Tag Archives: Capital Blue Cross

THINK: Tips for Better Digital Health

September 12, 2024 | by THINK Capital Blue Cross

Woman looks on the screen of her mobile phone.

Screens. They’re everywhere – as closely linked to our lives, it seems, as our limbs.

Any number of electronic devices ping us perpetually with texts, emails, and alerts, all while social media sucks us into constant conversations.

It’s a lot – too much at times.

“The many screens that connect us to the internet and social media have a lot of great benefits,” said Kelly Brennan, Capital Blue Cross Senior Director of Health Promotion and Wellness. “They help us feel more connected, allow us to research information quickly, track our physical activity and what we eat, etc. But it’s also important that we stay mindful about our digital well-being. Too much digital engagement can increase anxiety and loneliness for some people, and lead to many other negative outcomes.”

Screentime’s Scary Side

Type “damaging effects of screen time” into a Google search, and a slew of studies appear revealing at least 21 harmful impacts. They span everything from increased depression to violence-desensitization, isolation to insomnia, chronic neck pain to vision problems, and more.

Ongoing studies by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are among the most troubling, chronicling excessive screen time’s negative effect on child brain development.

The NIH recommends two or fewer hours of daily screen time, or 14 hours weekly, particularly for children under 18. But global research shows the average internet-connected person shatters that suggested ceiling, spending more than 6 ½ hours a day (U.S. 11-to-14-year-olds spend a whopping nine-plus hours) on a screen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Better Screen Habits in 5 Steps

Capital’s Brennan offers five tips to help us both cut back on screentime and use it more wisely:

1. Closely monitor your time online. While being online with others can help our well-being, scrolling passively through social media can expose us to upsetting content. Set limits – and stick to them. Being offline allows us to spend time with family and friends, exercise, and pursue hobbies.
2. Connect carefully: Carefully seek digital resources and social media posts grounded in fact to help ensure you are getting accurate information. Choose posts and content that make you feel good, rather than those you know make you anxious or angry.
3. Curate your emails: Unsubscribe from emails you never read or use, and delete old emails you don’t need to help create a less stressful inbox.
4. Stay offscreen to start and end your day: Don’t increase your risk of distraction from good or bad information when you awake or go to sleep. Try a cup of coffee or a walk in the morning, and a book or gentle programming before bed.
5. Heed your mental health: Whether it’s through physical or mental exercises or counseling, be mindful of your mental well-being.

Capital Blue Cross Connect health and wellness centers feature health coaches who can help people increase physical activity and manage stress in ways that help reduce screentime. Capital also offers a VirtualCare telehealth option and can connect members to behavioral health professionals online or by calling 866.322.1657. Some companies, including Capital, offer employee assistance programs that make it easy for employees to access mental health professionals for any issue.

“As with most things, too much digital exposure can potentially have negative effects,” Brennan said. “But if we have a balance and stay mindful about our interactions, we’re more likely to make healthier choices that support our overall health and well-being.”

THINK (Trusted Health Information, News, and Knowledge) is a community publication of Capital Blue Cross. Our mission is to provide education, resources, and news on the latest health and insurance issues.

Capital Blue Cross’ Push for Health Equity in Harrisburg

August 29, 2024 | by Todd Shamash

SPONSORED CONTENT: The Harrisburg region is a wonderful place to live and work, and Capital Blue Cross is proud to be a part of the region’s ongoing growth and success. We started in Harrisburg more than 85 years ago, and we continue to proudly call this area our home.

Central Pennsylvania, like so many areas of the country, struggles to ensure everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare that can help them enjoy fulfilling, productive lives. Disparities in health equity, regardless of the cause, can hamper the quality of life not just for individuals, but for entire communities.

It doesn’t have to be this way, and Capital is proud of the work we do to improve health equity and promote health and wellness in the Harrisburg region.

