September 2022 - Using Your Vacation Days, Cold & Flu Prevention, and Virtual Health Care
Posted on Sep 13, 2022
Using Your Vacation Days
Hey there! How many vacation days have you taken this year? There is still lots of time to book a vacation if you haven't used it all. At Heartland Housing Foundation we recognize the importance of personal time off for the health and wellbeing of its employees (that's you!) Please speak with your manager to determine if you have any remaining vacation time to utilize before the year is up. Even if you get paid your vacation on each cheque you deserve the time off. Ensuring that you take your minimum allotted time means that you are taking care of you, and you deserve it.... after all, you are so great at taking care of the residents, let’s make sure you are taken care of too!
Healthy Habits for Cold & Flu Prevention
In the past few years, Stats Canada has shown a reduction in influenza reports in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The decreased influenza activity seen in Canada and globally is considered to be due to the implementation of public health measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With flu and cold season around the corner, here are some healthy habits practiced over the past years that will help yourself and your families stay healthy this cold and flu season:
Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
Stay home when you are sick with a spreadable illness.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others. If it is not possible to stay home, practice the other healthy habits on this list and don a mask as an added layer of protection if you are sneezing or coughing.
Cover your mouth and nose.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when sick people cough, sneeze or talk.
Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from touching germs on commonly touched. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
Practice other good health habits.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
Stay healthy everyone!
Virtual Health Care
Did you know that your Group Benefits offers virtual health care?
TELUS Health Virtual Care is a service provided to Group Benefit members that provides on-line service for on-demand access to medical assistance wherever you are and whenever you need. You and your dependents can consult confidentially with an accredited doctor or nurse practitioner by video conference using your phone, tablet or computer.
How does it work:
- Using the TELUS Health Virtual Care app or website, create your account
- Chat on the app or website with an "intake coordinator" - they will gather information about you in advance of your session
- Begin talking by secure video conference with a nurse practitioner or doctor. TELUS Health Virtual Care medical team can:
- Assess patient symptoms
- Diagnose medical conditions
- Provide advice on medical concerns
- Write new prescriptions and renew existing prescriptions
- Make referrals to specialists and other health care professionals and services
- Where necessary, help facilitate appropriate in-person care
- Provide medical documentation, notes and recommendations
Getting started with TELUS Health Virtual Care:
- Visit the TELUS Health Virtual Care registration page https://virtualcare.telushealth.com/krabappel/new_signup/email?flow=group-health
- You will need your policy number and certificate number to register. You will find these on your benefit card or in your GroupHealth app
- Follow the instructions on the screen to set up your TELUS Health Virtual Care account. You'll use your personal email address as your TELUS Health Virtual Care account ID
- Once you've registered, download the TELUS Health Virtual Care app for iOS or Android