All of us are concerned about health care and ensuring we have access to affordable and quality health benefits. One of the ways to tackle this issue and make a difference is through our own actions regarding diet, habits and exercise.

But with all of the advice available, sometimes it can be overwhelming when you are trying to make good decisions for yourself and your family. We want to make that process easier and are launching a USG Wellness Initiative for University System employees.

The goal of the USG Wellness Initiative is to increase opportunities for our employees to participate in a program that will assist them to lead happier and healthier lives as well as aid in reducing personal and healthcare costs. Working in partnership with you, we will implement a comprehensive program of outreach, education and technical assistance with activities to combat obesity and inactivity.

Through this new initiative we will:

• Raise awareness of the health and fiscal costs of unhealthy lifestyles;
• Select some early “best available practices” programs (such as the “Walking Works” program) and implement them quickly

I invite you to join me in whole-heartedly supporting this worthwhile effort. Over the coming weeks and months we will be communicating with you about tools, resources, and programs available to help you manage your wellness. Get on board to take part in one of the many events we have planned. We intend to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Together we can make a positive difference in your lives and your families to become healthier if we just stop talking about it and start doing something!

Dr. Sonny Perdue