Humans of Health Corps: Wellness Connector Davin Hausley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 25, 2021) — In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Kentucky assembled UK Health Corps – a dedicated team of staff to support students. But what do they do, exactly? And who are they? 

While many students faculty/staff members may interact with Health Corps members on a regular basis, you may not know exactly what it is that they do each day and the names of the people behind the phone calls and emails. 

UK Health Corps works behind the scenes, serving as the support hub for accessing services, information and referrals related to COVID-19 for students, faculty, staff. 

We sat down with Davin Hausley who serves as a wellness connector to learn about how who she is, what she does for UK Health Corps, and what she wants students to know. 

UKNow: Could you describe your role in UK Health Corps? 

Hausley: My role in Health Corps is as a Wellness Connector while serving a dual role as a Wellness Coach when needed. 

UKNow: What is a typical day like in your role?  

Hausley: A day in my role as a Wellness Connector will include managing individual cases using a prescribed case management approach, helping to navigate complex systems and resources available at the University of Kentucky and beyond. As a Certified Wellness Coach, I am a professional health educator who helps students set priorities and identify specific changes they want to make to improve their well-being. 

UKNow: What do you want the community to understand about your role and Health Corps?  

Hausley: What I want the community to understand about my role at Health Corps is that we genuinely are here  to help our campus community to get thru these times of uncertainty with plenty of support and with the most up to date information at their fingertips as we are just a phone call or text away. 

UKNow: What’s the first thing you’re going to do when the pandemic is over?  

Hausley: The first thing I am going to do when the pandemic is over is take my daughters on a trip to Disneyland. After this last year who couldn’t use a little magic in their lives?! 

UKNow: What would you like students to know about what you do?  

Hausley: I would like students to know that the work we do for them is something we genuinely ENJOY! Our office is full of dynamic and compassionate individuals from all walks of life and educational backgrounds. Majority of us have been in your shoes as college students before and we get your frustrations with Covid-19, so we get the utmost pleasure from being able to show up daily to our office with open hearts and minds to hear your concerns, questions and or even celebrate your victories day to day during these times.   

UKNow:  What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about Health Corps?  

Hausley: That we are the bearers of bad news and are just trying to bug them with daily check-in’s calls. 

UKNow: If you could sum up into one sentence what Health Corps is, and what it does for campus, what would you say?  

Hausley: We are a dedicated team serving our campus community as the “hub” for round-the-clock Covid-19 support, testing and up-to-date communication. 

The UK Health Corps is made up of more than 50 dedicated staff members working to keep our campus healthy and safe by managing everything from contact tracing and academic coordination to transportation and communications. For more information on the schedule of activities or about UK Health Corps, please call 859-218-SAFE (7233) or email healthcorps@uky.edu.