A perfect example is our intensified health equity efforts, which help ensure affordable, quality care is accessible to all who need it. Together with our likeminded community partners, we’ve helped fund numerous health equity-focused initiatives in and around Harrisburg, including:

The WellSpan Mobile Mammography Coach, which provides essential breast cancer screenings to uninsured and underinsured women across six area counties regardless of their ability to pay.
Healthy Harrisburg, piloted by the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation, which provides resources to help UPMC’s most vulnerable patients.
Mission of Mercy, which helps the underinsured and uninsured access essential medical care.
Alder Health Services, which strives to improve the health and well-being of the area’s LGBTQ+ communities and individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
Harrisburg Area Community College’s dental program, which provides affordable, accessible care to those who might otherwise struggle to find it.

Again, we back these varied and vital initiatives because we believe that closing gaps in care—and opening doors to affordable, accessible, quality healthcare—is critical to Capital’s core mission. But health equity isn’t the only area we support as we march toward that goal; Capital also helps fund essential regional programs that bolster basic human needs and services, as well as education, culture and the arts.

Capital’s contributions to important regional causes aren’t just financial. We also give ourselves—our energy, our passion, our talent and our time. We do it through a robust Capital Blue Cross Employee Volunteer Program that last year saw 386 Capital employees log 8,765 hours of volunteer community service. To put that in context, an entire calendar year has 8,760 hours, meaning our employees gave a full year’s worth of time towards causes they care about.

Our employees take part in multiple community donation drives and fundraiser events that Capital hosts throughout the year. Chief among those is our annual support of United Way of the Capital Region (UWCR). For three years running, Capital’s campaign to help the United Way has raised more than $500,000 a year to support vital programs and services, helping empower area individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency.

Whether it’s donating millions of our dollars over the years to critical health or life-quality programs or donating thousands of hours of our time, we are grateful to be able to work with all of you toward the common goal of a healthy, thriving Harrisburg.

We’ll continue to do our part by going that extra mile every day to help our area grow, prosper, and meet its enormous potential.

Todd Shamash is president and CEO of Capital Blue Cross.

For more information, visit www.capbluecross.com.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Dauphin County’s Cultural Fest to return to Riverfront Park, celebrating diversity

August 5, 2024 | by Jolie Lloyd

Dauphin County Cultural Fest 2023

Harrisburg residents will have an opportunity to celebrate the region’s diversity through good food and music.

On Saturday, Aug. 17, Dauphin County’s 16th annual Cultural Fest will return to Riverfront Park from 3 to 10 p.m., showcasing and celebrating the variety of cultures in the community.

The free event, hosted by the county and sponsored by Capital Blue Cross, includes vendors, food trucks and free entertainment from various musical performers, including headliner Rakim. Other performances include acts from the McGinley School of Irish Dance, the Dweinnimmenn African Dance Community, the Chinese Cultural & Arts Institute and the YaZmine Dance Studio.

The event is aimed at showcasing ethnic diversity in the Harrisburg area to increase cultural competency, according to county Commissioner George Hartwick.

“We celebrate our differences and view that as our greatest strength,” he said. “This allows us to understand the people that we work with and the folks we work for, which is the community that we serve. The level of cultural competence and representation from the county should be a direct reflection of the people we serve.”

In addition to the fun activities, Dauphin County Human Services will promote local resources throughout the event. These include health resources, mental and behavioral health services, information on housing, educational and recreational program resources and job opportunities.

“A big part of Cultural Fest is to be able to connect with the community in a free event that brings us all together for family purposes, but also to be able to connect people with the help they need in a non-clinical or government setting,” Hartwick said.

Additionally, a children’s corner with kid-friendly, Olympic-themed games and crafts will be available from 3 to 7 p.m.

Free event parking will be offered on City Island and attendees can use the ParkMobile app code “LUVHBG” for four hours of free downtown street parking on the day of the festival.

Large bags and umbrellas are prohibited at the event, with exceptions for medical equipment and parenting bags which must be screened upon entry.

