Who doesn’t love summer? Summer vacations, summer reading lists. Everything’s lighter—from summer traffic around campus to long summer days.

Many of you are participating in the popular and newly extended Flexible Summer Workweek Program for our Coral Gables and Rosenstiel campuses. Your feedback shows that flexible scheduling provides employees with a valuable personal perk in maintaining work/life balance, while also providing a positive impact on work productivity.

Summer is a great time to be with your family, visit friends, discover new places, or just take a break from your normal routine, which is terrific for your mental health.

This is also a perfect time to take preventive measures to safeguard your and your family’s well-being. Remember to:

• Schedule those doctor appointments and health screenings you may have been putting off by calling UHealth Connect at 305-243-CARE (2273) today.

• Always use sunscreen and cover up when you’re out in the sun. Check out the Miller School of Medicine Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery’s important tips on sun protection here.

• Take advantage of longer summer days and exercise after work—join your nearly 300 coworkers who successfully completed the Walking ’Canes challenge by increasing their daily step count to 10,000 steps or more each day.

• Plan ahead and prepare for South Florida’s unpredictable hurricane season. For comprehensive lists of steps you need to take at work and home before the storm, click here.

Have fun, be safe, enjoy a well-deserved summer break, and take those extra steps—literally and figuratively—to a healthier, more stress-free you.