As a nationally ranked Catholic university, the University of San Diego (USD) is committed to advancing academic excellence, expanding liberal and professional knowledge, creating a diverse and inclusive community, and preparing leaders dedicated to ethical and compassionate service. This commitment extends to faculty and staff.
USD found value in completing the HERO Scorecard prior to the implementation of an EHM (employer health management) program. USD has always offered wellness-related events to its employees. However, in 2012, the Human Resources department took the first steps to create a comprehensive, coordinated program, called Being Well @USD. USD worked in tandem with its carrier partners to design the program. It was through its relationship with Kaiser Permanente that USD first learned of the HERO Scorecard.
USD’s first use of the HERO Scorecard, taken prior to any actual implementation, resulted in a low score — 64 out of 200 points. The Being Well @USD team understood the value of a baseline from which it could chart progress. Furthermore, the team understood that the Scorecard could serve as a valuable primer to EHM because each question in itself is a best practices. During the first program year, the team focused on improving USD’s score on the sections in which it scored low, in particular Programs and Engagement Methods. Prior to the start of the program’s second year, the team used the HERO Scorecard again, achieving a score of 159. Besides serving as a design and implementation guide, the HERO Scorecard, with its strong research base, lent much appreciated academic credibility.
As Nina Sciuto, director of employee relations for USD, states, “We knew generally where we wanted to go with Being Well @USD, but the HERO Scorecard gave us definitive directions to get there. In the process, it also has given us both more confidence and a more robust picture of what the program really could be.”
Source: 2014 HERO Scorecard Progress Report