To learn more about Cultural Fest, please visit the county’s website.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Facts to Weigh: Five things you should know about using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss

August 1, 2024 | by Capital Blue Cross

You’ve likely heard about medications like Ozempic, Trulicity, or Wegovy as “new” ways to lose weight. What you might not know is these types of drugs – technically known as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, or simply GLP-1 drugs – have been around for years for treating diabetes.

Five facts you should know about GLP-1 drugs

The recent popularity of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss has fueled a surge in demand. But if you’re thinking about using these injectable medications, there are a few things you might want to keep in mind:

GLP-1 drugs do not work alone. While the drugs can be effective in managing blood sugar levels and promoting weight loss, they generally are not considered a standalone treatment for Type 2 diabetes or obesity. These conditions require comprehensive treatment strategies and management, including lifestyle and dietary changes that should be monitored by a healthcare professional.
They can have risky side effects. Some of the more common side effects of GLP-1 drugs include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, but there also have been reports of issues such as sagging and wrinkling of skin. The FDA continues to investigate more serious side effects, such as suicide ideation.
GLP-1 drugs can be costly. The typical cost for these drugs is more than $1,000 a month, and a recent survey found more than half of those who have taken GLP-1 drugs say it was difficult to afford the cost, even with insurance. Your doctor may have suggestions on more affordable, effective ways to manage weight.
Your health plan might not cover GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. A growing number of employers and insurers won’t cover GLP-1s for weight loss, citing concerns about effectiveness, side effects, and cost. Individual healthcare coverage purchased through state or federal exchanges rarely covers GLP-1 drugs for weight management, and Medicare doesn’t cover GLP-1s for weight loss, either.
Many find it hard to stay on GLP-1 drugs. Whether it’s due to high cost, unwanted side effects, or both, the majority of people who start using GLP-1 drugs stop taking them before they see any meaningful health benefit. And those who stop taking them typically regain two-thirds of the weight they lost within a year.

If you have diabetes or simply want to lose weight, talk with your healthcare provider about all treatment options. Capital Blue Cross, for instance, offers digital diabetes tools and a care management team that can help you identify options for better nutrition and wellness for you to consider and discuss with your healthcare provider. Many employers also offer incentive-based wellness programs that can give you financial rewards for pursuing a healthier lifestyle.

Remember, managing your weight is not just about the pounds you lose – it’s about the health you can gain.

For more health and wellness news and information that can benefit your business and employees, visit thinkcapitalbluecross.com.
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Hold the Hurt: 4 Ways to Help Employees with Chronic Pain

July 2, 2024 | by THINK Capital Blue Cross

Its causes are too numerous to list. It can cripple a person’s body, state of mind, bank account, quality of life and job productivity.

It’s chronic pain, and in so many ways it’s the hurt that keeps on hurting.

“Chronic pain’s causes are truly limitless,” said Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, Capital Blue Cross Chief Medical Officer. “The cause could be orthopedic, neurologic, or even cancer. But whatever triggers it, chronic pain takes a huge toll, and not just on the body. Coping with the challenges that come with constant pain mean its harm can often extend to people’s mental and financial health.”

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that those with chronic pain are four times likelier to suffer from depression or anxiety. And according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, people with chronic pain carry twice the suicide risk.

Then there’s the pocketbook pain. Research published by the NIH concludes that people suffering from severe pain spend $7,726 a year – or $644 per month – more than people without pain.

Chronic Pain’s Many Costs

Those extra bills aren’t limited to an unfortunate few; chronic pain afflicts nearly 52 million American adults, according to the U.S. Pain Foundation. And the NIH says insufficient or unnecessary efforts to mitigate that pain account for more than half of the country’s wasted healthcare dollars.

All of which makes for bad math for U.S. businesses: The Journal of the American Medical Association calculates an annual hit to the U.S. economy that easily exceeds a half-trillion dollars.

Given the sizable swath of the workforce with chronic pain, it’s likely impacting someone at your company, which means your healthcare spend – and bottom line – is also suffering.

