Shanna M 00:11
It's time to be well with your health. I'm Shanna.

Nimeet K 00:13
And I'm Nimeet.

Shanna M 00:14
Welcome to the Adventist HealthCare & You Podcast. Today we have an interesting topic to talk about, Employee Assistance Programs (EAP's), only about 4% of employees utilize their employee assistance program each year, which seems very low.

Nimeet K 00:14
It's very low. I think there's insane opportunities that come out of employee assistance programs and it just goes beyond the mental health aspect of it. I think they help you with the work life balance of it. They help you with your personal life or just get you to the right resources. So 4% is a very low number in my opinion.

Shanna M 00:48
Part of it maybe that people don't even know what it is. And that's why we have our experts here today. We are very happy to welcome Nicole D'Uva, associate vice president of employee health and life work strategies, here at Adventist HealthCare. Welcome, Nicole.

Nicole D'Uva 01:02
It's great to be here.

Shanna M 01:03
And welcome back to Kathleen Crowley, a licensed social worker, and our clinical manager of our employee assistance program here at Adventist HealthCare. Welcome back!

Kathleen Crowley 01:13
Thank you. It's good to be back.

Shanna M 01:14
The last time you were here, you did burnout, which was one of my favorite episodes. So we're very happy to have you back. So let's dig into it. Employee assistance program here at Adventist HealthCare, we offer one, we care about our employees, we care about their physical, mental and spiritual health. So Nicole and Kathleen, what is an EAP program?

Kathleen Crowley 01:39
Well, I'm really glad you started with that question, because to Nimeets point, most people don't even know what it is. So it's really important to even define what it is.

Kathleen Crowley 01:50
So it's a workplace benefit that employees do not have to sign up for, they just automatically get it. And it is a service that the employer pre pays for. So it doesn't go through insurance. It doesn't do any of that. It's just there for them to utilize. And if I may, a little history about EAP.

Nimeet K 01:50
Yeah.

Shanna M 02:16
Yeah. Please!

Kathleen Crowley 02:17
How they came about. So they were unofficially born from Alcoholics Anonymous.

Shanna M 02:24
Oh, that's interesting.

Kathleen Crowley 02:25
So when people started to sober up, employers realized that they're good employees that were afflicted and sobered up, they were productive and creative again. And so there was value in helping them with that. And so they unofficially would do that for their employees, they'd bring in mental health clinicians to help them with that. And then 1939 is when AA was formed. But then it took until about the 1970s, when it was brought to the federal government. And they were established there, and that all employees should have access to mental health care if they need it, if they want it. And so now here at Adventist, we have a program here, that, like Nimeet said, doesn't just take care of their mental health needs with counseling, but we have work life programming as well.

Shanna M 03:23
Why is that important, Nicole to offer this as an employer?

Nicole D'Uva 03:28
Well, part of my role here at Adventist HealthC3are is managing our benefits plan. But more importantly, as a leader and an advocate of mental health support and creating a culture of life-work balance, not work-life balance, but life-work balance, and I think people need resources to be able to achieve that. And as an employer, it's our job to make sure that people can come to the table and give 100% of themselves when they are here at work. You know, presenteeism, reducing absenteeism, increasing productivity, and to be able to do that they need to have the ability to resolve some of the personal challenges that they have, whether that's mental health related or whether that's finding childcare or eldercare. And so it's our job as an organization to create those resources and make it easier for them to show up and give 100%

Nimeet K 04:31
I like how you said that you know thing life-work aspect of it, not work-life. You know, I think putting life first and ensuring your personal life matters just as much as your work life, and in most cases more in your personal life as well. Just so you can be more productive at work and get that bucket filled, you know, in your personal life. So I do like.

Shanna M 04:49
But it goes both ways. You know, I was thinking you know, it's not all together, do it for the work, but if you are able to find the resources that you need for your home, and have that life-work balance, you do better at work, but you're better at home too. You can be better at home. So it's it goes both ways. Alright, what kind of services does a employee assistance program typically offer?

