Employee Wellness

Unhealthy eating habits and obesity may increase your risk of developing chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. A crucial step in powering you to live well is making a commitment to healthy eating. UAB makes it easy to make healthy choices in and out of the workplace with the resources below:

• Healthy Recipe Hub: View and download a variety of healthy recipes to try at home, curated and selected by a UAB registered dietitian.
• Healthy Eats at UAB: UAB offers a variety of convenient choices to help you make smart nutritional choices in the workplace.
• Live HealthSmart Alabama Mobile Market: With the mission to bring healthy and affordable food to Birmingham residents, Live HealthSmart Alabama has created a Mobile Market, visiting several communities in the area.
• UAB Blazer Kitchen: The Blazer Kitchen aims to increase food security in the UAB community by providing healthy food, resources and referrals to UAB employees, students, patients and their families.

As you get moving with an active lifestyle, you'll feel more energized, less stressed and more productive — at work and at home. UAB makes it easy to stay active with the onsite resources below:

• UAB Walking Trails: Eight indoor and outdoor routes located throughout the medical and academic campus that make it convenient for steppers to walk at work in rain or shine.
• UAB University Recreation: UAB employees are eligible for a variety of membership packages at the UAB Campus Recreation Center to best meet their needs. Bring your OneCard to the Campus Recreation Center Member Services desk to sign up for a free one-week trial.
• Yoga Classes: Join the Employee Assistance and Counseling Center's certified yoga instructor on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Magnolia Office Park for Gentle Yoga, or check out the monthly virtual Chair Yoga sessions, offered via Zoom. View the EACC Calendar of Events for upcoming sessions. For additional virtual yoga sessions, visit go.uab.edu/virtualyoga.

At UAB Employee Wellness, we strive to provide multiple ways for learning how to prevent health problems and maintain a healthy lifestyle. From lunch-and-learn sessions to seasonal health screenings, we want to be sure all UAB employees have access to opportunities to improve their health.

• My Health Rewards: Eligible employees can earn up to $350 a year for completing age/gender-specific screenings, participating in care-management programs, and other healthy behaviors throughout the year.
• Wellscreens: Eligible employees have access to free annual health screenings, which include important metrics that can help you evaluate your physical health. Check uab.edu/wellscreens for any available upcoming dates.
• UAB Medicine Urgent Care: Quick, convenient access to UAB Medicine physicians for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries; walk-in appointments available seven days a week, with lab and x-ray services available onsite.
• UAB Primary Care: Having a primary care physician and attending annual appointments are an important part of maintaining optimal health.

At UAB, we want employees to find comfort, health and happiness, and encourage all employees to pursue their wellbeing through various resources and services provided by UAB. Be sure to check out the offerings below.

• UAB Employee Assistance & Counseling Center: Confidential support services for UAB employees and their immediate household — including individual, couples and family counseling — to help you identify, understand and resolve work-related and personal issues, and achieve a successful work/life integration.
• Code Blaze: An extensive collection of stress management resources for solving stressful situations, relaxation and techniques for managing difficult emotions frequently experienced by direct care providers.
• Financial Wellness: Through the UAB Financial Wellness Program, UAB HR provides financial counseling, student loan assistance and educational resources designed to help employees cope with financial stressors.
• UABwell Mobile App: The UABwell mental health app allows UAB students and employees to build a customizable, personalized self-care plan, and includes a habit tracker so they can track their progress, as well as an integrated calendar that locates all campus mental health events and resources all in one place. Or check out more Wellness Apps for UAB Employees.
• UAB Medicine Office of Wellness: The Office of Wellness is dedicated to the wellness of individuals, teams, and the workplace, through a commitment to research, education, and services for all UAB Medicine employees, residents and medical students.
• Employee Perks for the UAB Family: Through discount agreements with eligible businesses, the UAB Employee Perks program allows all UAB faculty and staff to save money just for being a UAB employee. Current offers include gym memberships, vacation packages, grocery delivery services and much more.

As a world-renowned university with vital roles in preserving and improving life, UAB has a responsibility to be among leaders in health and wellness initiatives. To that end:

• UAB Non-smoking Policy: The use of tobacco or smoking-related products is prohibited within all buildings, facilities, vehicles and spaces (including covered walkways, covered parking, parking lots, commons, parks, and campus greens) that are owned, rented, leased or otherwise controlled by the University and otherwise in accordance with city ordinance. Visit the UAB Policies and Procedures Library to read the complete Non-smoking Policy.
• Love Your Lungs: The Great American Smokeout is an annual event to help Americans take the important step toward living a healthier life and reducing cancer risks, by quitting smoking. Employee Wellness wants you to “Love Your Lungs” and learn about the risks of cigarette, vape and tobacco use and take advantage of resources to help support you in a healthier lifestyle.
• Tobacco Cessation Coaching: Tobacco cessation resources and discounted products are available as part of the UAB employee benefits packages. Employees and members of their immediate household are eligible for four free tobacco cessation coaching sessions per calendar year. Sessions are conducted by a licensed mental health professional either in one-on-one or group coaching sessions.
• Discontinuation of Tobacco Surcharge: UAB faculty and staff enrolling in a UAB medical plan must declare whether they are a tobacco user, and a fee will be assessed accordingly. If tobacco users would like the $50/month surcharge discontinued, they must complete the four-week EACC Tobacco Cessation Coaching. See Tobacco Surcharge FAQs for more information.