New Additions to the Valley Schools Team
Valley Schools is proud to announce new additions to the Valley Schools team of Dr. Lauren Ruegg, DNP as our Clinical Director of Wellness Services. This exciting news was long-awaited for our team. At Valley Schools, our goal is to bring excellence and expertise to our team and our members. Dr. Ruegg has exemplified this by working with Valley Schools as a consultant to bring a deeper intensity to the WellStyles program.
About Dr. Lauren Ruegg, DNP
Dr. Ruegg earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Minnesota. To complement her nursing curriculum, she studied mindfulness, meditation, and Reiki energy healing through the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. After completing her degree, she accepted a position as a registered nurse in medical oncology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In the events of caring for patients and families facing complex illness, she observed the importance of a holistic approach to care and eagerly explored ways to achieve this.
In 2015, she moved to Arizona to pursue her Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) from Arizona State University. Working with Mayo Clinic to complete her Doctoral research project, Dr. Ruegg facilitated the use of comprehensive care plans to improve health promotion and disease prevention in cancer survivors. Dr. Ruegg was awarded the Mayo Clinic’s student research project award and was invited to present at local and regional conferences on the subject matter.
Advancing the Team
When asked what kind of impact she would like to make for our Valley School members, Dr. Ruegg affirms, “I believe what we are doing here within our wellness department is ahead of the curve when compared against Corporate Wellness, and in many regards, our healthcare systems as a whole.”
Dr. Ruegg joined Valley Schools with a deep passion for helping people create fulfilling lives with a sense of purpose, happiness, and health. When she joined our team in May of 2019, she worked with the Valley Schools Employee Benefits Group (VSBG) to expand our program and evaluate medical accuracy. Currently, Dr. Ruegg is focused on networking with local providers and internal staff education and development with the goal to expand on services.
Dr. Ruegg received additional training and certification through the Institute for Functional Medicine, which further broadened her approach to root cause, whole-person medicine. When she’s not pursuing educational endeavors, you can find her spending time with her family and friends, exploring the beautiful southwest, practicing yoga, or in the kitchen cooking up healthy recipes.
Welcome, Mikayla Crouch!
We’re also excited to share with you the addition of Mikayla Crouch as our new Wellness Support Specialist. Mikayla began her journey with us last year as our Wellness Intern and has strived to bring awareness to our wellness initiative.
Mikayla joined our team full-time in January and is sharing her enthusiasm for influencing our member’s lives by providing them with education and resources to create a healthy lifestyle. Mikayla’s goal is to encourage and educate others to recognize balance within their lives. She works to bring focus on creating a healthy mindset as well as creating a connection between, mind, body, and environment. She is excited to share her passion in mind and body wellness with the Valley Schools community.
In 2015 Mikayla moved to Arizona from Saxonburg, Pennsylvania to study at Arizona State University in their Exercise and Wellness program. In her free time, she loves to take road trips around Arizona, spend time with her pets, and participate in trash cleanups.
Our wellness program, WellStyles™, is a comprehensive program providing education, motivation, and actively cultivating opportunities to improve wellbeing, mindfulness, fitness, and overall quality of life for our members.
When companies invest in their employees through programs such as WellStyles™, it pays off through increased productivity and a feeling among employees that they are cared for and supported.
If you are interested in our award-winning WellStyles program, contact us today to learn how we can help.