Contain the Pain

But employers may be able to help by considering these options:

Offer flexibility: Many suffer spans where their chronic pain is more intense. Allowing remote work or flexible hours during those spans can make employees feel supported.
Urge employees to take their regular breaks: Encouraging employees with chronic pain to listen to their bodies and take time to pause can help them recharge when the hurt is at its worst.
Educate: We often cannot see what causes chronic pain, and the pain itself is invisible. So some employees may struggle to fully understand its impact on their coworkers. Educating your staff about chronic pain can help reduce stigma.
Offer health plan options: This begins with a health insurance plan flexible enough to offer a variety of coverages and approaches to address an employee’s specific chronic pain.

Capital Blue Cross offers many members with chronic pain:

network specialists that can help determine treatment recommendations;
comprehensive pain-management program arrangements with respected regional providers;
coverage of many prescription medications to manage the pain; and
help in navigating a variety of available resources, such as transportation assistance.

“The key to managing chronic pain is identifying its true cause, and then navigating through what can be a confusing maze of care options toward the treatment that best suits the individual,” said Kathy Wolfe, Capital Blue Cross Senior Director of Care Management. “And that’s precisely what we help our members do here at Capital.”

Aphasia Impacts Communication, Not Intellect: 5 Ways Employers Can Help

June 6, 2024 | by THINK Capital Blue Cross

We may not have known the condition’s name, but many of us have known – or known of – someone with aphasia.

Usually the sudden result of a stroke or brain injury (it can also progress gradually in rare cases), aphasia impairs a person’s ability to communicate and process language without impacting intelligence.

That makes it an enormously frustrating condition for the roughly 1 million Americans afflicted with it.

June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, and Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, Capital Blue Cross’ Chief Medical Officer, says it’s critical to understand that those with aphasia struggle to communicate, not to comprehend.

“Because people with aphasia may struggle with various avenues of communication – talking, reading, writing, accurately computing what they’re hearing – it’s easy to jump to the wrong conclusions about their cognitive ability,” Dr. Wigginton said. “Aphasia sufferers remain competent adults. They know what they want to say; they just can’t always find the words to say it. They’re not deaf; they just struggle sometimes to process what they hear.”

The Fetterman Example

Many well-known people, from actors Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone to U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, live with aphasia.

Fetterman, the junior senator from Pennsylvania, suffered a well-publicized stroke weeks before being elected in 2022, and it severely impacted his verbal- and auditory-processing abilities. When Fetterman began his tenure in Washington, he required accommodations and relied heavily on assistive technology for his Senate work: closed captioning devices, and audio-to-text transcription – primarily via a tablet – for help communicating during committee sessions.

Fetterman described his hearing issues as inconsistent; they’d worsen when stress intensified. At their worst, Fetterman said, it was like making out the garbled teacher’s voice in the Charlie Brown cartoons.

Stress does, in fact, worsen aphasia’s symptoms, making it harder to hear, speak, or understand.

Which is why Fetterman and three other senators, including fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, in late 2023 introduced a bill “to support national training, technical assistance, and resource centers, to ensure that all individuals with significant expressive communication disabilities” can access assistive technology in the workplace and elsewhere.

“I never thought about captioning before I had the stroke,” Fetterman told The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in October 2023, “and now I realize that I have to be an advocate for anyone with a disability to have the kind of technology that allows them to fully participate in society.”

Aphasia Accommodations in the Workplace

Workplaces may opt to take their cue from the Senate and assist employees with aphasia. The National Aphasia Association suggests:

Slow down employee’s work pace: It may need to change, temporarily or permanently, and the slower cadence also may help other employees process new information.
Use multiple forms of communication: Use hand gestures while speaking, or repeat by email the information from a meeting. Everyone benefits.
Create a quiet workspace: Noisy environments can increase challenges for those with aphasia.
Prepare co-workers: Educating staff about aphasia can help accommodate everyone’s needs.
Provide healthcare plans that assist with the recovery and rehabilitation that accompanies aphasia after strokes or brain injuries. Many Capital Blue Cross plans, for instance, cover a variety of necessary rehabilitative speech therapies and other support treatments for those with aphasia.

