Notice Regarding Wellness Program
WellWorks offers various voluntary employee wellness programs through Healthy OHIO. Such programs include, but are not limited to: Risk Reduction, Mindful Eating, Practical Nutrition, Resilience & Thriving, Needs and Interest Surveying, Virgin Pulse and 100-Day Challenge. These programs are voluntary wellness programs available to employees. While some programs are open to all employees, others are limited to those who are eligible or enrolled in the University’s benefits plan. The Healthy OHIO program is administered according to federal rules permitting employer-sponsored wellness programs that seek to improve employee health or prevent disease, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as applicable, among others. If you choose to participate in the wellness program you have the opportunity to complete a voluntary health risk assessment or "HRA" that asks a series of questions about your health related activities and behaviors and whether you have or had certain medical conditions (e.g., cancer, diabetes, or heart disease). You will also be asked to complete a biometric screening, which will include a blood test for levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood glucose. You will also be asked to utilize an online wellness platform to support healthy behaviors. You are not required to complete the HRA, utilize the wellness platform, or to participate in the blood test or other medical examinations.
However, employees who choose to participate in the wellness program will receive an incentive of $60 per year for the biometric screening and results review. Although you are not required to complete the HRA, utilize the wellness platform, or participate in the biometric screening, only employees who do so will receive up to an additional $200 based on their utilization with the wellness platform. Enrollment on the wellnesss platform is required to receive the $60 biometric screening incentive.
Additional incentives of a free fitness membership at WellWorks may be available for employees who check-in at WellWorks (either virtually or in-person)100 days during a single calendar year. Employees may also participate in cohort-based programming such as Risk Reduction, Mindful Eating, Practical Nutrition, and others as deemed appropriate offerings. Once registered for a course, individuals can choose the level of participation in which they wish to engage. These courses are offered at no cost to participants thanks to support from the Ohio University Benefits Office.
If you are unable to participate in any of the health-related activities, you may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation or an alternative standard. You may request a reasonable accommodation or an alternative standard by contacting the Office of Accessibility at 740-593-2620.
The information from your HRA and the results from your biometric screening will be used to provide you with information to help you understand your current health and potential risks, and may also be used to offer you services through the wellness program, such as programming, health and wellness coaching, and campus campaigns. You also are encouraged to share your results or concerns with your own doctor.
Protections from Disclosure of Medical Information:
We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your personally identifiable health information. Although the wellness program and Ohio University through WellWorks may use aggregate information it collects to design a program based on identified health risks in the workplace, WellWorks will never disclose any of your personal health information either publicly or to the employer, except as necessary to respond to a request from you for a reasonable accommodation needed to participate in the wellness program, for payment of an incentive, or as expressly permitted by law. Medical information that personally identifies you that is provided in connection with the wellness program will not be provided to your supervisors or managers and may never be used to make decisions regarding your employment.
Your health information will not be sold, exchanged, transferred, or otherwise disclosed except to the extent permitted by law to carry out specific activities related to the wellness program, and you will not be asked or required to waive the confidentiality of your health information as a condition of participating in the wellness program or receiving an incentive. Anyone who receives your information for purposes of providing you services as part of the wellness program will abide by the same confidentiality requirements. The individual(s) who will receive your personally identifiable health information are the registered nurse or your physician at the time of the screening; Virgin Pulse; and, as needed, the Healthy OHIO program staff to provide you with services under the wellness program.
In addition, all medical information obtained through the wellness program will be maintained separate from your personnel records and information stored electronically will be encrypted. Appropriate precautions will be taken to avoid any data breach, and in the event a data breach occurs involving information you provide in connection with the wellness program, we will notify you immediately. You may not be discriminated against in employment because of the medical information you provide as part of participating in the wellness program, nor may you be subjected to retaliation if you choose not to participate.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this notice, or about protections against discrimination and retaliation, please contact Jennifer Bennett at bennetj7@ohio.edu.