's Health*Matters program is only one example of the positive impact UC wellness programs are having on individual lives, Ratto says, citing a number of comments she has received from faculty and staff.

For example, a faculty member praised the inclusion of healthier choices and signs promoting healthy snacks that have been posted all over campus on food vending machines.

Cecilia Chang, principal analyst in the Budget Office, lauded the campus Breastfeeding Support Program for Berkeley faculty, staff, students, and employees in the Office of The President. Although California law requires employers to provide lactation space and support for moms who need it, Health*Matters at Berkeley has gone beyond the basic legal mandates in providing quality breastfeeding education, campus lactation rooms with hospital-grade pumps, and personal electric pumps sold at cost.

"The program made it possible for me to return to work and continue to breastfeed my newborn," Chang explained. "It's an invaluable resource for breastfeeding moms who need to work full time."

A computer resource specialist said that online wellness information "got me into walking for 10-15 minutes during my afternoon break time, which recharges my energy just when I need it!"

These comments about the value of campus wellness programs are common throughout UC. Check the website at your location to find out about wellness program there, or check with your human resources office. The systemwide UC Living Well website also provides links to the location wellness programs and recreational sports facilities as well as other educational resources about wellness.