Kathleen Crowley 05:15
Well, they cover a myriad of problems, anything from really serious mental illness, and like it started out in substance use. So alcoholism and other substance use disorders. But it also, when that life comes into work, and affects you, like Nicole had mentioned about child care, or maybe someone's going through a divorce, unfortunately or they've fallen on hard times, they've had some larger bills of late, they can get financial resources, they can get legal resources. And those are other services that we offer, to help someone to muddle through, to get through those challenges.

Nimeet K 05:59
A lot of major life events, you know, we help them process through that.

Kathleen Crowley 06:03
But not just major, right, it could just be transition, maybe, maybe i'm going through something and I'm just questioning and I need a little help. EAP's are short term goal focused counseling services, when we're talking about the clinical services. So they can be things that maybe a loved one passed, and I need some grief counseling, that can be addressed in the short term. Or maybe I'm trying to decide, do I want to go back to school and get a new degree, I could talk to somebody about that.

Nicole D'Uva 06:36
I think the cool thing is we automatically think of resources in a way to impact something negative that's going on in your life. But the EAP can be used for so much more than that, a lot of high school students have recently graduated, I would hope that parents before now and students have started planning for the future. But even the financial planning, hey, i've got a kid getting ready to go away to college, we can use those financial planning resources. Or even hey, I have this kid that's getting ready to go to college, and as a dependent, they can use those EAP resources as well. So how helpful is it from a parent's perspective to give your child these financial planning resources to help them understand the importance of creating and maintaining a budget living within your means? That's a great gift that you can give to your child. So there's so many exciting things, new parents coming on, hey i'd like to talk to a parental coach to set myself up for what the first six months of life, look like, how do I navigate the good stuff and the bad stuff?

Shanna M 07:48
We offered at one point, a seminar or a course around, are you planning to have a child, and it took in the financial aspects, but even other aspects of it, too?

Nicole D'Uva 07:57
Pathway to Parenthood

Shanna M 07:58
Was, that what it was? Yeah, yeah.

Nicole D'Uva 08:00
So it took into account some of the services from the EAP, it leveraged services from the hospital, and then also took into account some of those leave of absence benefits that employers have, right? Even those that are regulated leave, no one understands, a whole different podcast.

Shanna M 08:18
That's true.

Kathleen Crowley 08:19
We talked about all the things in life that impact an employee, but the EAP can also help the employer, right, the EAP kind of sits in between, and So EAP's offer management consultations to managers that might be struggling with a team or with a specific employee, and they just need some advice, or they need to offload about the burdens of being a leader, our EAP responds to what are called critical incidents. So if there's a long term employee that has passed, they can go in and do a grief group with that team that was affected, or if there is, unfortunately, a victim of workplace violence. So they do both sides, right, they do the employee and help them with some of their personal issues, but they help the organization on a on a larger scale.

Nicole D'Uva 09:12
And I think a good EAP, will be able to provide the organization data. Data on utilization, common trends of why people are calling the EAP. And all of that data should be used to create a really robust program, and to create opportunities for education, continued education and the development of additional resources, based on the employee needs. So those are really important ways that we should be using that data.

Shanna M 09:41
And it's all anonymous, right?

Kathleen Crowley 09:43
Absolutely. Absolutely. That's a misnomer. I think because the employer is paying for it. I think employees are concerned that then their privacy gets shared with their employer, but EAPs are are manned by or supported by mental health clinicians who abide by HIPAA laws, they're licensed. Therefore, privacy is

Shanna M 10:11
Paramount.

Kathleen Crowley 10:12
It's paramount, but almost we hold it to almost a higher standard then medical.

Shanna M 10:16
Yeah, yeah.

Nimeet K 10:17
More standard there.

Kathleen Crowley 10:18
Right, because we really, we really want to help people to get the help that they seek. And we know that there's that stigma attached. Although, I do think it has lessened since the pandemic that people are seeking mental health help more. Certainly, our utilization, you mentioned in the beginning, generally speaking, is around four or five, our EAP, i'm going to brag a little, has gone to, I think two quarters ago it was around 11.86. And it's been hovering around 12.

