Beacon Health | Focus On You | Spring 2021

employeehealthplan.northernlighthealth.org | Spring 2021 | 3 Focus on You is designed to help the Northern Light Employee Health Plan work for you, our plan members. The information in this newsletter comes from a wide range of medical experts. If you have questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your healthcare provider directly. If you have questions about our health plan, call our Northern Light Service Center at 207-973-4000 or Customer Service at 855-429-1023 . Models may be used in photos and illustrations. 2021 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Don’t get burned out on diabetes care It’s easy to feel stressed about the care required for managing diabetes. And unless you address the stress, you may be at risk for full-blown diabetes burnout—a point at which you might become too frustrated and downhearted to take good care of yourself. We’re here to help with the Livongo for Diabetes Program. Livongo makes living with diabetes easier by providing you with a connected meter, unlimited strips, and coaching. The program is offered at no cost to our Northern Light Employee Health Plan members with diabetes and coverage through the plan. Here are some of the benefits of this program: • More than a standard meter: The Livongo meter is connected to your account and provides real-time tips and automatically uploads your blood glucose readings, making logbooks a thing of the past. • Unlimited strips at no cost to you: Get as many strips and lancets as you need with no hidden costs. When you are about to run out, Livongo ships more supplies right to your door. • Coaching anytime and anywhere: Livongo expert coaches are available anytime via phone, text, and our mobile app to give you guidance on your nutrition and lifestyle questions. To learn more or join the program, visit join.livongo.com/ NORTHERNLIGHTHEALTH now or call Livongo Member Support at 800-945-4355 and mention registration code NORTHERNLIGHTHEALTH . You asked; we listened Online group support for youth Demand for mental health services has been skyrocketing during the pandemic, both in Maine and nationally. The care teams at Northern Light Acadia Hospital see these effects daily on youth who are impacted by social isolation and the grief and loss that come with living in a pandemic. “In the more than 20 years of working on behalf of kids and families, I’ve never seen wait lists for mental health services like what exist now for organizations and practitioners throughout Maine,” says Chris McLaughlin, LCSW, AVP of Community and Pediatric Services at Acadia Hospital. “Youth and families needing services are facing barriers to access at every turn due to the enormous influx in demand and a professional workforce fighting to keep up with it all.” With this in mind, Acadia Hospital’s Pediatric Outpatient Services team went to work creating a robust assortment of online outpatient group therapy opportunities to support youth in getting the clinical and social supports they so desperately need. These groups are designed to be engaging and therapeutic and to offer hope. One group, called “COVID and Beyond,” is for ages 8 to 11. As Elise Miller, LCPC, who facilitates this group, explains, “Through the use of games and activities, the kids find a place to come together and focus on building resiliency with each other.” She adds that there is a specific focus on communication skills and making healthy connections. As another patient recently said about her own group experiences at Acadia Hospital, “I feel like I finally have my life back, and I’m loving and embracing every second of it!” Learn more about these groups at northernlighthealth.org/Locations/ Acadia-Hospital/Care-Centers-Services/Pediatric-Care or by emailing us at acadiacares@northernlight.org . You can also give us a call at 207-973-6048 . Elise Miller, LCPC