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FROM: Interim President Joseph S. Wood
Newsletter #6: Employee Assistance Program
October 19, 2007
Dear Colleagues:
At our recent Town Meetings, and in other forums, a number of you have expressed concerns over the increased stress and anxiety in the workplace. This is a challenging time for all of us and I appreciate your creative energy and commend everyone for demonstrating professional relationships that reflect courtesy and mutual respect. We must all make an extra effort to be civil, and dignified in our interactions with one another, and to recognize the impact of this stress on our work.
I also want to provide you with information that may be helpful to you during such difficult times. USM, along with all campuses in the University of Maine System, has contracted with CIGNA Behavioral Health to provide an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available to all employees. This program has a multitude of services. Highlights of the plan include:
- Six free (no co-pay) counseling sessions with a local provider
- 24-hour crisis intervention
- Referrals and assistance with family issues – child care, elder care, pet care, etc.
- Discounts on various items and services – glasses, hearing aids, fitness centers, etc.
- 30-minute free financial consultation with 25 percent discount on further fees
- 30-minute free legal consultation with 25 percent discount on further fees (there is no coverage for Employment Law)
Please take advantage of this program. You can reach CIGNA 24 hours a day, seven days a week by making a confidential, toll free call. Call 1-877-622-4327 or access the CIGNA Web site at www.cignabehavioral.com. If you are using the Web site use “ums” as the Employer ID and the word “employee” for your PIN. If you would like further information about the program please contact our Benefits Office at 780-5218, 780-5653, 780-5175 or call Suzanne Roy, Health Promotion Manager, at 228-8151.
The hardest part of the work we have to do is the uncertainty it produces. None of us likes too much uncertainty, and I fully appreciate how each of us is affected. How we work together to support and appreciate each other will play a critical role in the success of moving USM forward. Please feel free to consult with your supervisor or Human Resources, and try the CIGNA employee assistance program.
Thanks,
Joe
For more information, please click on http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/update This site includes the breakfast speech; the latest digest of ideas e-mailed to movingforward@usm.maine.edu; our work plan; and notes from the recent series of town meetings.
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