Washington State University’s WellCoug Wellness Program recognised with Zo8 Award

The WellCoug Wellness Program administered by Human Resource Services Benefits has been awarded the Zo8 Award for 2022 by the Washington State Health Care Authority. The award is granted to employers who aim to help employees and their family members focus on reducing health and injury-related risks and improving overall wellbeing.

WSU WellCoug prioritizes education as foundational to wellness efforts and is responsive to the needs of the WSU system. The program promotes wellness offerings through multiple distribution channels, including social media, email, newsletters, fairs, and presentations.

One key offering is SmartHealth, a Washington Wellness program for all PEBB eligible employees where medical plan subscribers can earn an annual $125 wellness incentive by participating. Another is the Employee Assistance Program, which offers no-cost confidential support for benefit eligible employees, addressing a variety of personal and work-related issues.

WSU WellCoug also provides resources, presentations, and trainings to support employees through a wide range of challenges. Some examples of these are budgeting and financial planning, pandemic stressors, eco-anxiety, burnout, self-care, and empathy.

The program has created topic-specific resource webpages to help employees more easily find the support they need. Covered topics include:

Caring for Self and Others
Mental Health Services
Recipes