Campus Flu Shot Clinics Are Coming

Save a date to get a flu shot! Take advantage of your Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) medical plan and get immunized before the flu season. Attend one of several convenient flu shot clinics from September 21 - November 18. No appointment necessary. Bring your photo ID, your health insurance card, and a completed claim form so we can bill your UW plan at no cost to you. View the entire schedule here.

Note: Covered dependents between ages 11-17 may attend a flu shot clinic provided they are with their parent or guardian, who must also sign the Claim/Consent form. Dependents age 10 and under should see their health care provider.

Take a Tech Break

Relax and rest your eyes by taking a technology break for at least two hours each workday. Turn off your TV, computer, and mobile devices to earn weekly SmartHealth points-up to 400 points possible by September 27-simply by tracking that you've unplugged 2+ hours each workday. 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 designed to help you improve your health and well-being. To get started, log in to SmartHealth and complete the activation process, then opt for activities to progress on your wellness journey.

Visit the SmartHealth website to learn more.

Mammography Screenings for UMP Members

If you're a woman age 40+ who's enrolled in the Uniform Medical Plan, consider scheduling your next routine mammogram at the MammoVan! The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance MammoVan is a customized, mobile breast imaging clinic bringing the latest technology in digital mammograms to you at your workplace. The average appointment time is just 15 minutes.

The MammoVan is scheduled to visit on Wednesday, September 9 at 12th Avenue NE and NE 43rd Street, near the southwest corner of the UW Tower. Appointments are available on a first-come, first-serve basis between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Note: Group Health members are required to receive all mammography services directly from a Group Health Cooperative facility.

Access screening information and schedule an appointment.

Tobacco Cessation: Take the Readiness Quiz

Thinking about quitting is the first step to quitting tobacco, but are you ready? Take this Readiness Quiz.

Enroll in the Quit For Life® Program, administered by Alere and available through your PEBB health plan. You will have access to unlimited calls with a Quit Coach plus an exclusive online support community, and even nicotine patches or gum. The Quit For Life team can help you become a successful quitter.

How does quitting tobacco affect your PEBB's Tobacco Use Premium Surcharge? When any family member (including yourself) whom you reported using tobacco products does ANY of the following:

• Stops using tobacco products for two months.
• Enrolls in your PEBB medical plan's tobacco cessation program (for ages 18 and older).
• Accesses information and resources at Smokefree Teen (for ages 13-17).

Remember, you must report whether any family member starts (re)using tobacco products or ceases enrollment in the PEBB medical plan's tobacco cessation program.

Read more about the PEBB's Tobacco Use Premium Surcharge.

Calling All UW Artists for Ovations 2015

UW's got talent, and you're invited to participate in this year's Ovations! Be part of this one-night only faculty and staff performance showcase. Take the stage on Sunday, November 22 at beautiful Meany Theater and be cheered on by your colleagues, friends, and family as you show us "What you do when you do you." If your artistic talent takes the form of canvas, clay, fabric, or glass, we invite you to exhibit your work in the lobby next to the renowned work of other Northwest artists like Jacob Lawrence and Dale Chihuly. Participation is free, but we can only take a limited number of acts. Email us at wholeu@uw.edu for a short video of what we can expect from your performance by September 15. Have questions? Contact Lauren Updyke at updykl@uw.edu.

Celebrate National Yoga Month

Be part of National Yoga Month this September by joining The Whole U's Yoga Month Celebration! We've tapped our campus yoga experts to bring you videos introducing different yoga styles and a weekly article that focuses on how yoga can help with everything from stress relief to longevity. The Whole U will host yoga classes all over the UW including Bothell, Harborview, Seattle, South Lake Union, and Tacoma. Register now for weekly updates in September.

De-stress with an All Day Mindfulness Retreat

The Whole U and UW Medicine invite you to experience a full day of mindfulness with Tim Burnett from Mindfulness Northwest. Join us on Saturday, September 26 for a day of immersion into mindfulness, stress reduction, body awareness, and inner care. Formal practices including body scan, mindful yoga, sitting, and walking meditation will be practiced together in silence. The day will conclude with small group discussion and dialog with the instructor on your experience of the day and how mindfulness can be integrated into daily life. The retreat is based on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, a well-researched class that has proved very effective in helping with many stress-related issues. Cost is just $45 and 150 spots are available. Learn more.

