CommonHealth Wellnote

How can your Virginia State Employee Wellness Program help? The CommonHealth programs and campaigns cover a variety of health topics and are available in a range of formats to meet the needs of different workplaces. Highly skilled Wellness Consultants provide the latest on stress, sleep, nutrition, exercise and more for faculty/staff meetings, special events, conferences, benefit fairs, safety meetings, lunch and learns, etc. They provide traditional, in-person presentations and displays as well as virtual presentations, on-demand videos and seasonal health-related challenges that are fun and engaging. Visit the website to see how CommonHealth can help you. If you’re looking to book an event in October, connect sooner rather than later to ensure you get a date that works for you.

Click here to view this week’s CommonHealth Wellnote. Check out this week’s highlights below.

Notes:

• Register Today for NOVA Walk Week, September 16-20. Share the dates with a friend or two and prepare to explore our campuses on your walks. Walk Week is all about engaging with your NOVA community while being active. Register here! Sign up and share with a colleague.
• Spotlight on Financial Fitness: Tips to Reduce Debt Stress Ways to overcome debt stress
• Talk About It: If you are depressed about money problems, you may feel alone. Discussing it can make you feel a lot better.
• Put It in Perspective: Do you have your health? Support from family and friends? Focus on the good things that are happening in your life. While being optimistic may be challenging at times, it can help us make positive changes.
• Prioritize Your Spending: Chances are, there are some expenses you can reduce or cut out that can immediately relieve some pressure. Review your spending plan and eliminate expenses that aren’t essential.

If you could use help putting any of these tips in action, remember these resources:

• Employee Assistance Program. With your EAP, you have access to a variety of free/low cost resources. EAP offers financial services and four free counseling sessions per concern per plan year. 
• TimelyCare. ALL NOVA employees are eligible for Timelycare and the host of free resources provided by the telehealth service. Sign up for TimelyCare for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. 
• OEWW Financial Wellness curated resources. 
• Try the Reduce Spending Challenge this week! Start tracking your spending to see where your money is going. Create a budget and determine fixed expenses. What’s left over is discretionary and can be used for savings or paying off debt. 

Benefits Buzz:  Commonwealth of Virginia Employee Health & Wellness Benefits Guide is now available to help make your journey to optimal health and wellness easier. Benefitted employees can use many of the benefits included in the guide at no additional cost to you—and some even offer financial incentives or rewards! Review the guide and start using more of your employee benefits today. Please note: While the guide primarily focuses on information for employees who have opted in to the NOVA-provided insurance plans, there is also information for CommonHealth (the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Employee Wellness Program), which is available to all employees.

For questions regarding this week’s communication or the CommonHealth program, please reach out to your respective campus coordinator below:

• Alexandria – Najeeb Baha
• Annandale – Matthew “Tank” McCarl
• College Staff – Cecil “C.J.” Jackson
• Fairfax – Faith Redd Walker
• Loudoun – Kimberly T. Wright
• Manassas – ThuyTien Ngo-Nguyen
• Medical Education Campus (Springfield) – Emily Miller
• Woodbridge –  Dahlia Henry-Tett

Submitted by:
Faith Redd-Walker, Office of Employee Wellness and Wellbeing, employeewellbeing@nvcc.edu