Health Advocate is the nation’s leading independent healthcare advocacy and assistance company. With over 10,000 client relationships covering over 40 million lives, Health Advocate helps millions of Americans personally navigate the often complex healthcare system.

The School District of Palm Beach County offers a seamless integration of Advocacy and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) + Work/Life services to employees, spouses/ domestic partners, dependent children, parents, and parents-in-law at no additional cost to you. The District offers the Advocacy programs through Health Advocate which is headquartered in suburban Philadelphia, and the EAP + Work/Life through Corporate Care Works (CCW), a division of Health Advocate, located in Jacksonville, Florida.

Advocacy, EAP + Work/Life are key benefits in the overall offering to the employees and families of the School District.

Health Advocate continues to partner in health and wellness fairs, Wellness Champion meetings, EAP + Work/Life Advisory Committee meetings, ongoing communications and webinars, new employee orientations, and ongoing onsite training sessions.

There is a continuous, strong utilization of the EAP + Work/Life benefits as employees are familiar with the program and participate in the outreach communications. Utilization rates for the 2013-2014 school year total 35.35% (5.11% from direct calls, 28.12% from training and 2.12% from web visits). The typical direct call utilization for all clients is from 3% - 5%, so onsite training sessions are creating a great avenue for employees to be aware of the free services.

Recently, there is an increased utilization in the Advocacy program (as this is newer). Utilization in this program is 6%; the goal is to increase utilization to 10% across the next two years as this is more consistent for a seasoned Advocacy program. There were a total of 1,159.6 hours logged by Health Advocate employee interactions, which allows employees to focus on work and allow the Advocates to handle these issues for employees. This will be a focus to spotlight during the upcoming open enrollment to share case studies and employee accolades to further promote the program. As more employees utilize this service, this will further enhance productivity savings.

Additionally, simplified communications to highlight all of the resources available through Health Advocate will be promoted throughout the year.

Employees have access to Health Advocate’s Health Advocacy service, a unique benefit that gives each member (which includes the employee, employee’s spouse/ domestic partner, their covered dependents, their parents or parents-in-law) access to a dedicated Personal Health Advocate. These are typically registered nurses, supported by medical directors and benefits and claims experts. Personal Health Advocates work one-on-one with members to resolve a variety of time-consuming healthcare and insurance-related issues. Here are some examples of why you might call:

The EAP + Work/Life program offers access to a Licensed Professional Counselor for short-term assistance with personal, family and work-related problems. A work/life specialist can help find a range of support resources. The program’s comprehensive website offers articles and workshops on topics from wellness and career development to assistance with financial, legal, and identity theft issues. In a crisis, emergency help is available 24/7.

Talk to a Licensed Professional Counselor to learn coping skills for:

Call the work/life specialist to find supportive services for:

Other features include:

Online services with thousands of resources:

The 2013-2014 school year also included an additional 38.5 hours of training/onsite support hours through 30 minute new hire orientation sessions.

The 2013-2014 school year also contained an additional 38.5 hours of training/ onsite support hours through 30 minute new hire orientation sessions.

“Thanks so much for all of your help during this frustrating time. I truly appreciate all you have
done to assist me!” (July 5, 2013)

“Thank you so much! You are really amazing! Thank you again for all your help!” (July 8, 2013)

“Great service, knowledgeable staff, and a real timesaver. Thank you!” (July 12, 2013)

“Thank you for your assistance.” (July 16, 2013)

“I just want you to know that I used your referral and now have a new doctor. I think it will be a good fit. Thank you for all of your help.” (July 18, 2013)

“My health advocate was amazing and took so much pressure of me when the bills came in.” (July 29, 2013)

“Thank you so much, you were a great help. Also, thanks for being so friendly and professional.” (September 10, 2013)

“My representative was very friendly. She made it easy and I appreciate nice people. Thank you.” (September 18, 2013)

“Thank you for the referrals. After speaking with you I was able to get an appointment. I really appreciate the help. Thank you for listening to my story and not adding to the stress of having to deal with the medical system.” (November 1, 2013)

“Health Advocate was so helpful to me. The bills came pouring in and I did not know what I was responsible for, my advocate cleared it all up for me and I knew exactly what I was responsible for.” (November 07, 2013)

“Although my issue did not end in a positive way for me, my Health Advocate did everything possible to assist me. He went above and beyond.” (January 3, 2014)

“Thank you for your help.” (January 28, 2014)

“Thank you.” (January 29, 2014)

“Could not have been happier with the service provided by Mr. Rick Stevens! Many thanks! “(January 31, 2014)

“I spoke with three different Advocates, and all 3 were very helpful and went beyond the call of duty.” (February 21, 2014)

“The Health Advocate service was extremely helpful. They helped me find some wonderful doctors and resources. I have also referred my co-workers to Health Advocate. Thank you so much!” (March 25, 2014)

“The advocate was very helpful.” (March 31, 2014)

“Everyone at Health Advocate who helped me was awesome! The staff was so helpful and informative! Also, very on top of everything!” (May 30, 2014)

“Made daily tasks easier.”

“100% Definitely! When you have an avenue to help you with your personal problems it helps you be a better teacher in the classroom. I recommend this service to all my friends.”

“A lot of stress relieved, I felt more confident with my students and felt a lot of relief.”

“I am more positive with my students. The service has helped me to learn how to leave any problems I may be having at home.”

Health Advocate is happy to be able to serve the employees and families of The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. If you have any questions about the Advocacy or the EAP + Work/Life benefit, please call (855) 424-8400.

For more information, please click on www.healthadvocate.com and type in “The School District of Palm Beach County.”