Health coaching helps employees live tobacco free and lower medical premium
June 6, 2013
West Lafayette faculty and staff ready to stop tobacco use can find help through the Center for Healthy Living. The center provides Living Tobacco Free health coaching at no charge to benefits-eligible employees and to family members covered on a Purdue medical plan.
"Health coaching is a confidential and supportive partnership between you and the RN health coach," says Amber Simons, wellness coordinator at the Center for Healthy Living. "It can be an effective way to motivate and encourage behavior change to help you meet your tobacco cessation goals."
Coaching is available 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To schedule an appointment with an RN health coach, visit https://purdue.opticonsite.com or call 49-40111. When scheduling online, click Appointments from the welcome screen, and then choose one of the RNs from the drop-down list of providers. To learn more about the health coaching staff, go to www.purdue.edu/healthyliving.
Those who complete Living Tobacco Free health coaching can qualify for a waiver of the tobacco-user additional premium on their Purdue medical plan. To receive credit for this approved tobacco cessation program, participants must do the following:
* Meet for the initial visit: During this visit, the health coach will collect demographic information, complete a personal health history, review the client's stage of readiness to change, and enroll the person in the Living Tobacco Free program.
* Go for subsequent visits: During follow-up visits with the health coach, the participant will establish a wellness vision, set short-term and long-term goals, and receive information and resources to assist on the journey to becoming tobacco free.
* Complete at least six visits: A participant must meet with the health coach a minimum of six times to earn the tobacco-user additional premium waiver. Participants can meet with the coach once per week during the program, and a typical coaching session lasts one hour.
* Submit a letter of completion to Human Resources: During the sixth visit with the health coach, the participant must request a letter of completion, and then submit the letter to the attention of Manju Jarori, HR Service Center, FREH, as proof of completion.
Those who complete an approved tobacco cessation program by Aug. 31 will qualify for waiver of the additional premium on all pay they receive in 2013 on or after Oct. 1. Participants will need to complete another approved cessation program later to qualify for a waiver of the 2014 additional premium. For more information on the tobacco-user additional premium, go to www.purdue.edu/hr/Benefits/tobaccoCessation.html or call 49-42222.
Tobacco cessation health coaching is available to all benefits-eligible Purdue employees, regardless of medical plan participation or a desire to earn a tobacco-user additional premium waiver.
More information on the tobacco-user additional premium and waiver qualification may be found at www.purdue.edu/hr/Benefits/tobaccouseroverview.html.
