A campus wellness program: accepting the challenge.

The federal government challenges universities to promote health and prevent illness by creating awareness of health issues and encouraging healthy practices. Establishing a wellness program on campus is a means to provide excellence in health care for students and a way to reach out to faculty and the community at large. In this paper, the authors explicate the process of a multidisciplinary, collaborative effort in a university to develop a wellness program. Various data supported the need for the program. Using a model center, the design and implementation of the program are addressed, as well as the benefits of the wellness program.