InShape Indiana

What is INShape Indiana?

INShape Indiana is a wellness program instituted by the State of Indiana. INShape Indiana is designed to help all Hoosiers improve their health and quality of life by getting active (and losing weight, if need be); eating more fruits, vegetables and dairy foods; and (if they’re tobacco users) giving up the tobacco habit. The program is the state’s attempt to address the fact that, Indiana is at or near the top nationally on every negative health measure, including obesity, the smoking rate and the many afflictions that accompany them: high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, heart problems and stroke. They hope to do this by connecting Hoosiers to the existing programs, services and events that are offered by many organizations and agencies in Indiana by putting all that information on the INShape Indiana Web site (www.INShape.IN.gov) and inviting Hoosiers to go there and use the information to help themselves live healthier. As a method to capture the success you will experience when you make the commitment to a healthier lifestyle, INShape Indiana allows you to register as a participant in the initiative (see below for details) and thereby receive reminders of your goals and notes to spur you on.

Why is IUPUI Involved?

Chancellor Bantz said, “Yes,” when the Indiana State Department of Health challenged IUPUI to get on board and make it the healthiest university in Indiana. At IUPUI, we realize, as does the state, that poor health too often costs Hoosiers years and quality of life. Collectively, our unhealthy status costs us jobs and income and raises our health insurance costs. Personally, I have found that sometimes we don’t realize how much better we can feel when we start taking better care of our health, so any tools that can help us do that are worth trying.

So How Do I Become an INShape Member?

• Visit www.INShape.IN.gov (please save to your “Favorites” for future use)
• Click on “Join INShape Indiana"
• Complete the user registration form - where it says "Employer" type in IUPUI - [your department, exactly as it appears on the list or IUPUI - other if your department is not on the list]
• Click “Submit”

What Will Happen After I Sign Up?

You will get some messages (no more than four a month we’ve been told) directly from the INShape Indiana office about activities, discounts, special offers (free tickets) etc. and will also get some communications from your department “champion” (if your department registered and identified a champion) or me periodically.

Who Will Have Access to the Information in My Profile?

I asked the state about this and have been assured that no one here at the university will get any personal information about you and that the program is HIPAA-compliant. They will, upon request, provide a list of members to department champions but would not include personal information.

What is a Champion, Does Our Department Have One and What Does a Champion Do?

The department’s “champion” is like a cheerleader/contact person and some departments have more than one while others have none. They’ll encourage people in their department to sign up with INShape Indiana, promote wellness activities on campus, and maybe even do some other optional things (challenges, etc.). Each of these “champions” has different assigned job responsibilities, so each has the prerogative to decide what he/she will do, aside from the basic communication of the program.

What If My Department Did Not Register or Designate a Department Champion When Contacted Earlier? Is it Too Late?

No, it is not too late. Just contact Maggie Stimming at mstimmin@iupui.edu or 274-5466 to receive the information to get the department registered. If the department is registered, did not list a champion, but now has one, just let Maggie know the name of the champion.

If I Already Signed Up for INShape Indiana But Now Want to Sign Up With IUPUI, How Do I Make the Switch?

If you read about INShape Indiana in The Indianapolis Star or heard about it some other way, and went ahead and registered yourself but would now like to join YOUR IUPUI department/school/section (see list of all currently registered IUPUI departments/sections/schools) or sign up under “IUPUI – Other” (if your department is not registered), please follow the directions below.

Why, you might ask, would I want to make the switch? Due to the fact that (1) IUPUI hopes to be the university with the highest percentage of people enrolled, so we’d like to include you in the “count” and (2) you’ll get communications that are specific to IUPUI (like fitness opportunities here at IUPUI, etc.).

How Can I Learn More?

If you want to know more about INShape Indiana, visit www.inshape.in.gov. You’ll find a great deal of helpful information. The link is also located on our website in case you forget the INShape Indiana URL. The Indiana State Department of Health Web site at http://www.in.gov/isdh is also helpful. I especially like the “Health Information” tab in the menu on the left menu of their site.

If you want other wellness information (not related to INShape), I also encourage you to go to the IUPUI HRA Web site’s Work/Life section devoted to health, fitness and safety. Please join us as we strive to make IUPUI the healthiest campus in Indiana. Go to www.INShape.IN.gov and sign up today using instructions above. Maggie Stimming of HRA Work/Life is the IUPUI contact. You can contact her at mstimmin@iupui.edu or 274-5466.