Nimeet K 10:51
That's amazing.

Shanna M 10:53
Well, now that speaks to, you know, an organization that cares for its employees, and isn't afraid to talk about it and say it's available and encourages that mental health, that life-work balance. And so that's an area where employers can really make a difference, and start to change that stigma.

Nicole D'Uva 11:11
Of course, I think we have to think about the various types of EAP models that are out there as well. And employers really need to determine what's best for their organization. Here at Adventist HealthCare, we have an embedded EAP model, right. So our clinicians are rounding in the hospitals, they are rounding in our other entities, they are associating a face with the program that I think helps our workforce to feel so comfortable approaching them, calling them, knowing the type of support that you're going to receive. Other employers would have a standalone EAP, not necessarily someone on site, but would have the access line where people can call for support. And then others, have this other model of EAP, where your EAP service is provided by another benefit. So it could be mixed in with your retirement vendor, it could be mixed in with your leave of absence vendor. And those programs typically have less utilization because they're buried within other services.

Shanna M 12:14
They're hard to find you don't even know that they're there.

Nicole D'Uva 12:16
Definitely.

Shanna M 12:17
What should employees look for, ask for, when considering an employer? Or if they think listen to this podcast and say, I didn't know if my employer offers this? What should they do?

Kathleen Crowley 12:31
I think if they're struggling with anything, if they have that relationship with their manager, to ask their manager, who is supporting the employees mental health. HR is also another touch point to go to and ask who is our employee assistance program? Those are the two touch points that I would have employees go to to find. And their employer should know.

Shanna M 12:53
Yes.

Kathleen Crowley 12:54
Especially. Yeah,

Shanna M 12:55
Yeah. Is this up pretty much a standard benefit Nicole, that you see across the board within organizations?

Nicole D'Uva 13:02
Without a doubt, I think it's now a standard benefit. But I think the most common way that it presents itself is an add on service to some of those larger benefits, like retirement and medical. Your benefits guide is also a great place to go. If your employer has a Benefits Guide, if they have their benefits listed online, those are great places to go to look for the access number for your EAP services.

Nimeet K 13:29
That's great to know, so I think if you're looking for EAP services, you'll go to your your immediate leader, you'll go to HR person, or you can look at your benefit guide as well. And and all those places would have, you know, the right context to get to. And I think one thing Nicole mentioned earlier was that the team rounding on the units in the hospital, is highly valuable. And I'll just share my experience with Kathleen, I think when her and the team were rounding at Shady Grove Medical Center. I have had her come to my unit when I was,

Shanna M 13:30
During COVID, Yes

Nimeet K 13:35
During COVID, and have her talk to my team and come do huddles and just encourage you know, the feedback from them to her and getting some more employees to talk to her as well. I think just the fact that you were there as a manager, I had a lot of things going on, but I saw you and I was like, oh, I need you to help me support my team and me, and I think we just got out of it in such a better situation.

Kathleen Crowley 14:18
I think that speaks to what Nicole mentioned about being there, being seen and getting to know each other and developing a relationship, and that relationship has carried on between us. That's where you and I got to know each other. And it speaks to good leaders too, about wanting to support their employees, not wanting it to be punitive, not wanting to send an employee out, they're such a bad employee, they should go see the EAP. That's not really what an EAP is about, it should be more of the employer looking to support their employee, which in Nimeet's case, it's exactly what he did. We're all struggling on this unit, help us.

Nimeet K 15:00
Yeah.

Shanna M 15:01
Yeah,

Nicole D'Uva 15:01
I think people aren't always sure what the EAP does. And Kathleen, and I commonly say, there's an EAP, for that. So someone will say, what about this? There's an EAP for that, what about that, there's an EAP for that. And so the best advice that we can give people is, if you're not sure, there's no harm in calling. Call, let's have the conversation about it. Nine times out of 10. It's either a service that we offer, or there are community resources that you can be referred to. So it's a win win for everyone.

