Benefits & Well-being Newsletter

Weekly Campus Walk

Starting May 9, UNI Employee Well-being will be hosting a weekly campus walk for faculty and staff. Join your colleagues by walking your way to a healthier you on a weekly campus walk. Promote your physical and mental health by adding up to 2,000 steps into your day, and connect with others across campus. Registration is not required each week, but it is required every academic year. You can register for the remainder of the spring semester (and summer) through UNI Works. For requirements, walk status updates, and more information, visit our webpage. We hope to see you on May 9!
 

Professional Development Conference

The UNI Benefits Team will be available at the Professional Development Conference on May 29 in Schindler Education Center at the following times:

• 8:30 - 9 a.m.
• 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• 3:15 - 4 p.m. 

A member of the UNI Benefits Team will be available to review dependent verification documents, provide information on Life Coaching from your EAP provider, and answer any benefit related questions.
 

Verifying Your Benefits

You can only make changes to your benefits if you have a qualifying life event or during the annual open enrollment period. Therefore making sure your benefits are accurate when submitting a change is extremely important. You can verify your benefit changes as you are making them, when reviewing before submitting, and after you’ve submitted your changes via your Benefit Statement. View the Change Benefits Job Aid for instructions on how to submit and verify your benefit changes.
 

Oral Health and Heart Risk

There are correlations between oral health and heart health. According to the National Library of Medicine, oral bacteria can enter the bloodstream through your gums and can trigger inflammation throughout the body. 

Delta Dental, UNI’s dental plan provider, recently provided a Benefits Spotlight highlighting resources and facts surrounding heart disease and oral health. Furthermore, men are at a higher risk than women as men tend to skip their annual preventive oral exams. 

UNI’s self-insured dental plan offers two preventive exams covered at 100%, per covered person, per year. Additionally, UNI’s dental plan offers Enhanced Benefits which provides extra covered teeth cleanings for those with certain conditions. If you haven’t, be sure to schedule your preventive exam soon.
 

National Bike to Work Day

Join us in celebrating National Bike to Work Day on May 16. Talk to your UNI coworkers and friends, grab your helmet and water bottle and ride to work together. If you live out of town, pick a location in town to ride into campus from. Start your spring off healthy and help us reduce our carbon footprint on May 16.
 

Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mayo Clinic defines mental health as the overall wellness of how you think, behave and manage your feelings. According to Mayo Clinic, a mental health disorder may affect how well you can: 

• Maintain relationships
• Handle social situations
• Perform at work or school
• Participate in typical daily activities
• Learn at a level expected for your age and intelligence
• Handle change or cope with stressful situations 

Your mental health is equally as important as your physical health. Be sure to take advantage of your EAP provided by Employee & Family Resources (EFR). These services are free and available to each eligible employee and members of the household, including children and adult college age children who may be living away from home. Take charge of your mental health today and visit our webpage to explore what EFR has to offer.
 

World No Tobacco Day

Each year the World Health Organization designates May 31 as World No Tobacco Day. This year their campaign focus is on revealing strategies employed by tobacco and nicotine companies that make these harmful products enticing. According to the CDC, more than 16 million Americans live with a disease caused by smoking. All of these lives are affected by smoking even though cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease. 

This May 31, and every day, we encourage the campus community to choose your health over tobacco. As a reminder of UNI policy 8.10, UNI is a smoke free and tobacco free campus, including in vehicles on university property. In support of those wanting to quit, the UNI health plans provide free tobacco cessation prescription medication. For additional information on this benefits visit our webpage.