Employees: Join the MCC Fitness Centers - no cost!

Did you know MCC employees can use the MCC Fitness Centers at no cost? Visit any of the campus fitness centers, sign a waiver, and you become a member. It’s that simple! You are not restricted to the campus in which you work. Utilize all of them or one that's convenient for you. Click here to find a location best for you.

After you work out, don't forget to log your success on the Points-to-Blue incentive program.

Employees: MCC Living Well programs

June Webinars

The MCC Living Well program offers many different options for MCC employees to participate in through the Blue Cross/Blue Shield health plan.

To participate in the June webinars, click here and register for one of the following:

• • Nutri-Wize
• • Tobacco-free and Healthy
• • Cultivating a Stress Resilient Lifestyle
• • Weigh to Go

All of the BC/BS classes are presented live and are also available as a recording. The recordings are available within 24 hours of the live presentation's. Recordings are available for up to one week after the live presentation.

 

Don't have time in your schedule for a series class? Head to the Webinars on Demand page to view more topics with our 30 minute presentations available at your convenience.

All classes are free of charge for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City members. Non-members are allowed to participate in the classes, there are non-member fees associated with the series classes. One time presentations are free of charge for everyone. Each class description indicates whether or not there is an additional participant fee for non-members that participate.

 

Face–to-Face Lifestyle Coaching

Face-to-Face Lifestyle Coaching is also available as part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BC/BS) health care plan in 2011. Employees who are members of the BC/BS health care plan will have the opportunity to meet monthly, at no cost, with a certified health coach, who is trained in psychology and health management.

 

MCC is currently offering sessions at  MCC-Longview and MCC-Penn Valley campuses. Beginning in July, sessions will also be offered at MCC-Blue River and MCC-Maple Woods. Watch for the July registration email from Jenny Edwards to come later this month.

Be a Fearless Woman!

The Women's Bureau, a division of the US Department of Labor and partner of the MCC Institute of Workforce Innovation, would like to invite MCC employees to participate in an upcoming seminar at the UMKC University Center on Saturday, June 4, 8 am-1 pm.

Be a Fearless Woman! is a one-day bootcamp that will help you find your purpose, face life challenges, manage money and explore new opportunities. Registration is $50 and includes a continental breakfast, boxed lunch, a gift bag, and three workshops. The registration deadline is May 20. To register, visit daciamoore.com, or contact Pat Lees at IWI with questions.

In addition to the Women's Bureau, the event is being sponsored by Second Wind Counseling & Consulting and UMKC.

National Walk at Lunch Day a success

MCC-Longview

Over 100 employees from across the district participated in the Blue Cross Blue Shield National Walk at Lunch Day. The walk was organized by the MCC Living Well Program.

MCC-Maple Woods

Jim Sierks, MCC print shop manager, power-walks in the BTC Exhibit Hall.  Not captured in the photograph are little flames shooting from his feet.

MCC-Blue River

Employees - National Walk at Lunch Day

MCC’s Living Well Program has joined with A Healthier You™ at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City to encourage our employees to take a walk during their lunch break on April 27.

Walking is one of many ways the Living Well Program suggests to achieve a healthier lifestyle. And to add more incentive, employees who complete the group walk on each campus will be eligible for 5,000 points on their Points-to-Blue account.

Look for more information in upcoming emails from each campus coordinator:

BTC- Peggy Gann
BR – David Owens
LV– Vicki Clark
MW-Sheila Juenger
PV and AC – Michelle Schmiedeler

Mark your calendars today!

Face-to-Face Coaching, round 2

The second round of Face-to-Face Lifestyle Coaching for MCC employees is being offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield (BC/BS) in conjunction with the MCC Living Well program. Employees who are members of the BC/BS insurance plan can meet monthly, at no cost, with a certified health coach, who is trained in psychology and health management.

