New PEBB Options Coming in 2016
The PEBB Program will offer a new health plan option to eligible PEBB members in 2016, called an Accountable Care Program (ACP). An ACP is a formal network of providers and health systems that will:

• Provide "best in class" patient service and experience—including access to high-quality and timely service at lower costs to enrolled PEBB members.
• Deliver integrated physical, mental health, and substance abuse services.
• Assume financial and clinical accountability for a defined population of PEBB members.

The Health Care Authority (HCA) has selected the following successful vendors to provide an ACP option to eligible PEBB members starting in 2016:

• UW Medicine Accountable Care Network
• Puget Sound High Value Network LLC

As part of Healthier Washington, the ACPs will be offered in five counties in the Puget Sound area (Snohomish, King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Thurston), with statewide expansion planned for 2017. View the latest FAQs about this plan.

More information about this new lower cost plan will be available in September, and PEBB members will receive details before open enrollment starts in November.

Priority Childcare Enrollment
Don't forget—UW faculty, staff, and students are eligible for enrollment priority at designated Bright Horizons centers on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Bright Horizons to locate centers in your area and receive information on their tuition rates and potential waitlists. All necessary registration and tuition fees are the responsibility of the family. Once you have decided on your desired Bright Horizons location, email WorkLife for priority access approval before registering at Bright Horizons.

Maintaining Boundaries in the Use of Technology
Technology has become an increasingly necessary tool in daily life. You use it to do business, manage money, communicate, and shop. But sometimes it can feel like technology is managing you rather than the other way around. This month's UW CareLink tip sheet provides ideas on how to create boundaries around your devices.

Unplug to Recharge—How to Disconnect
Studies have shown that all this connectivity may disturb our sleep, create stress, and put up barriers to making real connections. By giving yourself a rest from technology, especially after work hours, you can better recharge. This month's webinar will help us all unplug. UW Carelink will broadcast a one-hour webinar "Unplug to Recharge" on July 21 at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

You must pre-register at least one hour before the presentation. Visit www.apshelplink.com (use "UW" as the company code) and click the Online Seminars section. Select the presentation and then register by clicking on the first or second session option. The webinar will also be archived on the site and available for viewing by the beginning of August.

Whether you're starting out, building wealth, or getting ready to retire, UW Benefits sponsors free seminars packed with information that can help you through your journey. The following is a list of seminars offered on campus by Fidelity representatives..

Access event information and register here.

Building a Portfolio for Any Weather
In this seminar, designed for the beginning investor, you will learn how to determine an appropriate investment mix and your investment style, select investment options that fit your investment approach, and manage your investment strategy to help meet your long-term goals.

Getting on the Right Path with Your Workplace Savings Plan
Learn how to maximize your workplace savings plan. This beginner-level workshop is intended for individuals who are not participating in their workplace savings plan, or who would like to learn ways to save more.

Preserving Your Savings for Future Generations
Learn key estate planning tools, the importance of beneficiary designations, and gifting and insurance replacement strategies.

Social Security: A Foundation for Your Future
Achieving financial independence is key to enjoying a satisfying retirement. Social Security has the tools to help get you there including this free Social Security seminar:

Wednesday, July 22
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Health Sciences Building
Access seminar information and registration

At this seminar you will consider:

• What are the eligibility requirements for Social Security and retirement?
• When do Social Security and Medicare benefits begin?
• What are the criteria for receiving family benefits?
• What programs are administered under the Social Security Act?
• How does early retirement affect your benefits?
• How to use your "my Social Security" Online Account and other online services.

Take Advantage of Free Retirement Planning Guidance
Few things in life are free. But here's one: schedule time with a knowledgeable Fidelity or TIAA-CREF consultant and you'll get free retirement planning guidance—no strings attached. Individual appointments are an excellent time to:

• Ask about saving for retirement and other goals
• Evaluate investment choices that meet your needs
• Create an action plan to get and stay on track for retirement
• Review retirement income options

Schedule an appointment today!

Professional & Organizational Development (POD) courses are open to all UW employees, subject to supervisor/budgetary approval and UW's release time policy. Please view our policy page for additional information.

Explore a New Path
Are you eager to take your career in a new direction? One-on-one career counseling can help you assess your career fit, make the most of your strengths, prepare for a job search, or plot a different path for your career. Sessions are offered for $110 per one-hour session if paid with a UW budget number (with supervisor approval) or $127.16 if paid with cash, check, or credit card (due to a mandatory institutional overhead fee). Learn more about this service.