Experience the UW Planetarium

Learn about astronomy and the night sky at UW's digital planetarium. Eight million pixels cover the 30-foot diameter dome, providing a truly interactive and immersive experience. All of the Planetarium presenters, typically astronomy majors and graduate students, like to put their own spin on things, so shows vary. Whether they're projecting the 118,000 star Hipparcos catalog, flying through 930,000 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, soaring across the solar system, or zooming into images of spectacular deep space objects, this is a show not to be missed! Join us Friday, September 25 or Friday, October 23 at noon. Sign up now.

Train on Your Schedule

Whether you are new to exercise or are an avid athlete, The Whole U has created free online opportunities for you to be active. There are a variety of cardio, strength, and flexibility resources and training plans. Choose your plan and register.

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. Below are 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.

Confident Investing in Any Market

Learn how to actively evaluate your investment portfolio and build a tax-smart investing strategy. This intermediate-level workshop is designed for individuals who are actively engaged in managing their personal savings and addressing additional savings needs.

Designing Your Financial Roadmap

Learn how to design a financial roadmap to help you achieve your savings goals, establish a budget and manage debt, and balance and prioritize other nonretirement goals such as college planning.

Getting on the Right Path with Your Workplace Savings Plan

Are you maximizing 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.

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.

#1: Revitalize Processes

With just over six weeks before the start of the academic year, there's precious little time to make a list of things you hope to do; instead, focus on what should truly get done. First up: Check out this one-day workshop and how its simplified approach to "lean" process improvement can help you overcome obstacles, reduce wasted effort, and streamline operations. Register for Rapid Process Improvement.

#2: Organize Everything

Organizing everything seems like an insurmountable task, but get ready to cross it off your list. Try this fast-paced live webinar hosted especially for UW and designed for those who deal with a great deal of information in a variety of formats. Content focuses on creating a totally organized environment—from your desk to your desktop—that optimizes productivity. Register for Total Organization.

#3: Maximize Learning

One of the best ways to get things off your list is to delegate tasks and train colleagues so that work is shared across more people. In this one-day workshop, gain a greater understanding of how adults learn, as well as tactics to help you with mentoring, developing curricula, and dealing with reluctant participants. Register for Training, Coaching, and Mentoring for Success.

#4: Optimize Email

Getting a handle on your email should be near the top of your list, and two upcoming live webinars can help Gmail or Outlook users do just that. Learn strategies for overcoming email overload, acquire techniques for organizing your inbox, and explore tools and features to help you better manage, track, search, and archive messages. Register for Managing and Organizing Your Email Inbox: Google Apps or Microsoft Outlook.

#5: Prioritize Efforts

Next on the list: Before fall quarter takes over, acquire new strategies for responding (instead of reacting) to your work environment and establish sustainable practices for effectively managing information overload. This live webinar includes a companion book and three short sessions to improve learning and application of key concepts. Register for Accomplishing More With Less.

#6: Emphasize Strengths

Last but not least, here's something unexpected for your get-it-done list: Take some time to focus on your strengths. One-on-one career counseling can help you assess your career fit, clarify career goals and direction, and maximize the unique characteristics and experiences you have to offer. 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.

UW CareLink Program Enhancements

Announcing changes to the WorkLife program effective August 1! You will find more resources for eldercare services and consultations, and a new UW CareLink web portal with increased resources.

• New eldercare services and consultations. You now have telephonic access to eldercare managers who provide consultation and referral assistance. Call and receive guidance on caring for an elder or chronically ill adult, and about direct care services. Up to three hours of phone consults are available per year.
• New, interactive UW CareLink web portal. See the refreshed site (enter UW as the organization code). Create your own confidential account and find training and resources focused on financial, legal, relationship, and health matters. Videos, assessments, childcare locators, courses, and articles are all available. Bookmark the new link! The older one is no longer active, so make sure your local intranets and sites are updated with the new link.
• New UW CareLink brochure coming! The updates will be available in new brochures shortly. Please email worklife@uw.edu to place your order and we will send you the new brochures when available. Please recycle any brochures currently in your inventory as they are no longer accurate.

New UW CareLink Publication

Effective August 1, UW faculty and staff will have access to Balanced Living. Each month, the newsletter will feature a lead article along with additional topics highlighted and links to the full articles. In August, look for "Everything in Moderation: The Money Diet." When it comes to overindulgence, money and food really aren't all that different. Both satisfy basic needs in our lives. Yet without boundaries, they can get us in trouble.

Money 101 Webinar

UW CareLink will broadcast a one-hour webinar "Money 101" on August 18 at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Money makes the world go ‘round, but how do you handle it? This webinar covers budgeting, building savings, managing debt, and allows for a live Q&A session with a subject matter expert. Pre-register at least one hour before the presentation. The webinar will be archived on the site and available for viewing by the beginning of September.

