What’s better than a week of staff appreciation events? An entire month of course! The State Hygienic laboratory at the UI (SHL), is Iowa’s official public health lab. SHL extended its celebration of staff to a month-long affair, at its three sites in Coralville, Ankeny, and Milford. Each week had its own distinct flair and included wellness events, games, staff recognition ceremonies and lots of FOOD! 

Week one kicked off the festivities with a wellness walk and an assortment of yummy cookies. The second week featured donuts, an employee recognition ceremony to honor staff longevity and the presentation of the Exceptional Peer Award. The penultimate week showcased popcorn, a Cornhole tournament and a tour of Iowa’s Criminalistics Laboratory (CSI: Iowa style). As with all good things, lab month celebrations ended, but with an ice cream social sponsored by our lab Director and a pizza party. From this, a serious debate arose about the appropriateness of pineapple on pizza. It should be noted that no pineapple pizza was leftover; make of that what you will.  

Several staple activities such as crossword puzzles, Bingo, Strands, Kudoboards and coloring sheets were also held throughout the month. UI Wellness sponsored a wellness walk and hosted weekly presentations such as ‘Stress management and mindfulness’, ‘Financial well-being’ and ‘Nutrition.’ Where possible, activities had virtual options so that our night shift, remote, and shy staff members could participate in the fun. 

SHL protects each and every Iowan by performing testing for and monitoring food safety, lead levels in blood, drinking water and air quality, newborn screening, disease control and emergency preparedness and response (chemical and biological threats). SHL could not do this without its dedicated and diligent employees, so to them we say THANK YOU!