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LOCAL 4 BENEFIT FUNDS

Wellbeing Hub

Wellbeing Hub2025-06-02T12:15:03-04:00

Welcome to the Local 4 Funds Office Wellbeing Hub.
We’re glad you’re here!

“Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.” 

–  Denis Waitley

Karen Larsen

Social Worker and Care Coordinator

It’s not news that smoking is bad for your health, the health of those around you and the health of your pets. In addition to secondhand smoke, there are concerns about thirdhand smoke. Thirdhand smoke is the chemical residue that settles on clothing, furniture, rugs, and other surfaces when tobacco is smoked. Airing out rooms or using regular household cleaners doesn’t eliminate the toxic effects. Using smokeless tobacco (vaping, chewing tobacco, etc.) is not a safe alternative to smoking. Smokeless tobacco has multiple health concerns, including cancers, heart disease, stroke, and pre-term birth. No matter how long you have smoked or how much you have smoked, quitting has many benefits. While quitting is hard, your health improves, food tastes better, you save money and protect the health of those around you. You may not realize it, but the benefits of quitting are almost immediate. For more information about how your body recovers from tobacco use, see Quitting Smoking: What Happens When You Quit Smoking.
Quitting smoking on your own can be a challenge. There are resources available to Local 4 members and their dependents to help with quitting tobacco use:
  • Our health coaching partner, TrestleTree offers coaching sessions to help you meet your health goals, including smoking cessation, stress management and nutrition support. For more information, contact TrestleTree at 1-866-523-8185 or visit the TrestleTree web page. You can also enroll here.
  • Our pharmacy benefit manager, Optum Rx, covers nicotine patches, gum, and prescription medications. See the attached flyer for specific information about coverage and requirements.
  • Our health insurance partner, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has a smoking cessation program through its platform, ahealthyme. To register for ahealthyme, sign into your MyBlue account and click on ahealthyme under “My Care.”
  • Our Employee Assistance Program, Lyra Health, offers Lyra Renew for tobacco cessation. See the attached flyer for more information, or call Lyra at 844-926-2482 or visit Lyra Health.
If you are interested in smoking cessation programs run outside of the Local 4 Health & Welfare Plan, see the attached flyer for information on state run initiatives and websites that offer help to quit smoking.
For more information on any of these programs, contact me at 508-533-1400 x127.

This Month’s Featured Partner

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is our health insurance carrier and dental insurance carrier. BCBS can help you find the care you need for a variety of conditions. The easiest way to find in-network care and explore your options is by creating a MyBlue account and downloading the MyBlue app. The instructions to create an account can be found here: MyBlue health app – Find a Doctor and Check Claim Status | Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. If you prefer speaking to a representative, phones are open Monday through Friday from 8:30-4:30. Member Services can be reached at 800-401-7690. For assistance finding mental health treatment, contact Team Blue at 888-389-7764. For non-emergency questions regarding symptoms or when to seek care, the Nurse Line is open 24/7 at 888-247-BLUE. In the case of life-threatening emergencies, always call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

The online publication, Coverage, has health and wellness related news stories if you’d like more information on health conditions: Health News Stories: Latest Medical, Wellness Articles | Coverage.

Wellness Updates

Men’s Health Month

Men’s Health Month is intended to raise awareness of men’s health issues, and to encourage men to take care of their physical and mental health. As Congressman Bill Richardson said “Recognizing and preventing men’s health problems is not just a man’s issue. Because of its impact on wives, mothers, daughters and sisters, men’s health is truly a family issue.” According to the Centers for Disease Control, American men live almost six years less than do American women. The death rate from chronic illnesses, like diabetes and cancer, is higher for men than for women. While both men and women experience chronic diseases, health behavior differences between men and women may contribute to life span differences. Men may not seek preventive care as often as women—women often get annual preventive exams, but men may not. Preventive care visits can detect and address problems early, as well as give the provider an opportunity to discuss any family history of health conditions. Men may delay getting care and try to “tough out” symptoms, leading to later detection of diseases and poorer outcomes. The death rate from accidents and suicide is higher for men than for women. Many men engage in risky behaviors, such as alcohol misuse, erratic driving, and illicit drug use, which can lead to accidents and suicide.
How can men’s health issues be addressed?
  • Get a physical. Annual preventive exams are covered through the Blue Cross Blue Shield benefit. Labs, like cholesterol and blood sugar, blood pressure screenings and prostate exams can detect problems that may not have resulted in symptoms (diagnostic labs do have costs). If it’s difficult to get to a doctor’s office, explore telehealth as an option. Your BCBSMA plan also has in-network virtual primary care through Firefly Health. To learn more about virtual health options, log in to your MyBlue account. If you have not registered for a MyBlue account, you can download the MyBlue App from the App Store or Google Play or visit Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. See the attached Blue Cross flyer regarding preventive care.
  • Don’t ignore symptoms. If something is bothering you, get it checked out rather than waiting.
  • Pay attention to oral health. Dental exams can detect more than cavities. Dentists check for oral cancers and gum diseases. Gum disease is linked to other health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. The Blue Cross Blue Shield dental benefit covers preventive exams at 100%. Members and dependents with qualifying conditions can utilize enhanced dental benefits—see the flyer here for more information: Enhanced Dental Benefits
  • Drink moderately or not at all. Alcohol is linked to several health conditions, including liver disease and cancers, as well as accidents.
  • Don’t use tobacco of any kind. See the information above regarding smoking cessation.
  • Take care of your mental health. Mental health is health.
Too many men lose their lives to preventable causes or die too early from chronic diseases, leaving behind children, partners, and other family members. In addition to your medical and dental benefits, Local 4 has other resources to help you address men’s health concerns. Our health coaching partner, TrestleTree, can work with you on nutrition, exercise, stress management and chronic disease management. For more information contact TrestleTree at 866-523-8185 or visit the TrestleTree web page. You can also enroll here. Lyra Health, our Employee Assistance Program, can help you manage conditions such as depression, anxiety, relationship issues, sleep, substance use and more. Contact Lyra at 844-926-2482 or go online at Lyra Health.
For more information on men’s health see:
If you are thinking about suicide or if you have a friend, family member or coworker who are you are concerned about, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org.

Tips from Lyra

Tips from Lyra

Connection with others is important for everyone’s mental health. See these ideas from Lyra regarding coping with loneliness: Coping with Social Isolation
 
 
Lyra Health can be reached at 844-926-2482 or Lyra Health.
 

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2024 Form 1095-B

In accordance with guidance from the Internal Revenue Service, the IUOE Local 4 Health & Welfare Fund will not be distributing Form 1095-B to individuals documenting coverage for the tax year 2024. You will continue to receive a Form 1099-HC from Blue Cross Blue Shield.  Individuals who wish to receive a copy of their 1095-B may send a request to [email protected] or to the following address:
 
IUOE Local 4 Funds
Re: Form 1095-B Inquiry
P.O. Box 680
Medway, MA 02053-0680