The health coach will work one-on-one with employees in 25 minute

Points-to-Blue puts money in employees’ pockets

Since the launch of the Points-to-Blue (PTB) program in April 2010, approximately $32,000 of gift cards have been paid out to MCC employees. And that’s not the whole story – thousands more dollars worth of points have been banked, but not yet redeemed.


Tomorrow is the last day to redeem any points banked in 2010. Points banked during 2010 that have not been redeemed will expire on March 31, 2011.

MCC employees love the PTB program. From gift cards as gifts, to treating themselves to a little something special, there is something for everyone. Some employees purchased well deserved spa time, while others tried new restaurants and department stores.

“I redeemed mine at a new store,” said Leawna Parker, module leader for enrollment services. “There’s nothing to lose. It’s like free money for things I’m already doing.”

The PTB incentive program is provided through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City. The program rewards employees for making healthy choices by providing tools to track participation in activities that improve health or keep employees healthy, while allowing them to choose their own rewards.

Once an employee records 25,000 points or more in their bank, they can redeem those points towards gift cards to more than 350 retail, restaurant, travel and entertainment providers. Gift cards start at $25 and increase in $5 increments.

*Note: due to high volume this time of year, processing of gift cards may take up to 6 weeks.

Save the Date! BlueKC National Walk at Lunch Day

The MCC Wellness Committee, through the MCC Living Well program, invites employees to attend the Walk at Lunch day on April 27. Details for routes and times are being worked out for each campus and the Administrative Center.

Watch The MCC Insider for more information coming soon.

Free Wednesday Workouts at MCC-Blue River

Metropolitan Community College-Blue River students and staff members who are ready to get in shape will have plenty of opportunities. Every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. they can enjoy a free beginning level guided workout in the MCC-Blue River gymnasium (Arts & Sciences 100).

The schedule of workouts is a diverse selection that should give participants a taste of many different styles of exercise. The activities will include Zumba®, dancing and martial arts among other workouts.

Dates	Activities
3/30 and 4/13	Zumba®
4/6	Cardio Interval Training
4/20	Hoop Dancing
4/27	Martial Arts
5/4	P90X Strength Training

For more information about Free Wednesday Workouts, contact David Owens at David.Owens@mcckc.edu or by phone at 816.604.6426.

Culprit & the Cure begins today!

The Culprit & the Cure email book club for MCC employees begins today, and there is still time to sign up. If you want to join many of your colleagues who plan to complete this program (and earn a wellness medal of honor), visit with one of your wellness reps to sign up. The cost of the book is a mere $3.

Employees lose 625 lbs in A Slimmer You!

When The Slimmer You program was launched last fall through the MCC Wellness committee, finding success stories posed as an obstacle - all participants and personal information are kept confidential. But, excited participants came to the committee, eager to talk about both the ease of the program and the results that were achieved.

Preliminary reporting from the program showed a total weight loss of 625 pounds for the MCC participants. The average weight loss was 7.7 pounds, and 12 people lost over 15 pounds!

Because the program was new to MCC employees, many of the participants weren’t sure what to expect. Rebecca Burroughs college relations coordinator at MCC-Longview (pictured above), was in that boat.

“Anytime I can get tips on how I can be healthier, I’m into it,” said Burroughs. “I didn’t really know anything about it because it was a brand new program, but I was really excited when I was picked to participate.”

Successful completers who were interviewed all talked about the ease of the program. “I was focused on making sure I did everything that was required,” Burroughs said. “First the blood work, watch the videos, then do the follow-up blood work. That was all I had to do. It wasn’t hard and I liked the videos.”

Burroughs main goal in completing the program was to be healthier overall. One thing she focused on was her cholesterol numbers. “I’m always trying to make my good cholesterol better. I knew there were some things I needed to be more aware of to try to have better lifestyle habits.”

Already a committed walker, Burroughs continued her walking program throughout the 10 weeks. “I didn’t have any expectations with weight loss,” she added, “but I did lose 14 pounds while on the program and another 2 pounds since the program ended. Even through the holidays!”

