Wellness in the UC

UC faculty and staff and their family members covered by most UC medical plans (Blue Cross Plus and PPO, CIGNA Choice Fund, Core, Health Net, and Western Health Advantage) can enjoy enhanced university wellness and personal health management benefits in 2008.

In addition to providing an employee medical insurance program that offers affordable, quality benefits, the university has made it a priority to provide employees with the latest tools, information, and resources to help them and their families achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. As announced in November during Open Enrollment, UC will launch in January the new StayWell benefits program as part of the expanded UC Living Well program.

Participation in the StayWell program will be voluntary and at no cost to faculty or staff. The UC Living Well Web site at uclivingwell.ucop.edu will include a link to the StayWell site in January.

UC Living Well is the university's umbrella wellness initiative for faculty and staff that expands system-wide in 2008 after a successful 2007 pilot phase at Berkeley, Office of the President, UCLA, and UCLA Medical Center. Along with links to varied wellness resources and information, the UC Living Well Web site gives information about the many UC local campus, medical center, and laboratory wellness programs and recreational and sports facilities and activities.

UC sustainability

The UC has been a leader in its sustainability practices and gained momentum in 2007 by expanding its sustainability policy, completing energy efficiency projects that are providing more than $5 million annually in operational savings and gaining national recognition for its green efforts.

UC officials delivered their annual report on UC's progress in implementing their Policy on Sustainable Practices to UC Regents on Jan. 15. The four-year-old policy establishes a set of ambitious goals to advance environmental practices at UC campuses, ranging from efficient energy use to innovative sustainable purchasing practices. And UC is meeting those goals.

These recent accomplishments highlight the important work the university is doing at every level to address global warming, one of the most critical challenges of our time. During 2007, UC received multiple awards at the local, state and national level for this effort, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 9 Achievement Award for progress in incorporating sustainable provisions and practices into all strategically sourced (bulk purchases that use the university's buying power) bids and contracts.

'Greening' at San Diego

UC San Diego has joined The Green Grid, a global consortium of companies dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and computing ecosystems.

Membership in The Green Grid complements and underscores the university's commitment to environmentally sound and power-efficient practices, including efforts at the San Diego Supercomputer Center, the largest data center at UC San Diego.

The supercomputer center, funded by the National Science Foundation and UCSD, is currently undergoing a "green" building expansion featuring a host of energy-saving designs, materials and practices, all intended to put the data center at the leading edge of operational efficiency. The 80,000 square-foot building, to open next year, earned the 2005 Best Practices Award for innovative heating, ventilation and air conditioning design from the Higher Education Energy Partnership.