By Vic Cox

	Racer Mike Jones comes to UCSB on Oct. 4 for Team Health Net.

A new wave of fitness and wellness awareness is about to wash over the campus as Health Net HMO, the UCSB Work/Life Office, and local Staff Assembly present fall programs.

Tomorrow, Oct. 4, professional bicyclist Mike Jones, 27, and Team Health Net, as the health services provider styles it, visit the Davidson Library Plaza for two hours, starting at 11:30 a.m. Jones, who once weighed nearly 230 pounds, will talk about how proper diet and exercise trimmed 60 pounds and led to his athletic career.

He and the team will also promote Health Net’s “Get Fit!” program, which aims to help UC members live longer and healthier lives. Using $25 and $40 gift cards as incentives, the HMO/UC program combines an online risk assessment survey with a 10-week fitness program. Exercising 90 minutes total each week is required to qualify for the $40 gift card.

To begin, go to <www.healthnet.com/uc>, and note the helpful Q&A section. If an information packet is preferred, call the HMO’s customer services at 1-800-522-0088. The incentives are expected to be in place by Oct. 15 and the program will end on April 30, 2006.

Consulting a personal physician before beginning an exercise program is always recommended.

UC Health Net members in the post doc program (PHID 75651) are not eligible for the Get Fit! incentives available to members in PHID groups numbered 4591, 50478, 5047, and 5522.

PacifiCare HMO provides its members a similar, incentive-based wellness program online <www.pacificare.com>. It allows participants to earn credits toward “rewards” while they learn about healthy lifestyles and taking charge of diabetes, heart disease, tobacco addiction, depression, and other conditions.

Under PacifiCare’s HealthCredits program, earning credits for items, such as personal electronics or gift cards, also enrolls participants in a monthly drawing for a variety of prizes.

Other health education efforts underway this month on campus include a noontime program sponsored by Staff Assembly called the “Wellness Series.” Scheduled for the third Tuesday of the month at the UCen Harbor Room, the series covers a wide range of topics by medical professionals.

The first talk on Oct. 18 is about “Preventing and Fighting the Flu, Colds, and Other Nasties,” and will be given by Dr. James Kwako. Since seating is limited, reservations should be sent to wendy.nishikawa@hr.ucsb.edu or call x7323.

As well as helping launch the Staff Assembly workshops, Work/Life Coordinator Nishikawa has her own series of fall workshops on elder care. The first is on Oct. 24 and is about choosing the right long-term care facility. It features Kathy Badrak, executive director of the local Long-term Care Ombudsman’s Office. The second, on Oct. 31, focuses on dental care in the latter stage of life, and will be discussed by Santa Barbara dentist Dr. Frederic Hepp.

Both sessions are free, begin at noon in the Human Resources Learning Center (SAASB 3101), and require RSVPs to Nishikawa (x7323).