Stanford launches wellness program for students

On October 1, Stanford University launched its first dedicated, interdisciplinary student health and wellness program, the BeWell @ Stanford Student Wellness Passport Program. BeWell has been facilitating a culture of wellness at Stanford since it introduced the popular Employee Incentive Program in 2008. In that program, faculty and staff have been encouraged to
adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle behaviors and to improve their health, well-being and quality of life. Now, students are included in a similar program, sponsored by BeWell and Vaden’s Health Promotion Services, which encourages and rewards those students who make healthy lifestyle choices.

BeWell’s mantra is: “Get active, eat better and unwind.” As an aid to fulfilling that vision, students will find a broad array of information about wellness at https://bewell.stanford.edu/. Topics that range from stress and life balance issues to sleep disorders and eating and exercise guidelines. By clicking on the Students menu tab (http://bewell.stanford.edu/ppl/students), students will learn about programs, events and campus resources specifically fitting their needs.

The cornerstone program is the three-step Student Wellness Passport program, which enables students to assess the health of their current lifestyle by completing the Student Health Appraisal (SHA). All information provided is private and confidential. Upon completion of the SHA, all full-time graduate and undergraduate students and post-docs will receive a personalized health report and a gift card for a free Jamba Juice on campus. These students can then use the information gained from the SHA to develop personalized wellness goals and strategies.

Next, the Student Wellness Passport Program offers a variety of “Wellness Trips” ranging from campus police ride-alongs to fitness classes or volunteer work. Eligible participants who complete 9 of the 12 Wellness Trip activities will be automatically entered into a drawing for one the following prizes:

1. Free tickets to the Big Game for you and a guest.
2. Three free Personal Training Sessions at ACSR Fitness Center.
3. Free Wii+WiiFit package.

Please help BeWell and Vaden spread the word about this important program for students.