“Those with aphasia can continue to enrich the workplace and produce at a high level,” Dr. Wigginton said. “They just may require the proper rehabilitation, support, patience, and accommodation.”

Melanoma: The Less Common but More Dangerous Skin Cancer

May 30, 2024 | by Capital Blue Cross Staff

Sponsored Content: Amber loved the tanning bed at her local salon.

Unlimited access for a mere $19.99 a month? She could swing that, even as a college student. So, Amber rolled the tanning bed into her normal routine.

“What started as a couple of times before a dance or trip, turned into a relaxing activity that I began to enjoy and do more regularly,” Amber writes on aad.org, the American Academy of Dermatology website. “I didn’t think much about it.”

She thinks about it now, and has done so ever since her physical therapy professor noticed a “funny looking mole” on her tummy one day during a PT lab.

A week later, at just 23 years old, Amber was diagnosed with stage II malignant melanoma.

The Most Serious

As we enter the heart of summer and our time in the sun, Amber’s sobering story serves as a warning siren to limit our exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, be they from natural sunlight, sun lamps or tanning beds.

Melanoma develops when cells called melanocytes—which give skin its tan or brown coloring—grow too rapidly. For some people, there is no preventing melanoma. Risk factors such as age, natural skin color and family history also can create the cancer.

That makes melanoma more complex and dangerous than other forms of skin cancer, says Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, Capital Blue Cross chief medical officer.

“Melanoma is far less common than many other skin cancers,” Dr. Wigginton said. “But it’s also far more dangerous because of its greater likelihood to spread to other areas in your body if it’s left undetected and untreated for too long.

“So it’s absolutely imperative not only to check your own skin for new, abnormal or changing moles, but to immediately see your dermatologist if you notice one and to see your dermatologist regularly for checkups.”

Dr. Wigginton says you also can lower your risk through commonsense UV-lessening measures such as seeking shade, using sunscreen, clothing as much of your body as you comfortably can, and wearing hats and sunglasses.

The Toll

Melanoma is diagnosed less than 2% as often as nonmelanoma skin cancers in the United States. There are more than 5 million nonmelanoma diagnoses each year, compared to about 98,000 melanoma diagnoses in 2023, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Yet melanoma is up to four times more fatal, with the NCI estimating nearly 8,000 deaths in 2023.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesn’t break down its reported $8.9 billion annual skin cancer cost by cancer type, melanoma’s serious nature requires more ongoing and expensive treatments. So, it likely comprises a larger percentage of the price tag than more common skin cancers.

You can help yourself avoid or manage skin cancer with a quality healthcare plan that offers necessary preventive and treatment coverage. Many Capital Blue Cross plans cover preventive visits for skin cancer screening and counseling with a healthcare provider, and many Capital plans also help members cover treatment for diagnosed skin cancers.

Capital Blue Cross also offers presentations addressing sun safety, sun-damage exhibits that screen skin and offer preventive guidance, and access to sun safety and skin cancer prevention videos via the Healthwise Knowledgebase.

Amber’s Arithmetic

It’s a good thing her professor spotted that “funny looking mole” several years ago.

“Little did I know she saved my life,” Amber writes on aad.org.

But that doesn’t mean it’s been smooth sailing. Far from it.

Amber reports that her melanoma has required 38 excisions, 67 stitches, and 27 dermatologist appointments, and generated seven abnormal pathology reports, 19 scars and a chest x-ray.

Math that makes that $19.99 a month seem like much less of a bargain.

For more health and wellness news and information that can benefit your business and employees, visit thinkcapitalbluecross.com.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Mom’s Tough Love Pushed Her to Put Down the Drink – and Pick Up Her Life

May 3, 2024 | by THINK Capital Blue Cross

Kristin Varner and family

Kristin Varner’s mother had seen enough.

