Hokie Wellness expands services for employees
What if your job offered a way to improve your health, reduce stress, and even have a little fun with your coworkers — at no cost to you?
Hokie Wellness was established at Virginia Tech in 2010 as an initiative exclusively for employees before merging with staff providing health education and services for students in 2016. The department has expanded since then to offer a broad array of prevention services, education, outreach, and resources to employees.
“We have a great number of employees at Virginia Tech to support, all of whom have different needs,” said Dave Andrews, associate director of employee wellness. “We want to ensure that all members of our community are well and thriving.”
One example of supporting employees’ differing needs happened during the pandemic, when Hokie Wellness pivoted to focus on supporting employees in new ways with COVID-19 testing, vaccination clinics, and work/life support for remote workers.
While physical/medical health is always an important part of Hokie Wellness, as a result of increasing needs in areas that arose during the pandemic, the department is expanding work in other areas such as mental health, access to resources, and social connection.
Mental health
With support from campus partners, such as the Black Faculty Caucus, Hokie Wellness was able to create a position dedicated to mental health and well-being for employees. Hokie Wellness welcomed Carlo Rivera as the mental health specialist in October 2023. During the first year, Rivera will focus on mental health programming for employees and then also collaborate with the Mental Health Initiatives team on the student side of Hokie Wellness.
“It is exciting to be able to expand our team to further support our employees,” said Senior Director of Hokie Wellness Amy Epperley. “It’s wonderful to work at a place where there is a commitment to taking care of employees.”
Rivera’s position will support the current mental health services available to employees, including TimelyCare, the Employee Assistance Program, Mental Health First Aid, and other workshops for those looking to support themselves and others.
This new role is also responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating new mental health promotion strategies, policies, programs, interventions, and services. While the position provides support to the entire community, there is a special emphasis on services for underserved and underrepresented populations.
Improved access to resources
The Hokie Wellness team is committed to decreasing barriers to accessing services beyond just those for mental health support, Andrews said. A newly redesigned and reorganized website now makes it easier for employees to access services and connect to resources, such as crisis intervention support, caregiving, discounts, community support, and more.
The monthly Hokie Wellness Newsletter features communitywide health and wellness opportunities and events for employees. All employees are encouraged to stay up to date with offerings by signing up for the newsletter.
“There are so many resources available that it can be overwhelming to navigate,” said Andrews. “I encourage individuals to come to us when they’re not sure what to do.” Employees may call the team directly from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and be connected to resources in a timely and efficient manner. Outside working hours, the phone line connects callers with services such as the Employee Assistance Program, NRV Community Services, and support at the national level. The employee team can be reached by phone at 540-231-8878 and by email at hokiewellness@vt.edu.
“Think of Hokie Wellness as a partner,” said Andrews: “We have access to many resources, and we’ll work with you to find what you need.”
Social connection
In addition, Hokie Wellness is committed to enhancing social connection. By working remotely, many lost a sense of belonging to a community, said Epperley. “We have seen a drop-off in engagement with in-person workshops since the pandemic,” she said. “We are working on this. For those employees who want to socially connect in person, we are offering more in-person programming.”
Health Educator Julie Carlson has worked to create opportunities for connection through campus and community tours and employee interest groups. Employees are encouraged to check out the existing interest groups or start new ones. A calendar of upcoming workshops and events is also available.
Beyond Blacksburg
Hokie Wellness also has expanded its outreach to campuses outside Blacksburg. “One of the silver linings of the pandemic was that as we offered more programs virtually, more members of our extended campuses were able to attend,” said Ana Agud, manager of work/life programs.
Hokie Wellness continues to offer a number of programs virtually each month that employees across all locations can attend. Additionally, in-person workshops have been held at the Roanoke campus on topics such as stress reduction and mental health first aid, and outreach and informational programs have taken place in Richmond. REVIVE! Opioid Overdose Emergency Response Training was offered at the Virginia Tech Research Center—Arlington. Hokie Wellness staff have also held workshops at Agricultural Research and Extension Centers.
“We are growing and building our services to the external campuses,” said Andrews. “We plan to go at least once or twice per year in person to each external campus while also continuing to offer our support from Blacksburg.”
How to partner with Hokie Wellness
Individuals can come to open workshops, which cover a wide variety of topics such as mental health, financial wellness, health communication, nutrition, and more. Departments and groups can request tailored workshops for their employees. Hokie Wellness staff members are also available to meet with employees in one-on-one sessions to help them connect to campus and community resources and with managers to help develop strategies to better support their staff.
“At Virginia Tech we want to be a destination for talent,” Sandee Cheynet, associate vice president for human resources. “Part of that goal is supporting our faculty and staff as they manage the day-to-day challenges that everyone faces. Hokie Wellness is a key player in providing support that allows our employees to be their best and help us build and maintain a great work environment at Virginia Tech.”