Chart Your Territory
You probably wouldn't set out for a three-day hike without first studying the conditions, obtaining the necessary supplies, and carefully packing all your essential gear and sundries—but we don't always approach our work in such a systematic way. Whether embarking on a wilderness trek or a day at the office, organization is key. For those who work with a great deal of information, this live webinar offers an innovative approach and organizational methodologies for optimizing your physical and virtual work environments. Register for Total Organization.

Test Your Mettle
The more you understand what you're capable of, the better equipped you'll be to maximize your potential and increase you career satisfaction. An in-depth biographical questionnaire lays the foundation for a two-day workshop focused on assessing your strengths, uncovering your true worth, and applying your unique skills and experience to your career. Register for Discovering Your Dependable Strengths.

Find Your Footing
Whether you inadvertently wander off the trail or are given a work assignment with little direction, it can be unnerving to move forward when you don't know where you're going. This highly interactive half-day workshop is designed to boost your facility with thinking and acting spontaneously. Take a cue from theater professionals as you practice applying improvisational techniques to your on-the-job thinking. Register for Thinking on Your Feet.

Reach New Heights
Try as we might, we seldom reach our full potential—and meanwhile don't recognize the fears and mental barriers that hold us back. In this half-day workshop, explore a revolutionary approach for realizing your full potential, gain a renewed sense of ownership of your feelings and behaviors, and discover a new way of handling yourself and the world around you. Register for Unlocking Possibility.

UW Free Photo Day
Experience a beautiful and memorable day on Sunday, August 9 with your family, friends, and pets by posing in front of some of the UW's most picturesque locations for the our second annual UW FREE Photo Day. Professional photographers will take your portraits and capture candid moments with the ones you love. Locations will include Drumheller Fountain, The Quad, Husky Stadium, Suzzallo Library, and more. Photographers will send links to view and download your free high-resolution photos within three weeks of the event. Register now for the Seattle campus or Tacoma.

UW Night at the Mariners
Watch the Mariners take on the Los Angeles Angels with your fellow Huskies on Friday, July 10 at Safeco Field. This annual event brings out a Husky pack of thousands, including students, alumni, faculty, staff, and retirees. Come dressed in purple and ready to cheer in Husky Nation fashion. Discounted tickets are $20 for View Level seats and $35 for Main Level (both options include a free soft-sided UW/Mariners cooler while supplies last). A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales benefit UWAA student scholarships. Learn more.

UW Stair Challenge: 500K Stairs in 24 Hours
Help us reach 500k stairs in 24 hours on Wednesday, July 15. The Whole U team will be out and about with surprises for our stair climbers all day long. We have partnered with Movo, a new affordable fitness tracker, and have 100 trackers to giveaway in addition to Whole U swag. Bragging rights are also on the line! We'll be tallying results from each campus and medical center. The location with the highest number of stairs per participant will win an exclusive workout with nationally ranked stair climber PJ Glassey. Learn more and register.

Camera Basics with Marc Studer
Join us for a photography class with Marc Studer, electronic media producer at UW Bothell. Get your camera out of "auto" and take control of your images. Marc will teach us the basics of exposure and composition, followed by a primer in available light portraiture. All experience levels are welcome, but this course is designed at the beginner-intermediate level. Bring your DSLR camera to Husky Hall on Tuesday, July 21. Sign up now.

Functional Movement Screen with UW Medicine Trainer Jordyn Eisenhard
Calling athletes of all levels! Find your specific weaknesses in flexibility, mobility, and strength to learn ways to improve your athletic performance. UW Medicine Trainer Jordyn Eisenhard will perform a large scale Functional Movement Screen for all participants. She will demonstrate how you can correct movements to enhance your performance and prevent injury. Join us at Harborview on Tuesday, August 11 at noon. Register now.

Designing Your Financial Roadmap
Steer a clear path! Join Fidelity Investments at this beginning investor's seminar to learn how to:

• Design a financial roadmap to help you achieve your savings goals
• Establish a budget and manage debt
• Balance and prioritize other nonretirement goals such as college planning

Access event registration and information.

Managing Your Personal Finances
Get a handle on your finances by attending a timely (and free!) financial education seminar offered by our local credit union partners. Open to all UW faculty and staff. The following seminars will be offered at various campus locations throughout the summer and fall. Check them out!

• Credit Reporting 101
• Financial Yoga: Stretching Your Hard-Earned Dollars
• Scams, Shams & Identity Theft
• Social Media & Your Child's Financial Future

Access registration and event information.

Chart Your Territory
HomeStreet offers free one-hour seminars to help you learn about a variety of homeownership issues related to budgeting, buying, remodeling, refinancing, and selling your home.