Kathleen Crowley 15:01
And, the relationship builds. And when you have an EAP that rounds and gets to know some of the folks, the employees, the leaders, there's a connection. And it may not be in that moment. But they may call and say, you know, somebody was rounding on our unit. We had somebody once call, because one of my clinicians was rounding and they loved her shoes, and they said there was somebody from EAP, that had really nice shoes and told me about your program. And that stirred them to call.

Nimeet K 16:07
What are some of the underutilized programs within EAP that you typically see?

Kathleen Crowley 16:11
I think that legal services, and

Shanna M 16:16
That's a good point.

Nimeet K 16:17
That is a good one.

Kathleen Crowley 16:17
I don't think people know that they have access to like a free consultation. And also, employees not knowing that those that live in their home, are eligible for services as well, we get that a lot, oh, my husband can use this.

Shanna M 16:37
I didn't know that either.

Nimeet K 16:37
and family members, yeah.

Kathleen Crowley 16:38
I can get my my child who seems to be struggling this semester, in high school, I can get them to call and well, parents have to call for their children, but anybody in the household can use it. So it's a benefit that they don't know is available to everyone in their home.

Shanna M 16:57
So Nicole, another part of your role here is LifeWork strategies. And people I think, in our community, think of us as a healthcare organization, that, you know, we have our Shady Grove Medical Center and White Oak Medical Center, Fort Washington Medical Center, are physician practices, but there's another piece to this that is important at AdventistHealthCare, and that's LifeWork Strategies. What is it? What do they do?

Nicole D'Uva 17:21
LifeWork Strategies actually serves employers in the community. So in addition to serving our internal population by providing employee assistance services, and well-being programs, we actually sell those services nationally. And I'm really proud to say that recently, about a year ago, we became a global EAP. We have businesses that are headquartered here in the continental United States that also have locations in Germany and China, and the Ukraine. And so we supply EAP services to employees around the globe. And so part of our role is providing not only the employee assistance program, but doing the things that I think make it a win win for the employer, right? Yes, we're managing your access line. Yes, we're covering the lives, yes we're giving you a website called our LifeWork hub to give resources to your employees. But we're also analyzing the data, looking at the clicks on the website, understanding what the needs of your population are, and then working with you to craft a larger plan. Some of that happens in wellness, too, it really depends on the organization and what types of services they want to engage in.

Shanna M 18:45
And what their employees need.

Nicole D'Uva 18:47
Right, we use our well-being program, very much connected to our self insured health plan. And so our well being program serves as the population health strategy for our health plan, that impacts our workforce and their dependents. And so we're using the programs to, you know, keep trend low for the medical claims, to encourage people to use prescriptions that are within our formulary, and really to take care of their general health, which ultimately helps the bottom line for any organization.

Shanna M 19:24
Yeah, and it's also you know, health happens at home and at work. And so it's ensuring that everybody has access to something, some type of care, physically, mentally, financially, emotionally, all of that.

Nicole D'Uva 19:39
For sure.

Shanna M 19:40
Well, thank you. Any other questions, Nimeet?

Nimeet K 19:42
No, I think that's it.

Shanna M 19:43
Kathleen, Nicole, would you all like to add anything?

Kathleen Crowley 19:45
I just always love the opportunity to talk about what I do. I'm, I'm just so passionate and it's great to support an organization, that supports mental health. And they have shown that over my time here, and we continue to grow and do more. And it's exciting to help employes.

Nimeet K 20:05
Well, we absolutely appreciate your services for sure!

Shanna M 20:07
Yes, we do. Thank you for all that you both do in our organization and in the community.

Nicole D'Uva 20:12
We're happy to be here.

Shanna M 20:13
Thank you to our listeners. If you'd like to find information about our experts, you can visit LifeWorkStrategies.com. And we'd still always love to hear from you. You can let us know if you liked the podcast by leaving a rating or review, and you can email Podcast@AdventistHealthcare.com and let us know what healthcare topics you want to know more about. We're always looking to come to you with new topics that you're interested in, so let us know. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you can get new episodes. Thank you and be well!