She’d spent years watching her daughter’s endless spin of jobs, addresses and failed rehab attempts. It was fall 2005. Kristin was only 27, but she’d already been drinking and using drugs since she was 15, and this latest freefall had no apparent floor.

“I would black out constantly, wake up with no recollection of what had happened the night before,” Kristin said. “My disease had taken over so much of my life that I was unable to do anything but drink.”

The bottle had blotted out her college degree, and Kristin was back at her parents’ house after burning through six restaurant and bar jobs over the year’s first eight months. It didn’t help that she’d recently totaled her car – which she had no funds to fix.

Her mom was done.

“She said, ‘I can drop you off at rehab, or I can drop you off at a friend’s house,’” Kristin said. “But I didn’t have any friends at that time. Nobody wanted me. Still, my mom just said, ‘You’re leaving.’”

So a reluctant Kristin – minus any money, housing, or options – tried rehab again.

That was Sept. 2, 2005. She hasn’t had a drink since.

As Deadly as Ever

Kristin’s story illustrates the importance of continuing the collective fight to control alcohol-use disorder – and so do the disturbing statistics.

According to the National Institutes of Health, excessive alcohol use claims nearly 180,000 American lives a year, placing it among the nation’s leading killers. In Pennsylvania alone, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the annual death count soared to more than 6,600 by 2021. That outpaces drug overdoses.

The cost extends to America’s economy. According to the CDC, excessive alcohol use delivers a $9.5 billion annual hit due to healthcare and criminal-justice costs and lost productivity.

Don’t Do It Alone

Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, Chief Medical Officer at Capital Blue Cross, says the first step along the path to alcoholism recovery is to seek support.

“Please don’t try to recover alone; you need support,” Dr. Wigginton said. “That can be in the form of rehabilitation programs, but also in the longer term can include ongoing counseling to unearth the root causes of your disease, and continued participation in support groups where you can surround yourself with the empathy of other recovering individuals. Please also consider self-help tools such as smartphone apps, books, hotlines, and meditation. Research increasingly reveals self-help’s connection to continued sobriety.”

Kristin echoed that advice, adding that those seeking recovery should also:

Find a sponsor. “Have at least one person you’re comfortable being completely honest with,” she said. “And that person has to understand alcoholism.”
Change people, places, and things. “I didn’t go into bars anymore. I didn’t call up my friends to go get wasted every night.”

Employers can assist by providing healthcare plans with access to behavioral health counseling that aids recovery. Capital Blue Cross offers a VirtualCare telehealth option and a behavioral health toolkit for certain employers, and Capital can connect you to a behavioral health professional online or by calling 866.322.1657.

Some companies, including Capital, offer employee assistance programs, which can make it easy for employees to access mental health professionals for any issue, including alcohol- and substance-use disorder.

Success Story

Now 45, Kristin proudly introduces herself these days as a married mother of four and “a woman in long-term recovery.”

She also can accurately introduce herself as Director of Dauphin County Drug and Alcohol Services, a member of Pennsylvania’s Advisory Council on Substance Use, and a recently appointed member of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Behavioral Health Council.

Kristin credits one basic thing for her continuing recovery.

“Just let people help you,” she said. “Let individuals who have gone through this help you find your way. My way was failing, because I didn’t have all the answers. My way got me a bed in rehab. My way got me basically homeless.”

(For more health and wellness news and information that can benefit your business and employees, visit thinkcapitalbluecross.com.)

In the Family: How youth mental health impacts the adult workforce

April 16, 2024 | by THINK Capital Blue Cross

A mental health crisis among America’s children might not seem like a workplace issue at first glance.

But if your workplace is typical, about 40% of your colleagues are working parents of children under age 18. And as any working parent knows, when your child is not well, the stress and worry of home and family life often come into work with you.

About 1 in 6 children in the U.S. have a mental health issue, such as anxiety, depression, or attention and behavior disorders. If left untreated, the consequences of these issues can range from academic or social struggles to substance abuse or self-harm.

