Wellness

Staying on top of your game

Use your health plans wisely and stay healthy. They offer wellness exams, screenings, immunizations, information and management resources that cost you little or nothing. Did you know your health plan provides a $0 copayment for well-man and well-woman screening? Or that the DHMO and indemnity plans offer preventive dental services for $0 copayment?

In addition to these health and dental plan features, the city offers several avenues of access to wellness activites.

Blue Access: Provides online access at www.bcbstx.com to important information for health plan members about their coverage. Members can use the Personal Health Manager to set up a personal health record and receive wellness advice for you and your family members. Members can also take the Health Risk Assessment.

Special Beginnings: Is a prenatal education program to help expectant mothers better understand and manage their pregnancy. An introductory video is available in English and Spanish. To enroll call (800) 462-3275.

Personal Health Manager: Did you ever wish for a personal trainer to help design a fitness program just for you? If only you had a nutritionist to find the calorie pockets in your fast-food lunch. Well, here they are! Online resources to personalize a program for you. How about daily medals for reaching your goal? Log on through Blue Access and click on Personal Health Manager to start making some SMART choices.

		Personal Health Manager Do you know what fitness regimen to follow to reach your goals? A personal trainer can help you select and focus on those exercises most beneficial to you. How about adding a nutritionist to help you determine what to eat? And maybe you should buy an encyclopedia to help you understand what those two are telling you. By the time you gain all the resources you need to reach your goal, your wallet, like your figure, could be noticeably thinner. But the Personal Health Manager available through Blue Access provides you with your own virtual trainer and nutritionist, all at no cost to you. And there’s more. Reminders, a health encyclopedia, news, recipes, meal planners and incentives to keep you working out are also on the site. Just log onto Blue Access and make some SMART choices.

24/7 Nurseline: Call this number 24/7 for health issues that come up when you can’t reach your doctor: (800) 581-0353/HMO members or (800) 581-0368/PPO members.

Wellness Leave: Compensable Sick Plan gives 8 hours of paid time-off for preventive wellness activities after an employee has been employed for one benefit year, Sept. 1 – Aug. 31. Activities include dental, vision, well-woman, well-man and physical exams, as well as other wellness-related doctor visits. Contact your HR liaison for information.

50 free fitness facilities: You don’t have to pay your way to fitness. The city offers free access to city facilities all over Houston. You can ride stationary bikes, lift weights, swim, play basketball or play tennis. To view a chart of facility locations and services visit www.houstonhumanresources.org and click on Benefits Alert.

		Health Risk Assessment Get a $50 gift card just for completing your Health Risk Assessment. More than 650 of your co-workers have already taken advantage of this one-time opportunity. It’s easy. Log on to www.bcbstx.com and click on the Personal Health Manager. Then click on Health Risk Assessment. Complete your HRA and authorize its release to BlueCross Blue Shield, and in about six weeks, they’ll send you a $50 gift card* to Academy in Texas or The Sports Authority for non-residents. The assessment is a short series of easy-to-answer questions. You’ll then receive an evaluation of your overall health along with scores on your medical health, job satisfaction, risky lifestyle choices, stress, nutrition and even sleep habits. Of course, you’ll be winning a much bigger prize by getting important guideposts to making healthier lifestyle choices. *Only one card per employee/family. If you have already received a gift card, you will not receive another one for completing the HRA again