Public Employee Press

Members' health and wellness news
EmblemHealth announces diabetes program

EmblemHealth has a new program that aims to help diabetics better manage their illness.

EmblemHealth, the parent company of GHI, will kick off the Diabetes Management Program by July 1.

Municipal unions have worked with EmblemHealth, insisting that the diabetes program be voluntary and free, according to Willie Chang, the administrator of the DC 37 Health & Safety Plan and chair of the health subcommittee of the Municipal Labor Committee, which coordinates health-care matters for city unions.

"The goal of the new program is to help people return to a healthy lifestyle," Chang said. It will help diabetics with their diet, encourage them to exercise and educate them about how to keep down their blood sugar levels.

The program is designed for people with type 2 diabetes, type 3 diabetes and gestational diabetes.

About 11,500 city workers have type 2 diabetes. Nearly 750 have type 3 diabetes. (Type 1 diabetes, a lifetime disease, is usually diagnosed in children and young adults; it results from the failure of the body to produce insulin.)

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not make enough insulin and the liver makes too much sugar. Complications from type 2 diabetes include heart and kidney problems, blindness and amputation.

Alzheimer's disease cases that result from resistance to insulin in the brain, are considered to be Type 3 diabetes.

The case management program for type 2 and type 3 diabetics include:

• an evaluation of current treatment and a needs assessment;
• a personalized management plan, and
• monitoring results and encouraging behavioral changes.

For pregnant members with diabetes or gestational (pregnancy-related) diabetes, the program offers:

• 24/7 toll-free telephone support with a maternity nurse;
• an on-line chat with a maternity nurse;
• assignment to a nurse case manager for high-risk pregnancies;
• health surveys that physicians or midwives can use to keep patients and their babies healthy; and educational materials.

The educational component will provide information about the risk factors, symptoms and causes of diabetes. It will also help with medical referrals, prevention tips, testing and medication.

EmblemHealth's new diabetes program is being set up as part of the 2014 health-care savings agreement between the city and municipal unions. The agreement calls for $3.4 billion in savings over four years. The diabetes program will save an estimated $3 million.

Get information about your union health benefits

Information on coverage and how to apply for all Health and Security Plan benefits, including drug, optical, disability and dental benefits, may be obtained by calling the Inquiry Unit at 212-815-1234 or by visiting Room 300. Be sure to have the member's PID number or Social Security number handy when you call. You may also visit the union's website at www.dc37.net.

Forms and optical vouchers only: Call 212-815-1531.

Death benefits: Call 212-815-1373 or 212-815-1374.

Hearing-impaired: If you have a teletypewriter, Call 212-815-1266 for info or forms.

Retirees outside the N.Y.-N.J.-Conn. area: Call 1-877-323-7738 toll-free.

— GNH