Your Benefits

Have you downloaded the Village of Bald Head Island Benefits app yet?

The Benefits App is now available at your fingertips to assist with:

Accessing all benefits information & contacts

ID card information

Help finding care & providers

Prescription cost savings

And much, much more!

HOW TO REGISTER:

Enter your email.

Enter Access Code: vbhi

Confirm your names and create a password

Allow notifications to receive important benefit updates.

Life gets complicated. That's why the Benefits App is focused on making it easier to help you get the most out of your plan. Download the Benefits App today to access all of your benefit information from any device - PC, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

Employee Anniversaries

Welcome Aboard!

Step 1: Talk to someone you trust

“The first step, once you persistently recognize one or more of these symptoms in yourself, is to talk to someone you trust,” Dr Bhalla said

That could be your primary care provider, a counselor through your house of worship, a therapist, or even a close friend or family member with a medical background, Dr Bhalla said

Step 2: Contact a medical professional

After you’ve talked to someone you trust, the next step is to get help from a medical professional who can make sure you are otherwise healthy, and who can prescribe medication if that is deemed appropriate Some conditions, such as low Vitamin D levels, anemia, or hypothyroidism can mimic depression – it’s important to get these or other conditions ruled out.

It’s often easiest and most comfortable to reach out to your primary care doctor at first, but they may recommend that you see a psychiatrist, which is a physician that specializes in mental health

Step 3: Consider your treatment options

Your doctor will go over options with you such as starting an antidepressant, starting therapy, or a combination of the two.

If you’re looking for a therapist, this blog post can give you some tips to get started

If you are concerned about seeing someone in-person during the pandemic, many mental health providers are still offering virtual therapy.

Step 4: Take control of your own recovery

Until you take those first three steps, you may not even feel like making progress on your own You know how it is when you need to lose weight, and you see those first few pounds come off, then you really get into it? It’s sort of like that Once you start feeling a little better, you’ll be very eager to feel “normal” again

It could be doing things like exercising, getting outside in the sunshine, reaching out to an old friend (even when you don’t feel like being social), asking for help where you need it (the house, the kids, etc ) so that you have more space to take care of yourself There’s no one-size-fits-all for recovery

If you find the news is too heavy or triggering for you right now, take a break You can stay informed without having to read all of the upsetting details.

Step 5: Don’t stop just because you “feel better”

You might start to feel better and think – I don’t need this medication; it’s a pain to remember to take I don’t need therapy; it’s expensive and time-consuming I don’t need my house cleaned; it’s annoying to pick up this mess for the housecleaner. And so on and so forth. This strategy may work for a while, but something inevitably will happen that knocks down this house of cards

When you feel better – fantastic! Keep up the good work and don’t stop! Life will throw you curveballs, but if you are putting in the work of taking care of yourself, you’ll better be able to handle it

The good news is that depression is treatable The heartbreaking news is that untreated depression can be deadly If you’re unsure if you’re just “feeling down” or if it’s clinical depression, reach out to someone you trust today.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Health Management Systems of America (HMSA) is the Village's EAP provider. The EAP is a confidential, voluntary service that provides professional counseling and referral services designed to help you and your family members with personal, job, or family-related problems

Services are confidential and free! Call 1-800-847-7240

Dedicated toll-free crisis line, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year

ONLINE WORK-LIFE EAP RESOURCES are available too!

Go to www my-life-resource com Username: hmsa Password: myresource