LPS Staff Wellness Takes the Lead
in Supporting District Wellbeing
The LPS strategic plan is focused on both student and staff wellbeing. Funding of over 1.2 million in meaningful student wellness initiatives through the Foundation for LPS in the LPS Wellness Fund has made a difference. Donations from the late Ed and Mary Copple and additional grants written by the LPS wellness facilitator and dietitian have supported student wellness over these past 15 years.
Though student wellness has become well established, staff wellness was limited to programs offered through EHA Wellness; enhanced by LPS district efforts to integrate with student initiatives. However, two years of collaborative work by the district Ad Hoc insurance committee, including district administration, Board members, wellness and HR leadership were able to work with the district insurance provider, BCBS Nebraska, to fund an 18-month pilot to enhance wellness resources for staff.
Enter Vitality, which started January 2025, a personalized health system, allowing staff to learn about their personal health, take action to improve their wellness and earn incentives. Programming is customized by the LPS district wellness facilitator and dietitian to fit the culture of LPS wellness activities and ensure maximized engagement by staff in the program.
It has been a big success. Over 41% of staff, which is over 3,000 members, are taking part in the program and are engaged with great levels of depth and breadth in the program. Vitality can sync with fitness devices and over 65% of the staff in the program take advantage of the function. It is privacy protected and personalized to individualized goals; which may be about fitness, mental wellness, nutrition, sleep or a mix of goals.
Composite data reflects the meaningful impact of the program on the LPS staff population. A summary of participation by the group is reported quarterly. In the first quarter of the second cycle year of the program, staff completed over 116,000 workouts, through synced fitness devices and reported activities. They also viewed over 19,900 videos and webinars, read over 77,400 clinically reviewed articles about health and completed over 133,500 goal trackers in only 3 months.
Staff self-care has a positive trickle-down impact on student wellbeing. Staff who are well-informed and doing better self-care are more likely to have better information to share with students about self-care, in addition to needing less time away from classrooms since they are taking care of their health in preventative ways. In addition, healthy staff are likely to be able to stay in their roles if taking care of themselves, both mind and body.
The LPS District, LPS Board, and the LPS Ad Hoc Committee has prioritized both student and staff wellbeing in the district strategic plan and continues to recognize the importance of health and wellness in building a brighter future for the Lincoln community.