Make Your First Home More Affordable With the Hometown Program

Buying a home will be one of the most important financial investments you'll make. For many this seems like a difficult hurdle, but the Hometown Home Loan Program can help you find affordable programs to help you through the home buying process. In addition to monthly seminars offered on campus (see next article), HomeStreet's Affinity Lending loan officers can help you take advantage of down-payment assistance programs. One such program, Home Advantage Down Payment Assistance Second Loan, can provide assistance on up to 4% of your first mortgage loan amount which can make buying a home more affordable for new homebuyers. Learn more.

Home Buying & Selling Info You Can Use

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 information for the events listed below.

Buying a Home

Whether you're buying your first home or just need a refresher, this seminar is for you. Here you will learn:

• Today's real estate market
• Role of the real estate agent
• Pre-approvals vs. pre-qualifications
• Mortgage applications, home inspections, and appraisals

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, and what's a FICO score
• Learn how to clean up your credit history
• Fix reporting errors

Individual Prequalification Appointments

Thinking of buying or refinancing a home but not sure how to get started? 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 request a prequalification appointment, click on your preferred date from the Classes & Seminars calendar tab at www.homestreet.com/uw or call 206-628-0207.

Financial Education Seminars

Save more and better manage your finances with financial education seminars. Presented by two local nonprofit credit unions, WSECU and SECU, these free seminars are held at convenient campus locations during the lunch hour.

• Financial Yoga: Stretching Your Hard-Earned Dollars - Learn tips that will help you gain control of your finances and reduce financial stress.
• Scams, Shams, and Identity Theft - Learn how to better protect yourself, your money, and your personal information.
• Social Media and Your Child's Financial Future - Learn effective strategies for your child and the top 10 social media mistakes to avoid.
• Credit Reporting 101 - Come away with valuable tips to help you get the most from your creditworthiness.

Access registration and information.

Take Advantage of Free Retirement Planning Guidance

Did you know that you can receive free retirement planning guidance from a Fidelity or TIAA-CREF consultant? These 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 in a way that works best for you.

Documentary Screening with Trudy James: Speaking of Dying

Join The Whole U and filmmaker Trudy James for the documentary Speaking of Dying. The film inspires viewers to believe in their right to a meaningful death--and shows them how to have conversations that can help it happen. It features doctors and a variety of patients sharing personal, intimate stories about today's end-of-life challenges and choices. Jennifer Jones, the director of the film, completed the UW's Professional Continuing Education Directing for Stage and Screen certificate, as well as their Gerontology program. The screening is 30 minutes and will be followed by a panel discussion. Join us in Alder Hall on Wednesday, September 16 at 5:15 p.m. Register now.

UW Retiree Resource Fair

The UW Retirement Association invites you to the annual Retiree Resource Fair. At this casual open house you can learn about the campus privileges, discounts, volunteer, and Encore opportunities available to UW retirees. Representatives from across the University will be available to answer your questions and describe their programs. Explore opportunities in the arts, education, recreational sports, service organizations, and travel, and speak with staff from UW offices that support retirees.

Tuesday, September 22
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Husky Union Building (HUB), South Ballroom

The event is free but please register online first. Click the "register" button in the Tuesday, September 22 entry on the calendar. Contact UW Retirement Association at 543-8600 or retiremt@uw.edu for more information.

Free Bicycle Registration at UW

Calling all bike commuters! Project 529, an enhanced bicycle registration program for college campuses, is available and includes registration, a bike theft alert app, and tamper-resistant shield. Register here or through Project 529 so that in case your bike gets lost or stolen, you'll be ahead of the game. Staff, faculty, and students may pick up their free Project 529 registration kit at the ASUW Bike Shop, the Police Department in the Bryants building, or University Transportation Center (3745 15th NE).

529 Garage app: Once a victim reports a bike theft from their phone, this app alerts cyclists within proximity of the crime. Details and photographs of the missing bike and its last seen location are shared to other 529 Garage members in the area who can respond with tips right from their phones.

Tamper-resistant shields: Shields with unique IDs put would-be thieves on alert that the bike is in the system. They also allow police to contact the owner if they recover a stolen bike, or if it's improperly parked or locked.

Already registered? To receive alerts, download the 529 Garage app from the app store of your choice. To get the shield, pick one up at one of the three locations above.

Recently Change Your Name or Address?

If you recently married, had your name legally changed, or moved to a new address, be sure to update your personal information in the UW systems so you will receive important benefits information at your home address. Remember, legally changing your name requires that you complete a number of local and federal government forms before making changes to your benefits. See Name and Address Change instructions.