Lifestyle Management Programs Free to You

Wake County has partnered with CIGNA Healthcare to provide health insurance benefits to enrollees and other services to all Wake County Government employees. Take advantage of these life style management programs that are being offered to you.

Employee Assistance Program; Stress Management; Weight Loss; and Smoking Cessation Programs - these are Free Programs for All Wake County Employees (for this and each of the links below, please enter "wakecounty" in the Employer ID box to log in and look to the list of topics on the left side of the opening page to go to a particular topic of interest – Manage your Stress; Manage Your Weight; Quit Your Tobacco Addiction):

• CIGNA Employee Assistance Program - provides counseling and links to needed resources for concerns such as issues related to emotional health, and financial well-being; legal concerns; substance use (drugs and alcohol); gambling; and family and work relationships. Service is completely confidential. Please call 1-888-371-1125.
  
  
• CIGNA Strength and Resilience Stress Management Program - helps you understand your stress triggers and ways to effectively cope with them. Online and telephone coaching is available. Call 1-866-417-7848.
  
  
• CIGNA Healthy Steps to Weight Loss Program - helps you learn about and adopt healthy eating and exercise habits with the goal of losing weight. Online and telephone coaching is available. Call 1-866-417-7848.
  
  
• CIGNA Quit Today - this program offers assistance with a personalized plan to stop using tobacco. Online and telephone coaching is available. Call 1-866-417-7848.

These programs use targeted behavioral interventions and explain options for changing behaviors. If you are struggling with any of the circumstances or conditions listed above, contact the counselors at CIGNA for help and assistance.

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Better Information for Better Health

Better Health comes with better understanding. Are there specific factors that contribute to your health? Are they hereditary? Are they controllable? Is there a healthy living plan that will meet your unique needs? Anyone asking these questions is ready to take the Health Risk Assessment. Eight Hundred and sixty-six Wake County employees and family members have taken it already.

This voluntary assessment helps respondents review their current health conditions, family history and lifestyle factors, basic health screening information such as Total/LDL/HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose level and height and weight. The factors are compiled to provide a snapshot of each participant's overall health status and gives recommendations on ways to make improvements. CIGNA health advisors are available to you with additional help via email, phone, or direct mailings.

Go to www.mycigna.com; register by creating a user ID and password and fill in your member ID from your CIGNA ID card. Find the link to the confidential Health Risk Assessment on the right side of the page under the heading I Want to, click on this link. By completing the HRA you will receive a $50 credit toward your deductible for 2008.

You can obtain an additional $50 credit toward your deductible by completing the Health Screening Acknowledgement form verifying that you received your health screening information from your doctor. Access the Health Screening Acknowledgement form online via www.wakeemployees.com/wellness, click on the icon Submit your Screening Form. You will need your CIGNA ID number, the date you received your information and your doctor's name.

Getting your Health Risk Assessment is an excellent way to find out how you can make improvements in your health and wellbeing.

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Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Information about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle is everywhere. The challenge is acting on it. Most people find it hard to break old habits and replace them with healthier new ones.

Remember the saying, "The longest journey begins with a single step?" Making even small changes in habits can result in significant long-term improvement.

Review these steps to a healthier lifestyle and choose an area to improve your health. Then identify one positive change to make today. It might be something as simple as skipping the fries at the fast food restaurant or taking a walk around the block.

• Adopt healthy eating habits. Eat a balanced diet and healthy snacks. Many illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure can be prevented or controlled through a healthy diet.
  
  
• Get moving. Pick a physical activity you enjoy, then get out and do it regularly. A good goal is 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. An alternative is 10-minute sessions several times a day.
  
  

• Lose extra weight. About two-thirds of Americans would like to lose weight. Dropping as little as 5-10 percent of your total weight can have a positive impact on health and self image.
  
  
• Don't smoke. If you've tried to quit before and started smoking again, maybe the time just wasn't right. There are many ways to quit. With the right support anyone can do it.
  
  
• Practice good safety habits. Buckling a seat belt, wearing a bike helmet, keeping poisons out of children's reach and using sun screen when outdoors are just a few ways to stay safe.
  
  
• Drink alcohol responsibly. Feeling an urge to drink to relax or cope with life's challenges is a sign that something isn't right. Get help before the problem gets out of control.

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Help with Legal Essentials from CIGNA

Wills. Divorce. Contracts. Car accidents. Disputes with neighbors. Legal issues affect everyone at one time or another. Having good information can help you be prepared when common legal questions arise. Let CIGNA help.

Read one of their featured articles: Getting Your Affairs in Order, Hiring an Attorney or Estate Planning Checkup.

Need a standard legal form? Download one of over a hundred Ready-Docs. They have everything from wills and powers of attorney, to rental agreements and pet and house sitting contracts. Check out the legal glossary of commonly used legal terminology. Follow the resource links to the American Bar Association or The Legal Information Institute.

CIGNA can help Wake County employees find the legal support they need. Visit their website at: www.cignabehavioral.com , log in, using wakecounty as the password and go to Find Work/Life Resources. Accept the disclaimer which will connect you to the work/life resources home page.

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Preventive Exams Are Free to Anyone Enrolled in a CIGNA Health Benefits Plan

Early identification of problems can make a huge difference in the outcome of a medical condition. One of the reasons why Wake County partnered with CIGNA was their high quality preventive care. Refer to the following schedule for physicals, screenings, exams, and services that are of no direct cost.

Adult care after age 18:

• Health Risk Assessment (HRA) - Identifies modifiable lifestyle behaviors and reduce the risk of future illness.
• Well Visits - Periodic visit for a physical exam. The schedule is age specific.
• Immunizations - Help stop the spread of diseases such as Hepatitis A and B, Influenza, Pneumonia, Rubella, Tetanus/Diphtheria, Varicella and Zoster for ages 60+. Some are age and risk specific.

• Screenings - Such as blood pressure, cholesterol (20+ every 5 years) and diabetes (45+ every 3 years). Some are age and gender specific, including Mammogram (45+ every year), Osteoporosis screening, and pap test for women. Men may need Prostate screening (50+ every year).

Preventive maintenance is the best way to stay healthy. Get your physical!

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Need Help?

If you have questions about the listed programs or your HRA Screening, please contact Ruth Barlow, Wake Wellness Coordinator at 212-9301.If you have questions about your benefits plan please contact a Wake County Benefits Specialist at 856-6090.

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