www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness
In small doses, stress is a good thing. It can
energize and motivate you and perhaps even
prevent or delay certain types of damage to your
cells. But prolonged or excessive stress can take
a severe psychological and physical toll. High
stress levels have been linked to
depression, anxiety, cardiovascular
disease, musculoskeletal problems,
an impaired immune system and
cancer.
Identify your stress triggers
Your genes, personality and life
experiences all influence the way
you respond to stress. Situations and events that
are distressing for most people might not bother
you. Or, you may be particularly sensitive to even
minor stressors. The first step in dealing with
stress is identifying your particular stress triggers.
Some causes of stress are obvious like a job
loss, a divorce, or the death of a loved one. But
small, daily hassles and demands such as a long
commute or trouble finding childcare also
contribute to one’s stress level. Over time, small,
persistent stressors can wreak more havoc than
sudden, devastating events.
Try one or more of these techniques to help
identify the factors causing you stress:
° Keep a stress journal. For one week, note
which events or situations cause a negative
physical, mental or emotional response.
Record the day and time. Give a brief
description of the situation. Where were you?
Who was involved? What caused the stress?
Also, describe your reaction. How did you
feel? What did you say or do? Finally, on a
scale of 1 to 5 rate the intensity of your
stress.
° Make a list of all the demands on your
time and energy for one week. Some
examples may include your job, volunteer
work, driving kids to after-school activities or
caring for an elderly parent. Then, on a scale
of 1 to 5 rate the intensity of stress that each
demand causes.
Look at your stress recordings. Pay particular
attention to events that you ranked as very
stressful. Select one of them to work on using
problem-solving techniques; identify and explore
the problem, looking for ways to resolve it, and
select and implement a solution. Suppose, for
instance, that you are behind at work because
you leave early to pick up your kid from school.
Check with other parents to see if your kid can
ride with them. To cope with stress try to find a
way to change the sources that are causing it.
March
2009
From the Arizona
Department of
Administration,
Benefit Options
Wellness Program
Page 1
Improve your time management skills
Effective time management skills can help you
identify goals, set priorities and minimize stress.
Use these tips to improve your time management
skills and lower your stress level.
° Create realistic expectations and
deadlines for yourself.
° Throw away unimportant papers on
your desk.
° Prepare a master list of tasks.
Throughout the day, scan your master
list and work on tasks in priority order.
° Use a planner. Store addresses and telephone
numbers. Copy tasks from your master list onto the
page for the day on which you expect to do them.
For especially important or difficult projects, reserve
an interruption-free block of time behind closed
doors.
Extinguish job burnout
Nowhere is stress more likely than at work. Twenty-five
percent of people say that their job is the
primary stressor in their lives. In fact, the vast
majority of workers believe that on-the-job stress is
worse today than it was just 10 years ago.
Job stress can affect your professional and
personal relationships, your livelihood, and your
health.
Here are strategies you can use:
° Identify the source of the problem. Figure out
what is making you over stressed at work and then
take steps to deal with it.
° Develop friendships at work and outside the
office. Sharing unsettling feelings with people you
trust is the first step toward resolving them.
° Take time off. Take a vacation or a long
weekend if you need it.
° Set limits. When necessary, learn to say no in
a friendly but firm manner.
° Have an outlet. Read, enjoy a hobby, exercise
or get involved in some other activity that is
relaxing.
° Seek help. If none of these things relieves your
feelings of stress or burnout, ask a health care
professional for advice.
Source:
Mayo Clinic Web Portal, wwwbewellstaywell.az.gov
March
2009
Page 2 Upcoming Events
The American Diabetes Alert Day is a
one-day, “wake-up” call to inform the
American public about the seriousness of
diabetes. The American Diabetes
Association encourages people to take
the Diabetes Risk Test and find out if
they, or their loved ones, are at risk for
developing type 2 diabetes. Observed on
the fourth Tuesday of every March, the
21st annual American Diabetes Alert Day
is Tuesday, March 24, 2009.
Why is Diabetes Alert Day important?
• 23.6 million children and adults in the
U.S. have diabetes
• Nearly one-quarter of those do not
know they have diabetes
• One in five Americans is at risk for
developing type 2 diabetes
For many, diagnosis
may come seven to
ten years after the
onset of the disease.
Therefore, early
diagnosis is critical to
successful treatment
and delaying or
preventing some of its complications such
as heart disease, blindness, kidney
disease, stroke, amputation and death.
Everyone should be aware of the risk
factors for type 2 diabetes. People who
are overweight, under active (living a
sedentary lifestyle), and over the age of
45 should consider themselves at risk for
the disease.
The Diabetes Risk Test requires users to
answer simple questions about weight,
age, family history and other potential risk
factors for type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes
Risk Test will show users whether they
are at low, moderate, or high risk for pre-diabetes
or diabetes. The Diabetes Risk
Test is available in English and Spanish
by calling the American Diabetes
Association at: 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-
342-2383) or by visiting:
www.diabetes.org/alert.
Mini Health Screening at Work
All State employees and Benefit Options
members are eligible to participate in mini
health screenings.
The basic screenings below are FREE
• Height & weight; BMI; blood pressure; and
percent of body fat (body composition).
