Penn faculty and staff who want to stay on top of their health and be rewarded for their efforts still have time to participate in the University’s second annual “Be in the Know” campaign.

The wellness program, designed to give Penn faculty and staff members better insight into their current health status, offers a $100 incentive, less applicable payroll taxes, for individuals who participate within the appropriate deadlines. All full- and part-time, benefits-eligible employees are eligible to take part in the program in a few simple steps.

“We feel that the healthier people are and the more they know about their health, the more productive and supportive they can be in meeting their personal and professional goals,” says Marilyn Kraut, director of Quality Worklife Programs in the Division of Human Resources (HR).

Nearly 5,200 eligible faculty and staff have already completed the first step by participating in free, on-campus biometric screening sessions performed by AREUFIT Health Services, or by submitting results from screenings conducted by a personal physician. The required screening consists of a series of quick tests that measure key indicators of overall health: blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood sugar.

Employees who have already completed the first step can finish the program by completing the second and final step: an online health assessment via Penn’s new wellness portal managed by StayWell Health Management. Those who have not yet completed the first step have until Friday, Feb. 21, to do so by sending their results and a signed consent form to AREUFIT Health Services.

Faculty and staff must complete the online health assessment by Friday, March 7, to finish the second step and earn the monetary award, which will be included in their paycheck at the end of April. The assessment consists of a 10-minute questionnaire that focuses on overall health and habits, followed by an instant, personalized report on health insights, potential risks, and tips to make positive changes.

“This is so exciting because HR has been growing a health promotion program for Penn for a long time. The addition of the wellness portal is an important and useful addition to our offerings,” Kraut says. “These days, you can Google practically anything, but you can get a lot of bad information, and we wanted to make sure our faculty and staff had access to the right information. The portal is easy to work with, and it has a lot of great information.”

All test results, questionnaire responses, and information on the wellness portal is maintained confidentially.

For complete details, visit the HR website.