A Slimmer You is a 10-week, online program focused on healthy eating, weight management and physical activity. The time commitment is approximately one hour per week. Participants receive a packet in the mail, which guides the participant through the program; a workbook is also included.

Key features of the program include:
· Helping you develop a lifestyle of eating the foods you enjoy, while improving your health and losing weight.
· Addressing habits around eating, hunger and hydration that support weight loss or maintenance.
· Decreasing your risk for Metabolic Syndrome by addressing key risk factors – hypertension, high cholesterol and elevated blood sugar.
· Providing a holistic approach that covers, stress management, health education, exercise and fitness, and psychological and emotional fulfillment.

Another success story comes from B Sanchez, accounting specialist at the Administrative Center.

“I was interested in the program as soon as I received the email,” said Sanchez. “The program, which normally costs of $500, was being provided to us for no fee, as long as we completed the program. And of course it helped that I had to pay back $100 if I didn’t complete. That was great incentive!”

One of the perks to becoming involved with the wellness program is that the calendar of programs accessible is designed by the committee to complement one another. For example, face-to face coaching will begin the first of February. Those who want or need continued guidance can follow their program with a lifestyle coach. Any employee who is a member of the BC/BS insurance plan has the opportunity to meet monthly, at no cost, with a certified health coach, who is trained in psychology and health management.

Also, all the work done in these different programs allows employees to add to their Points to Blue rewards. Completing A Slimmer You adds 7,500 points automatically.

“I feel so great since I started the program, and I had to buy new clothes,” added Sanchez. “The bonus was adding everything to Points to Blue and getting a $250 gift card to shop on!”

Sanchez looked forward to the weekly videos and was able to lose 14 pounds on the program. “The program ended right before the holidays so the timing was great. I was able to make it through from the tips that I learned without blowing the work I had done.”

The next secession of A Slimmer You will run through the summer. Preliminary screenings are planned for sometime in May. Watch The MCC Insider as the details are hammered out and links for enrollment are established.

Join the Culprit & the Cure email book club program

The Culprit & the Cure email book club is a 7-week program designed to take MCC employees through the book The Culprit and the Cure and help employees become more responsible for their own health. The program begins on Jan. 24 and runs through March 11.

In order to complete the program, you will need to:
*Purchase the book for $3 from your wellness committee rep (listed below)
*Give your email to your rep
*Respond to 10 out of 13 emails sent to you throughout the program
*Complete a short program evaluation at the end

Employees who complete the program will earn a wellness medal of honor.

The program focuses on having a long, healthy life, adopting a healthy diet (nutrition) and being regularly physically active (exercise). Click here to view the weekly email program.

To enroll in the program, please contact your committee representative:

AC: Michelle Schmiedeler
BR: David Owens
BTC: Peggy Gann
LV: Gretchen Blythe
MW: Sheila Juenger
PV: Darrell Phillips

Choose your health, join the club!

Employees - start your 2011 Points to Blue bank today

Start logging activity and earning points for your 2011 Points to Blue bank!
Employees can still redeem points remaining in your bank from 2010, and can enter any activity for 2010 through March of this year.

Click on the link for a refresher on how to log your points.

MCC Living Well – January webinars for employees

The following webinars are brought to you as part of the MCC Living Well Program. Click on the link and see the upcoming live webinar classes. There are now classes on demand that are pre-recorded and can be watched at your leisure.

Each presentation is aired live and recorded. If you are unable to attend the webinar at the scheduled time, you can still enroll in the presentation and view the recordings later. All series classes are available for one week; one time presentations are available for two weeks after the original presentation.

All classes are free of charge for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City members. Non-members are allowed to participate in the classes, there are non-member fees associated with the series classes. One time presentations are free of charge for everyone. Each class description indicates whether or not there is an additional participant fee for non-members that participate.

