Benefits Consortium
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Benefits Consortium VOLUME 5, ISSUE 2 From the Desk of the Executive Director Thanks! for picking up this newsletter. It contains information you can use to address your health risks. For example, as Anthem was reviewing our 2013 summary claims statistics with the Board of Directors, it noted an increase in the delivery of wellness services to our covered fe- males and dependent children. This was welcomed news. However, it reported a gap in preven- tive care services requested by our male participants. Men, please be reminded (see page 2) that the time to develop a Primary Care Physician relationship is before you get sick. I recently heard a rule of thumb that serious illnesses commonly progress to 50% of their end state before show- ing any symptoms … that’s why we men need to seek PREVENTIVE care. Tim Klopfenstein, Secondly, please be aware that due to persistent service shortfalls, the Board has terminated our FSA, CERA contract with Viridian Health Management, effective immediately. One of the program compo- Executive Director nents we highly value is one-on-one health coaching. To that end, we are working with our exist- Benefits Consortium ing health coaches to retain their services. More news will follow shortly on this important topic. MEMBERS Help for Today. Hope For Tomorrow. Bluefield College Did you know that drinking gradually creep up on a person the same too much alcohol increases as one’s tolerance level to alco- Bridgewater 3) Withdrawal symptoms— your risk of injury, violence, College hol increases. anxiety, shakiness/ drowning, liver disease, and Emory & Henry jumpiness, trembling, some types of cancer? Our Signs/Symptoms of Alcohol College sweating, nausea, vomit- alcohol use varies seasonally. Abusers ing, depression, irritabil- Ferrum College So, now is a good time to ity, fatigue, headaches, reminded yourself about the 1) Repeatedly neglects re- loss of appetite Hampden-Sydney dangers of drinking to excess. sponsibilities due to drink- College ing 4) Loss of control Hollins University Are you wondering if you or a 2) Alcohol use in dangerous 5) Desire to stop but can’t loved one has an addiction to situations such as driving, Lynchburg College 6) Neglecting other activi- alcohol? It is important to operating machinery and ties as alcohol takes up Mary Baldwin understand the difference taking with prescription greater time, energy and College between alcohol abuse and drugs focus alcoholism. Randolph-Macon 3) Legal problems due to 7) Continued use despite College drinking Alcohol abusers are able to negative consequences 4) Drinking despite relation- Roanoke College set some limits on drinking ship issues With 26 questions, a simple Sweet Briar College but are still self-destructive self-test can help you deter- and dangerous to themselves 5) Drinking to de-stress mine if you or someone you Virginia Union and others. know needs to find out more University Signs and Symptoms of Alco- holism about alcoholism. Just click Virginia Wesleyan Alcoholism is a dependency on the link below. on alcohol. Alcoholism can 1) All symptoms of alcohol College abuse http://www.ncadd.org/ develop suddenly in response index.php/learn-about- to a genetic disposition or 2) Tolerance—need more alcohol/alcohol-abuse-self- stressful change. It can also alcohol over time to feel test Make the Commitment to Drive Phone Free Tragically, in 2011, 1.3 mil- In Virginia it is illegal to text Show your support for text-free lion car crashes involved a while driving. The first of- driving by getting a free bumper Quit Smoking Before distracted driver using a cell fense will cost you a $125 sticker at: Your Luck Runs Out phone. Texting while driving fine, while subsequent of- https://www.facebook.com/ is now the leading cause of fenses will cost $250 per of- VCUTLcubed The key to quitting smoking is US teen deaths. fense. having a quit plan. Texting and driving, or view- 1) Pick a quit date (give ing other social media such as Make the Commitment to yourself a 2 week time- Facebook while driving, in- Drive Phone-Free frame) creases your chance of a car 2) Circle the date on the cal- accident by 23 times. Keep your phone out of reach endar. Write it down and and commit to letting it ring. put it somewhere you will Texting is a manual, visual No call or text is worth losing see it each day and cognitive distraction re- your life, the lives of your 3) Let those that care about ducing your brain activity as- family or of the innocent vic- you know—quitting is sociated with driving by 40%. tims of your reckless act. easier with support from loved ones 4) Get rid of smoking re- minders such as cigarettes, Man Up—Take Control of Your Health matches, ashtrays, and lighters. Men, on average, die almost six 1) Be physically active click on the link below for 5) Identify smoking trig- years earlier than women and make healthy food more information. https:// gers—make a list of eve- (source: CDC), including from choices. www.healthcare.gov/what- rything that makes you the top 10 causes of death. 2) Get a physical exam— are-my-preventive-care- feel like smoking and every 3 years if age 20 benefits/ write down one way you Twice as many men as women to 39; every 2 years age 8) Drink alcohol in moderation. die from heart disease and 50% can deal with or avoid 40—49 and every year 9) Quit smoking more men than women die of each time on your list and 10) Talk to your doctor about cancer. In addition, men are at at age 50+. keep this list nearby risk for prostate cancer and low 3) Get regular blood pres- taking aspirin every day to 6) Develop coping strategies. testosterone. sure, cholesterol and lower your risk of heart at- Medications and behavior diabetes screenings in tack. changes can help manage Why is this? addition to blood tests the symptoms of with- 1) More men have no health- and urinalysis. drawal. Nicotine Re- care coverage. 4) Get tested for colorec- placement Therapy 2) Men go to the doctor 1/2 as tal and prostate cancer. medication (NRT) is cov- many times as women. 5) If you are age 65 to 75 ered at no cost to you 3) Men are employed in more and have smoked, talk through your PCP under dangerous occupations. to you doctor about the Consortium medical 4) Society discourages healthy abdominal aortic aneu- plan. And free 24/7 behaviors in men and boys. rysms. coaching support is 5) Men have less healthy life- 6) Watch out for signs of available by calling styles and are risk takers. depression. If you ex- 1-(800)-QUIT-NOW 6) Women are 100% more perience stress, anxiety 7) Have multiple quit smok- likely than men to seek pre- or are depressed for ventive health care. ing support options more than two weeks 8) Use the money you save to What can men do to bend this talk to your doctor. reward yourself trend? Many of the main health 7) Many preventive care risks such as colon cancer and screenings and exams heart disease can be prevented are covered at no cost and treated with early diagnosis. to you under the CICV medical plan. Please PAGE 2 .