September 6, 2006

To all faculty, staff and students,

The Miller School of Medicine is celebrating your health with the opening of a new Wellness Center on top of the new parking garage adjacent to the Clinical Research Building.  As spectacular as this state-of-the-art facility is, it is only a tool to help you achieve your health goals. The Wellness Center overlooks the city of Miami, sending across as a radio antenna the message of commitment to improving the health of the people of Miami and beyond -- not only through great medicine, but also by impacting everyone’s lifestyle.

A wise dose of exercise on a daily basis has been shown to extensively impact many chronic ailments and assist in successful aging.  As a critical example, patients with diabetes mellitus, of adult onset in particular, can best manage their requirement for insulin supplementation through losing weight, with a careful diet and especially with a sensible dose of daily exercise.   

There are only three ways we can get rid of calories.  The first one is called the metabolic rate, which represents the consumption of calories related to life at rest – that is, the few calories needed to maintain heartbeat, the life of cells and the maintenance of the organism.  The second one involves the use of a few calories for the body to assimilate and process food and drink (digestion).

The third way is the only one that we can have an active impact on -- that is the level of activity we select for our own organism.  Through our job, our daily life and our exercise we define how many calories our muscle fibers will be combusting each day.  With adequate medical supervision, most everyone should be able to engage in a daily exercise routine, and do so safely.  For some with particular risk, a preliminary medical evaluation before beginning regular exercise may be required. 

The new Wellness Center has been designed to provide all of our employees an opportunity to benefit from the healthy impact of exercise.  Specialized equipment, competent advice, and coaching will all be aimed at maximizing the return on investment each one of us makes in our health via our daily exercise routine. The specially recruited and trained wellness coaching staff are dedicated to ensuring that you feel welcome and have a fun and productive experience in the center. With the University Shape-Up program you can be a member for under $25 a month -- far less than any comparable program.

More than a flagship, the new Wellness Center is a symbol of UM’s commitment to its employees.  We are the largest employer in the region and as such, if we show the example, hopefully others will follow.  Many organizations have already promoted wellness among their employees, knowing that employees who exercise sensibly are less afflicted by the usual chronic illnesses that disrupt the health of our society and hence have lower health care costs.

We all know that a competitive athletic level of exercise is linked to injuries, but at the new Wellness Center exercise routines have been designed to shelter employees from injury to a great extent, in addition to maximizing the beneficial effect of exercise on the prevention or management of chronic illnesses. In fact everything about the program has been developed to be sure that all members, beginners especially, feel at ease and make progress toward better health.

Come join your new center.  We would be happy to provide you with information and a tour – just call 305-243-7600.

The message carried by the new wellness antenna is very simple:  We care that you’re here, and we’re here to care – for you and for all of our great employees.

With warmest regards,
Pascal