CSULB Recognized by Exercise is Medicine for Efforts to Create Culture of Wellness on Campus
2022 ACSM Recognition Ceremony group winners
California State University, Long Beach is one of only 156 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by Exercise is Medicine® for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus. Utilizing physical activity and exercise as a vital sign at the university, while providing diverse programming, leadership, and community engagement helped CSULB earn 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.”
“EIM-OC’s mission is to promote physical activity and increase the campus community’s awareness of the benefits of living an active lifestyle,” says Alyse Freeman, past President of the EIM-OC student organization. One way of doing this has been through the implementation of physical activity as a vital sign in the Student Health Services where students are asked to estimate how many minutes of exercise they perform each week. Exercise recommendations are provided in line with current American College of Sports Medicine guidelines and are referred to services at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center for fitness guidance.
“A great deal of our success should be attributed to our outstanding student organization representing EIM-OC, which won three awards this academic year through Student Life and Development”, says Dr. Joshua Cotter, Director of the EIM-OC program at CSULB and a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. The EIM-OC student organization won gold distinction for the Outstanding Marketing Award, gold distinction for the Beach Wellness Award, and silver distinction for the Outstanding Organization of the Year. The student organization is committed to providing accessible, valid, and up-to-date information that strengthens and encourages healthy habits through numerous colloquiums, campus collaborations, and exercise-based activities.
From left to right: Carrie Davidson (EIM-OC Committee Co-Chair), Alyse Freeman (past-president of the CSULB EIM-OC student organization), Dr. Joshua A. Cotter (Director for the EIMOC program at CSULB), Dr. Robert Sallis (Founder of Exercise is Medicine).
Of the 156 campuses recognized this year, 73 received gold, 60 silver and 23 bronze. All gold, silver and bronze universities and colleges were officially recognized on June 1 as part of the 2022 Exercise is Medicine World Congress, held in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine’s 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 and CSULB has earned gold level distinction each year since its inception. 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 at https://www.exerciseismedicine.org/support_page.php/eim-on-campus/.
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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 www.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 www.acsm.org.