Points to Blue – post your activities by the end of December

Points to Blue, the reward system offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City (BCBS), will close the first year with MCC at the end of December. The program allows employees to track healthy behavior, perform activities that are appropriate at your stage in your good health journey and choose the reward (in a gift card) that is right for you.

Those employees participating in the program must have all their entries posted on the Points to Blue site by Dec. 31. You will not be able to post any activity for 2010 beginning January 2011.
All points earned during 2010 must be redeemed by March. Watch your email inbox for notification from BCBS about your account.

Note: The Points to Blue website will be temporarily unavailable due to scheduled maintenance from 10 p.m., Dec. 17 until 7 a.m. Dec. 18.

Physical therapist assistant students teach exercise to City Union Mission residents

Physical therapist assistant students at the MCC-Penn Valley Health Science Institute recently partnered with the City Union Mission Family Life Program to provide presentations on health living. Students led presentations and demonstrated proper exercise techniques to the residents. The program is planning to add an incentive program for the residents in the area of exercise as well as nutrition to be added to the other life skills training they provide.

The partnership is part of a program that the City Union Mission is planning on developing for residents that emphasizes wellness. Gwen Robertson is coordinator for the physical therapist assistant program.

MCC offers lifestyle coaching to employees

The MCC Wellness Program is now offering Face-to-Face Lifestyle Coaching as part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BC/BS) health care plan. Employees who are members of the BC/BS insurance plan now have the opportunity to meet monthly, at no cost, with a certified health coach, who is trained in psychology and health management.

If enough employees are interested in the program, the Face-to-Face coach will be conveniently scheduled at as many campuses that have participants. The coaches will work one-on-one with employees in 25 minute sessions to help develop personalized goals in a number of areas.

· Assistance in developing a personalized plan to improve health risks and changing long-held behaviors and habits
· Support and guidance during initial stages of change – which is a crucial time in behavior modification process
· Provide ongoing support and assistance to help you meet identified short and long-term goals
· Work to address environmental triggers that may interfere with goals
· Help identify ways to avoid triggers or develop new responses to triggers

Overall wellness is not related to one single health factor, but a combination of different physical and emotional health areas. Coaches will help combine these different factors into your own customized wellness plan to reach your goals.

Before making arrangements for a coach to come to MCC, we need to identify the levels of interest of the employees. Please complete this four question survey by clicking this link.

Registration will begin mid-January - just in time for New Year’s resolutions! This might be the year you can make those goals happen!

Steen takes 6th place in fitness challenge

Congratulations to Jenny Steen, academic advisor at MCC-Blue River, for completing nine weeks of the Kansas City Fitness Magazine’s Weight Loss Challenge!

Steen lost a total of 21.8 pounds during the challenge, after losing 25 lbs on her own before starting the challenge.

Kudos to her fitness team at MCC-Maple Woods Fitness Center, mentioned in the video.

MCC-Penn Valley participates in urban core health and wellness center partnership

MCC-Penn Valley participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of the Health and Wellness Center at the Bluford branch of the Kansas City Public Library on Saturday.

The Center will provide health and wellness information to patrons of the branch. Truman Medical Center will provide health information and activities. MCC-Penn Valley Health Science Institute will offer health career training information as well as provide hands-on health care educational opportunities for high school students who visit the library.

Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City provided funding for the project with a $111,000 grant.

In addition to MCC-Penn Valley President Bernard Franklin, speakers at the ribbon cutting included: Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Health Care Foundation President & CEO Steve Roling, Kansas City Public Library Director Crosby Kemper, Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser, Kansas City Councilwoman Sharon Sanders Brooks and Truman Medical Centers CEO John Bluford.

MCC Living Well - October Webinars

The following webinars are brought to you as part of the MCC Living Well Program. Click on the link and see the upcoming live webinar classes. There are now classes on demand that are pre-recorded and can be watched at your leisure (click on the link that says Webinars on Demand).

Follow this link to register for the October webinars: http://guest.cvent.com/d/ldq1vr