Employee Wellness

The Minot State Wellness Center promotes a holistic approach to wellness and healthy living. Information about Dakota Wellness and MSUWell programs, Wellness Center memberships, and the opportunity to receive a health club reimbursement can be found below.

Minot State University was accredited June 1, 2009 with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard ™ certification, recognizing the organization’s commitment to the health of our employees and family members by certifying our efforts to meet an exceptionally high standard of cancer prevention, screening, and care guidelines.

What is the Gold Standard?
The CEO Cancer Gold Standard ™ is a series of cancer-related recommendations, developed by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, to fight cancer in workplaces in the United States. 

The Gold Standard is a comprehensive program with three main goals:

  • Risk Reduction through lifestyle change: reducing the risk of cancer by not using tobacco and by maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
  • Early Detection: detecting cancer at the earliest possible stage, when treatment has the best chance of improving outcomes, through age and gender-appropriate screenings.
  • Quality Care: ensuring access to the best available cancer treatment.
The CEO Cancer Gold Standard ™ focuses on five critical areas, known as the Five Pillars. The five pillars align with the Gold Standard’s goals as follows:
  • Risk Reduction through Lifestyle Change
    • Tobacco Use
    • Diet & Nutrition
    • Physical Activity
  • Early Detection
    • Prevention, Screening and Early Detection
  • Quality Care
    • Access to Quality Treatment and Clinical Trials

For each area of focus, or pillar, CEO Cancer Gold Standard ™ organizations:

  • maintain a culture that encourages healthy lifestyles and provides the support needed when a diagnosis of cancer becomes a reality, and
  • offer benefits and programs that help to prevent cancer, detect it earlier and provide access to high-quality treatment, including cancer clinical trials.

From www.cancergoldstandard.org

Covered NDPERS employees can accrue points by participating in workplace events and logging healthy activities. Earn up to $250 per year for both you and your spouse — that’s up to $500 per household!

Ready to sign up? Create an account at Sanford Health Plan with your member ID from Sanford Health. You will need to complete your Health Assessment annually.

Virtual Resources

  • Monthly Newsletter: Our monthly newsletter includes articles written by the Dakota Wellness team, a book club and recipes. Read the newsletter here.
  • Monthly Wellness Webinar: Monthly well-being webinars offer bite-sized education to help you learn more about our monthly newsletter topic. Each webinar lasts 15 minutes. Employees who attend the live webinar can receive a voucher for 3,000 points. Register for our monthly wellness webinars.
  • for all fitness levels. Classes are free and registration is required. Enroll now.
  • Better Choices Better Health: This program teaches new strategies that will give participants the confidence, motivation, and skills needed to manage living with a chronic health condition. Find a class.
  • Lifestyle Medicine and Health Programs for Qualified Conditions

    Our programs include:

    • Diabetes Prevention Program: In this yearlong program, participants meet with a trained lifestyle coach to learn how lifestyle changes can help them lose weight, increase their physical activity and decrease their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
    • Exercise is Medicine: This program gives you a foundation to add exercise to your routine and tools to decrease health risks. Programs are available virtually or at participating gyms.
    • Healthy Pregnancy Program: Give your baby a healthy start with support and tools from Sanford Health Plan.
    • About the Patient Diabetes Management Program: Partner with your pharmacist to get support and create a plan to better manage your type 2 diabetes.

As an employee, you also have the opportunity to receive your $250 by attending the fitness facility of your choice by signing up at NIHCArewards. You will receive $20 for every month you attend your fitness facility 12 times or more.

Before you enroll, be prepared to provide the following information:

  • Name, contact information, and date of birth.
  • University ID number.
  • Sanford Health Plan information from current card.
  • Checking or savings account routing and account numbers. These numbers are generally found on the bottom of a check or deposit slip that is used by financial institutions to transfer funds and complete transactions.

There are 2 steps in the enrollment process:

Step 1. Enroll with Sanford Health Program.

  • Go to the Sanford Health Plan login page.
  • Click Request an Activation Code, fill out information, and click Submit.
  • Once you receive your Activation Code, select Activate Your Account.
  • Enter the required information and follow additional instructions.
  • Once enrolled, follow the Wellness tab to access the Wellness Portal and take your online HealthScore Assessment. 
  • The HealthScore Assessment must be completed annually.

Step 2. Create your NIHCArewards account.

  • Visit   NIHCArewards.
  • Under Member Options, choose First Time Enrollment.
    • The NIHCArewards link is not part of the Minot State or Sanford websites. Credits are handled by NIHCA Financial Services.
    • Save your login and password. You will need these if you need to edit your account.
  • Enter your Sanford Health ID. 
  • In the section titled Fitness Center Barcode, enter your nine-digit fitness center ID number. This is simply your seven digit MSU ID number. For example, a MSU ID number of 1234567 + 01 = 123456701.
  • Enter your financial institution's routing number and your account number.

If you are returning to the health club reimbursement program, follow the attached INSTRUCTIONS.

As a reminder, if you need to change something on your account, do NOT set up a second NIHCArewards account.

You may take up to three hours per week to participate in wellness activities on campus, as approved by your supervisor.

Employee Wellness Program

MSUWell
The mission of MSUWell is to promote the 8 Dimensions of Wellness by using a collaborative campus approach through health promotion, educational programming, and service to the Minot State community.

The 8 Dimensions of Wellness are EmotionalPhysicalOccupationalIntellectualSocialSpiritualEnvironmental, and Multicultural.

More information about MSUWell can be at Campus Programs.

Committee meeting minutes are available on Teams/Sharepoint.

As a faculty or staff member, you are eligible to purchase a membership at the Minot State Wellness Center for only $38 per month. Visit the Memberships page for more information.