Making sure students have access to affordable health insurance is the primary focus of Tusculum College’s participation in the White House Healthy Campus Challenge.
The Healthy Campus Challenge aims to engage college and university campuses, and in particular community college campuses, across the country in enrollment efforts of the Affordable Health Care Act.
Groups on participating campuses will implement focused activities to reach the uninsured both on campus and in the surrounding community, during the open enrollment period.
“We are aware that we have students on campus who do not have health insurance and have felt the need to address this issue prior to the announcement of the White House Challenge,” said Rev. Dr. Ronda Gentry, director of the Center for Civic Advancement at Tusculum College. “The challenge fits in well with what we were making plans to address, so it is a natural fit for Tusculum College.”
She added that additional activities will be held addressing how to live a healthy lifestyle that will provide opportunities to discuss insurance and its importance.
Tusculum Colleges efforts will include undertaking in-person enrollment activities on campus, sending e-mails to students and faculty reminding them of the opportunity to enroll in coverage, using social media platforms to highlight open enrollment for students, faculty and staff, as well additional educational programming on how to access insurance options.
Efforts began on Wednesday, Nov. 2, with the incorporation of healthcare-related activities into Tusculum’s S.P.I.E.S. program, a campus-wide Individual Wellness through Community Engagement initiative. The acronym S.P.I.E.S. stands for social, physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual. During the S.P.I.E.S. event, staff talked with the approximately 250 students in attendance about the healthcare exchange and walked interested students through the application process. Additional activities were designed to educate students on simple exercises they can add to their day, as well as how to eat healthy on a college student budget. Students also participated in group biking, trail hike, lawn games or yoga activities.
The 2016 White House Healthy Campus Challenge builds on the successful 2015 White House Healthy Communities Challenge, in which Milwaukee – the challenge winner – saw about 38,000 people newly select a plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace during the open enrollment period.
Students participated in a healthy lifestyle event at Tusculum College on Wednesday that included learning about health insurance options and is part of the college’s participation in the White House Health Campus Challenge.