News
GVSU earns gold level designation from the Exercise is Medicine® On Campus (EIM-OC) program
April 30, 2020
Grand Valley State University is among record 166 campuses honored worldwide.
Grand Valley State University is one of only 166 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Exercise is Medicine® initiative for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus. GVSU Recreation and Wellness, Movement Science, and Benefits and Wellness all offer a number of great services and resources to help promote physical activity. In addition to our campus partners—the University Counseling Center, Campus Health Center with Metro Health University of Michigan Health, and the GVSU Family Health Center—recognize physical activity as a Vital Sign®, and helped Grand Valley State Universityearn gold level designation from the Exercise is Medicine® On Campus (EIM-OC) program.
“We are thrilled to recognize these campuses’ commitment to make movement a part of daily campus culture and give students the tools to cultivate physical activity habits that will benefit them throughout their lives,” said Robyn Stuhr, vice president of Exercise is Medicine. “These campus programs are nurturing future leaders who will advance a key tenet of Exercise is Medicine: making physical activity assessment and promotion a standard in health care.”
“Exercise Is Medicine-On Campus at GVSU is committed to improving the health, wellness, and quality of life for our students, faculty and staff by prescribing exercise. We aim to foster collaborative relationships and leadership on campus between exercise, health, and other disciplines that support the EIM-OC vision and goals. Our goal is to make movement a part of the daily campus culture by providing the tools and resources to encourage positive physical activity habits,” added Amy Campbell, Associate Director of Recreation and Wellness.
Recreation & Wellness offers many programs and services to the entire campus community that support physical activity:
- 20+ Intramural Sports
- 30+ Group Exercise classes
- 40+ Club Sports
- Bike services
- Free fitness services for students
- Free rock climbing for students
- Free Injury Care Clinic services
- Small Group Training
- Personal Training
- Annual events, such as 5Ks, Unplugged campaign, TREK100, dance parties, and RecFest
- Outreach events for the campus community and with campus partners
- Free student access to the Rec Center for informal recreation
Benefits & Wellness through Human Resources offers opportunities for Faculty and Staff:
- Get Moving Team Challenge
- Access to Health Coaches
- Exercise release time
- Group Exercise classes
- Workshops and Incentive Programs
GVSU recognizes Physical Activity as a Vital Sign® at the following locations: University Counseling Center, Campus Health Center with Metro Health University of Michigan Health, and GVSU Family Health Center. Our teams work together to assure individuals are connected to the right programs and services to meet their physical activity needs. The GVSU Exercise is Medicine Team is comprised of faculty, students, and professional members from Exercise Science, Recreation & Wellness, and Campus Health Center.
Of the 166 campuses recognized this year, 77 received gold, 62 silver and 27 bronze. All gold, silver and bronze universities and colleges will be officially recognized on May 27 as part of the 11th World Congress on Exercise is Medicine, held in conjunction with ACSM’s 67th Annual Meeting.
EIM-OC calls upon universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health and encourages faculty, staff and students to work together to improve the health and well-being of the campus community.
EIM-OC launched its recognition program in 2014 to honor campuses for their efforts to create a culture of wellness. Schools earn gold, silver or bronze status based on their activities. Gold level campuses have created a referral system where campus health care providers assess student physical activity and refer students as necessary to a certified fitness professional as part of medical treatment. Silver campuses engage students, faculty and staff in education initiatives and make movement part of the daily campus culture while bronze level campuses promote and generate awareness of the health benefits of physical activity.
View a complete list of recognized schools and learn more about the EIM-OC program.
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About Exercise Is Medicine
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) co-launched
Exercise is Medicine® (EIM) in 2007 with the American Medical
Association. ACSM continues to manage the global health initiative,
which seeks to make physical activity assessment and promotion a
standard in clinical care, connecting health care with evidence-based
physical activity resources for people everywhere of all abilities.
EIM is committed to the belief that physical activity promotes optimal
health, is integral in the prevention and treatment of many medical
conditions and should be regularly assessed and included as part of
health care. Visit ExerciseisMedicine.org
for additional information.
About the American College of Sports Medicine
The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports
medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than
50,000 international, national and regional members and certified
professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific
research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise
science and sports medicine. More details at acsm.org.