The University of Alabama’s signature wellness program, WellBAMA, is designed to allow faculty and staff to improve the quality of their lives.

“The Office of Health Promotion and Wellness is relatively new and its purpose is to address issues related to UA employees and their covered beneficiaries on our health insurance plan,” said Margaret Garner, the director of the Department of Health Promotion & Wellness at the Student Health Center. “WellBAMA is the health appraisal program designed to detect early evidence of health risk and provide resources to address them, among other benefits.”

Every year, WellBAMA presents numerous programs and rewards to get faculty and staff members to come into the Office of Health Promotion & Wellness to become more aware about their health conditions.

Carolyn MacVicar, office associate at Health Promotion and Wellness on UA’s campus, familiarized benefits that are new to WellBAMA this year.

“Benefit eligible faculty and staff are able to participate in an annual WellBAMA health screening and health coaching event,” MacVicar said. “In 2012, participants will receive $25 for participating in a WellBAMA health screening. For 2013, benefit-eligible faculty and staff can receive up to $200, based on their club status.”

Although faculty, staff and students all have their own separate outlets to receive health benefits, WellBAMA promotes several programs that are designed to target employees and is not intended for UA students due to the availability of facilities and programs already in place to help them stay healthy, like the Student Health Center and its initiatives. The program isn’t completely exclusive, though.

“Our office offers the Crimson Couch to 5K, a program that gets you from the couch to walking or running a 5K in nine weeks,” MacVicar said. “The training program is for faculty and staff, but the event is open to everyone, including students.”

The 30-Day Tobacco Free Challenge is also a program promoted by WellBAMA that is free and open to faculty, staff and students.

“They are providing a healthier atmosphere and encouraging health and wellness for a more productive, healthier campus,” MacVicar said. “When employees are happier and healthier, they are more productive and miss less work.”