• Cholesterol and blood sugar
Optional screenings include:
• Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) - for men
• Osteoporosis/Bone Density—for women
You will need your Employee
Identification Number (EIN) and
Insurance card for these events:
March 4 — Phoenix , AHCCCS
701 E. Jefferson, Gold Room
(7:30am-9:30am)
March 4 — Mesa, ASU
7001 E. Williams Field Rd.
Union Cooley, Ballroom C
(7:30am-2:00pm)
March 5 — Phoenix, DOE
2005 N. Central, Room 106/107
(8am-10:30am)
March 10 — Phoenix, Gaming
202 E. Earll Dr., #200
(9am-11am)
March 25 — Phoenix, ASU Downtown
411 N. Central Ave
University Ctr. Bldg., Room 822A
(8am-12pm)
March 26 — Mesa, AHCCCS
460 N. Mesa Dr., Suite 101 Conf. Room
(8am-9am)
For information about how to register for a specific
mini health screening please refer to the online
monthly schedule listed by county on the wellness
website at www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness or
call 602-771-9355
March www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness
2009
Page 3
Upcoming Events
SCREENING SERVICES STATUS:
Screening contracts were awarded on June 17th.
Mobile Onsite Mammography, Healthwaves,
Banner Occupational Health, and Maxim
Health Systems are now under contract to pro-vide
convenient, at-work screening services.
Wellness is currently taking requests for screen-ings
at State worksites. Listed below are each
companies services.
Healthwaves
• Flu/Pneumonia Vaccinations
• Mini Health Screening
• Osteoporosis Screening
Maxim Health Systems
• Flu/Pneumonia Vaccinations
• Mini Health Screening
• Osteoporosis Screening
• Skin Cancer Screening
Mobile Onsite Mammography
• Mammography Screening
Banner Occupational Health
• Skin Cancer Screening
EDUCATIONAL CLASSES STATUS:
Wellness awarded contracts for educational
classes, fitness classes, massage, and weight
management on October 24th. Kronos Optimal
Health, The Back Rub Co., and Jesse Tsao will
be the State’s vendors providing services in the
future. Wellness is working to complete the
vendor implementation, but due to severe
budget restrictions will not be able to offer the
contracted services at this time. These pro-grams
will be placed on hold pending analysis
from the ADOA budget team.
Thank you for your patience during this
difficult budgeting period.
“Early detection is the best defense we have at this
time for catching breast cancer in its earliest
stages,” says Catherine Midgette, Executive Vice
President of MOM. “If we find the cancer in its ear-liest
stages, the patient has a 97 percent survival
rate.” Mobile On-Site Mammography (MOM) travels
to perform mammography screenings at worksites
across Arizona.
MOM will directly bill insurance. Benefit Options
health plan members do not have to pay a copay
at these events. (Other insurance plan members
may have a copay. Check with your insurance’s
member services department for more informa-tion.)
Call MOM at 480-967-3767 to schedule your
appointment.
This service is generally provided on a request-basis.
Call MOM at 480-967-3767 or 1-800-285-
0272 to schedule this service at your worksite.
There is a minimum of 25 participants preferred.
Mar. 4 — Holbrook, DES
153 W. Vista Dr.
(10am—3pm)
Mar. 4 — Phoenix, Capitol
1700 W. Jefferson
(8am-5pm)
Mar. 5 — Phoenix, DPS
2102 W. Encanto Blvd
(7am-4pm)
Mar. 13 — Chandler, MVD
50 S. Beck St
(8am-12pm)
Mar. 13 — Mesa, MVD
4123 E. Valley Auto Dr.
(2pm-5pm)
Mar. 16 — Tucson, State Complex
400 W. Congress
(9am-5pm)
Mar. 19 — Phoenix, DES
1824 E. McKinley St.
(8am-5pm)
Mar. 24 — Phoenix, ASPC
2500 E. Van Buren
(6am-1pm)
March www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness
2009
Page 4
wellness information
Created and published by ADOA, Benefit Options Wellness
Program
100 N 15th Ave, Suite 103
Phoenix, AZ 85007
www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness
email: wellness@azdoa.gov,
Phone: 602-771-9355
What Services & Programs are
Offered by Benefit Options
Wellness?
The Wellness website has the complete list of
screenings, classes and other programs
available for request and scheduling at State
worksites.
Wellness events are requested and coordinated by
State employees at worksites. If you are interested in
hosting a program at your worksite, visit the
Wellness website to view what is available and learn
what Wellness has to offer.
Event requests must be submitted online by clicking
this logo:
Complete the brief form, including contact
information and the event requested and hit submit!
A Wellness team member will reply to your request
and begin scheduling your event.
Log on Today!
Take advantage of the many programs and
services to keep employees healthy
February Screening Schedule
Continued
Call MOM at 480-967-3767 to schedule your
appointment at any of the following locations
Mar. 25 — Glendale, MVD
16380 N. 59th Ave.
(7am—11am)
Mar. 26 — Globe, DOC
1000 Fairground Rd.
(9am—12pm)
Mar. 31 — Phoenix, DOC
1601 & 1645 W. Jefferson
(7am—4pm)
The minimum 25 participants is preferred to
maintain the above schedule. In the event,
the minimum participation is not met, ADOA
may cancel the MOM screening until adequate
utilization can be confirmed.
Please call Wellness at 602-771-9355 with
any question regarding the participation mini-mums.
A nurse practitioner or physi‐cian’s
assistant with Banner
Occupational Health will per‐form
a FREE assessment to
check for suspicious lesions
and will provide skin cancer
prevention education. The screening takes about
10 minutes, and participants will not disrobe.
NO SKIN CANCER SCREENING SCHEDULED
THIS MONTH
Protecting your skin is important, particularly to
Arizonans who typically experience 325 days of
sunshine per year. If you would like to host a skin
cancer screening at your work location please
visit the wellness website at:
www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness and com‐plete
the online event request form.
