The Healthy Emory Connect platform launched in January 2018 to provide an easy and engaging way for Emory employees to complete healthy activities and earn incentives toward offsetting medical costs. Now employees have a much larger library of digital resources available with the addition of “Whil” programs to help people improve their mental well-being, performance, relationships and sleep.
The expanded offerings were based on feedback during 2019 indicating that the existing Whil programs on yoga, mindfulness and resiliency were valuable and popular with employees.
“Our employees asked and we listened,” says Michael Staufacker, director, health management. “People expressed a desire to have more programs available to them and we are excited to provide that. Healthy Emory Connect now offers over 250 Whil programs and 1,500 video/audio sessions with more topics to fit each employee’s personal needs.”
The digital Whil resources help people live healthier, happier and more engaged lives by developing “repeatable skills to calm and focus the mind, relax the central nervous system, develop emotional intelligence and get the most out of life.”
New titles available to Emory employees on Healthy Emory Connect include:
- Boost: Happiness, gratitude, calm, energy, focus
- Sleep: Calm your mind, rest in joy, get back to sleep
- Productivity: Build concentration, overcome mental hurdles
- Relieve: Stress, anxiety, anger, sadness, craving, pain
Earn double points in February
Participating in Healthy Emory Connect challenges or other programs earns points toward medical plan incentives that employees can use to help offset medical costs. Through February 2020, employees can earn double points for completing Whil sessions and programs on Healthy Emory Connect.
More than 16,000 employees have signed onto the website and platform since Healthy Emory Connect first launched. Employees use Healthy Emory Connect in a variety of ways.
“I use Healthy Emory Connect to motivate my employees to track their steps and embrace a culture of movement in the workplace,” explains Jasmine Okafor of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, one of Emory’s affiliated organizations. “I implemented ‘Wednesday Walking’ every week after work, where we walk a two-mile radius in downtown Decatur. It’s a great way for us to bond as a team, which make us more productive in our work roles.”
Joy Hartsfield, a research administrative coordinator with the School of Medicine, has also found the platform helpful. “I use Healthy Emory Connect as an excuse to promote physical activity in our department, starting with regular walking meetings with co-workers, staff and our interns,” she says. “Being active while working allows our meetings to become charged with ideas and excitement.”
Lise Elder, a patient care assistant at Emory University Hospital Midtown, adds, “Since I started using Healthy Emory Connect, I am more accountable for my own health and well-being. I drink more water and have increased the amount of produce in my daily diet. The additional fiber in my diet has been great for my body.”
Learn more on the Healthy Emory Connect website.