Access registration and event information.

Buying and Remodeling a Fixer Upper
Are you one of those enterprising "Do-It-Yourself" types? Learn:

• The best options for finding distressed properties
• What improvements add value to your home
• How to budget for basic home repairs
• Whether to do it yourself or hire out

Planning on Upsizing or Downsizing your Home
Are you ready to move up to a bigger, better home or downsize to a smaller one? Find out:

• What it takes to sell your existing home
• How to determine the market value of your home
• What improvements pay off
• How to crunch the numbers to budget for your next home

Understanding Credit
How does credit reporting really work? Learn:

• Know why credit history is important when getting ready to finance a home or purchase big-ticket items
• What's behind your credit report, how is it used, and what's a FICO score
• Learn how to clean up your credit history
• Fix reporting errors

Get Reduced Closing Costs and Fees
When you get your home loan through the Affinity Lending Center, a "credit" of 0.50% of the loan amount will be applied towards your closing costs on owner-occupied purchases, refinances, construction loans and more. For example, on a $300,000 loan, that amounts to a savings of $1,425! See how it works.

Plus, we've partnered with escrow agents, inspectors and others who also offer discounts on their services. Qualify for down payment assistance or interest rate reductions and you'll save even more.

Benefits of the Hometown Program are only available through the Affinity Lending Center, not through other branches. For more information about your benefits, please contact HomeStreet Bank's Affinity Lending Center at 206-628-0207 or visit Homestreet online.

Individual Prequalification Appointments
Thinking of buying or refinancing a home but not sure how to get started? Why not schedule a free, personal home ownership counseling session with a HomeStreet Bank representative who can walk you through the process including prequalification? These 30-minute, one-on-one sessions are both private and informative. Your spouse, partner, or potential co-signer is welcome to attend with you.

To register or request a prequalification appointment, choose a date on the HomeStreet events calendar or call 206-628-0207.

Get Your Zzzzs
It's not always easy to make time for your rest, but it's worth the effort. Not only does a good night's sleep help you feel refreshed, it's also key to recovering from stress and being better able to face the challenges of a new day. Earn 50 SmartHealth points per week—up to 400 points total by August 31—by tracking that you've received enough sleep at least 5 days a week. This is just one of the many wellness activities available to you and your family at SmartHealth.

SmartHealth is the state's new voluntary, confidential wellness program that's designed to help you improve your health and well-being. To get started, simply log in to SmartHealth and complete the one-time activation process, then opt for activities to progress on your wellness journey.

Visit the SmartHealth website to learn more.

Weight Watchers at Work
Weight Watchers teaches you how to stick to healthy living and have a healthier relationship with food so you can lose weight and keep it off. Sign up for a monthly pass to attend sessions at:

• Tuesdays, Schmitz Hall
• Wednesdays, UW Tower
• Thursdays, Harborview
• Fridays, Health Sciences

The pass allows you to enjoy lower monthly fees, attend unlimited meetings anywhere, and get free access to Weight Watchers eTools—interactive tools, tips, and recipes that help you stay on track. Learn how to get started.

UW@Work Unveils First Look at Workday
The HR/Payroll Modernization project unveiled the first look at Workday, UW's new HR and payroll system. The video was revealed in this month's issue of UW@Work, the project's newsletter.

Northwest Coalition of Professional Staff in Higher Education Conference
The UW Professional Staff Organization (PSO) in collaboration with Western Washington University and Washington State University has formed the Northwest Coalition of Professional Staff in Higher Education (NCPS). The purpose of NCPS is to:

• Promote professional development for professional staff in the Pacific Northwest.
• Encourage networking among our peers in order to identify and develop best practices relevant to our members various duties.
• Serve as a bridge and cohesive voice to professional staff in higher education.

The NCPS is pleased to announce our inaugural regional conference will be held on July 19-21, 2015 at Alder Hall on the UW campus. Visit the conference website for more details.

Engraving Available to ID Your Valuables
The UW Police Department wants to help you hang on to your important valuables. While some items have serial numbers, others don't. Sometimes the number has worn away. If you lose a valuable without a serial number, you need a way to positively identify your property. Consider visiting UWPD to engrave an owner-applied number, such as your driver's license number, onto your valuable. (You may also check out the small engraving tool.) Engraving is available at the UWPD front office at 1117 NE Boat Street during business hours: 8-12 and 1-4:45 Monday through Friday. Please bring valid photo ID. Remember you'd never use your Social Security number for this purpose. In addition, improve the chances of recovering your lost or stolen electronics by registering them with the UWPD. Bicycles are registered in a separate database.