Do a health and wellness checkup for your employees

Long story short: Do a health and wellness checkup for your employees

April 8, 2022 11:20 AM

A health challenge can be an unexpected hurdle for employees. Employers can play a role in making sure they have the support and benefits they need to get them on the road to recovery.

In our top stories this week, employers are exploring ways to help employees through serious health concerns, like a cancer diagnosis or long COVID. Cancer survivor and CEO Liya Shuster-Bier founded Alula, which provides resources for cancer patients and caregivers. She shared how her boss supported her through a leave of absence for treatment, and how to facilitate open conversations with a manager around an employee’s care needs.

Supporting employees means making sure they’re getting the most out of their health plans. A new partnership between Crossover Health and Matrix Clinical Solutions wants to streamline the process of seeking preventative care and any additional services an employee may need. Promoting positive relationships with healthcare providers can encourage healthy habits, like annual physicals and screenings, as well as vaccines.

Take a look at how these new benefits are prioritizing the health and well-being of employees:

Supporting workers with a chronic illness: Tips from a cancer survivor and CEO

Dealing with a cancer diagnosis is a reality for many Americans. Data from Johns Hopkins in 2017 found that 5% of the workforce has a history of cancer, and of that group 27% are likely to be actively in treatment for cancer. The same study found that employers lose out on $139 billion associated with decreased productivity and lost work time for cancer treatment or cancer-related caregiving.

“My cancer diagnosis really helped me pause and reevaluate what a lot of people are evaluating right now with the Great Resignation,” Liya Shuster-Bier, CEO of Alula, told reporter Shelby Rosenberg. And it launched her on a journey that would not just redefine her life and career, but also help other folks fighting cancer — and their support systems — find the guidance they crave.

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Supporting workers with a chronic illness: Tips from a cancer survivor and CEO

How employers can help workers battling long COVID

According to a study by the University of Michigan, more than 40% of COVID survivors have long COVID, which could involve anything from fatigue, shortness of breath, insomnia, joint pain and memory difficulties to chronic kidney disease and heart disease. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation estimates that long COVID will leave 22 million Americans with disabilities.

Dr. Alice Perlowski, a long-COVID survivor and cardiologist based in Los Angeles, knows firsthand how COVID can impact one’s life and career. After first getting sick in early March of 2020, her physical and mental health have bever been the same. Associate editor Deanna Cuadra talked to Perlowski about how her professional life has changed, and what employers need to know.

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How employers can help workers battling long COVID

Nurses are risking their mental health to keep working

According to a recent survey by nursing agency platform IntelyCare, more than a third of all nurses report prioritizing their job over everything else in life. Now, they’re suffering in silence, sacrificing their mental health in service of their work.

That’s putting the future of the entire nursing profession at risk. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 500,000 seasoned nurses are expected to retire between now and the end of 2022, creating a shortage of 1.1 million nurses — a mass exodus that was accelerated nearly 20 years by the pandemic. Associate editor Paola Peralta explored what nurses need to care for the mental health, without resorting to leaving the profession.

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Nurses are risking their mental health to keep working

A new benefits partnership helps employees prioritize preventative care

While it’s commonly recommended that people under 50-years-old see a primary care physician every three years and those over 50 see their physician once a year, doctor visits may be the furthest thing from an employee’s mind if they deem themselves healthy.

Healthcare companies Crossover Health and Matrix Clinical Solutions are attempting to encourage better preventative care practices by teaming up to connect workers with a joint primary care and occupational health services solution. This employer-provided benefit includes access to Crossover’s primary care model through Matrix’s onsite services, such as vaccine deployment and health screening. Associate editor Deanna Cuadra shared how the benefit can help employees seek early intervention and improve health outcomes.

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A new benefits partnership helps employees prioritize preventative care