For parents, the health and well-being of a child can affect their own health and well-being – and that can impact their job performance. A 2021 survey of more than 3,000 working parents in the U.S. found:

53% of working parents have missed work at least once a month to deal with a child’s mental health issues.
54% of working parents interrupted their work to address a child’s mental health needs.
Working parents under age 40 say they are more likely to choose employers based on access to mental health care benefits and resources.
While 85% of working parents think it’s a good idea to discuss children’s mental health, fewer than 1 in 4 have talked to their managers, human resources department or colleagues about their children’s struggles.

That last point is an important one to Karie Batzler, director of behavioral health at Capital Blue Cross.

“We all know issues at home don’t just switch off once we step into the workplace, but we often see a reluctance to talk about how that stress can carry over,” Batzler says. “Employers can play an important role in starting a dialogue around mental wellness, whether it impacts employees or their family members, and employers can help connect their employees to resources that can help.”

Capital Blue Cross, for example, offers resources for both its own employees and its members, including:

A behavioral health toolkit that employer groups can use to foster a more supportive work environment.
A devoted mental health and wellness page on Capital’s website.
A telehealth resource that goes beyond physical healthcare by offering fast and convenient access to psychologists, psychiatrists and other licensed behavioral health professionals.
A mobile app that helps users improve their mental wellness and better address anxiety, depression, and other mental health needs.

Capital also supports its employees through an employee assistance program and volunteer-led employee resource groups (ERGs) that foster dialogue and a sense of connection among employees who share common interests, backgrounds, or demographic characteristics.

No matter the path forward for your company, it can all begin with a simple conversation, according to Batzler.

“Often times, it can go a long way just to tell someone, ‘I’m sorry to hear about what you’re dealing with and please let me know how I can help,’” Batzler said. “Once a dialogue begins, it can pave the way toward seeking help and finding resources to support the employee and their family.”

(For more health and wellness news and information that can benefit your business and employees, visit thinkcapitalbluecross.com.)

Knowledge Is Power: Knowing your family’s health history can improve your wellness

March 28, 2024 | by Capital Blue Cross Staff

Family gatherings often are great times to make and share memories, but these get-togethers also provide an opportunity to share your family’s health history as a way to both learn more about your ancestors and help you and your family be healthier.

Most of us have a family history of at least one chronic disease—such as cancer, heart disease or diabetes—which makes us more likely to get that disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And while medical experts acknowledge having a chronic condition in your family history doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be afflicted, knowing about it can help you take steps to reduce your risk.

“When it comes to your health, knowledge is power,” said Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, chief medical officer at Capital Blue Cross. “Knowing your family’s health history—and sharing that history with your family doctor—can be a powerful tool in preventing or minimizing chronic health issues.”

Compiling a family health history can encompass more than just making a list of known diseases and health conditions in your family. Families also can discuss:

Shared patterns in diets or exercise habits.
The prevalence of potentially addictive behaviors, such as smoking or drug and alcohol use.
Common traits in environment, such as whether you live in the same areas where you might be exposed to shared risks.

To help guide the family discussion, the U.S. Surgeon General offers an online tool called “My Family Health Portrait.” This free resource can help you both collect your family health history and easily share it with your family members and doctor.

For some families, discussing personal health issues might seem uncomfortable. To help start the discussion, the CDC recommends ways to broach the topic:

If you have a newly diagnosed medical condition, let your family members know about it. By sharing yourself, they might open up about their own health issues.
If you’ve had genetic testing done, share the results with your family members.
If you’re among the older members in your family, you may know more about family diseases and health conditions, especially among deceased relatives. Share that history.

Dr. Wigginton suggests families also should be open about discussing mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety, which can run in families.

“Mental health can sometimes be a tough topic for people to discuss, but it’s an important one for families,” he said. “Openly sharing issues around mental wellness can not only help your loved ones understand each other better, it also can bring them closer together as mutual sources of support and guidance.”

For more health and wellness news and information, visit thinkcapitalbluecross.com.

This health article is sponsored and produced by Capital Blue Cross.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

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