The university was recognized as a “Certified Healthy Campus” by the Certified Healthy Oklahoma Program.
“Certified Healthy recipients are recognized for promoting health and wellness where Oklahomans live, work, learn, and play,” according to the program’s website, certifiedhealthyok.com.
Businesses, campuses, communities, congregations, early childhood programs, restaurants, and schools can be recognized by showing commitment to environmental and policy change, according to the website.
The Certified Healthy Campus category of Certified Healthy Oklahoma was created in 2011. Any college, university or career technology center, public or private, can apply, but only if their campus is smoke and tobacco free. Campus size is not a factor.
Recipients attend an award luncheon and gain recognition, according to the website.
Other benefits the Certified Healthy Oklahoma website claims are:
– healthier and thus more productive employees,
– an enhanced campus image,
– increased credibility, and
– the ability to use this certification as a recruitment and retention strategy.
There are three levels of certification: Basic, Merit and Excellence. OCU achieved Merit level certification, which is one level higher than what was earned in 2016.
The health benefits that students enjoy on OCU’s campus are fitness center access, a tobacco-free campus and a 1.3-mile marked walking path that winds through campus, according to the university’s website, okcu.edu.
Employees can benefit from quarterly fitness and health behavior challenges, diabetes prevention programs, medical plan incentives, stress management groups, free on-campus health screenings, and 60 minutes of wellness time each week to be used in support of an on-campus wellness-related activity.
OCU makes a conscious effort to integrate health into its functions, according to President Robert Henry in an article on the university website.
“We have worked toward developing and implementing wellness programming aimed at fostering a visibly healthy culture that recognizes and embraces the importance of well-being as an integral part of our institutional values,” President Henry was quoted as saying.
OCU is honored to receive this recognition, Henry said.
“At Oklahoma City University, we are committed to the health and wellness of our students, faculty and staff as well as to the community,” President Henry was quoted as saying in the article.
One of the criteria judged in awarding this certificate is “Stress and Mental Health Issues.” Mindy Windholz, director of university counseling, said the university manages mental health well.
“I think this campus has a good understanding of the importance of mental health and university counseling will work in many ways to support a healthy standard of care and education,” Windholz said.
Addison Pollard, acting sophomore, said students still need a better understanding of when they need help with mental health.
“I think we are a compassionate school when we look out for other people and our friends, but I think it’s harder for us to admit when we’re the ones who need help, especially with mental health,” Pollard said. “I feel like we understand, in a general sense, diseases like depression and anxiety and different mental health issues like that, but I don’t think we understand how personal they are and when they’re actually affecting us.”
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