Healthy Life Resources (HLR), offered through Northern Light Acadia Hospital, is a free and confidential mental wellness benefit for all Northern Light Employee Health Plan members and their families. HLR can help members find their way through any number of behavioral health challenges. Recently, Casey Harris, BS, community navigator, received an email from an employee looking for help after a family member had expressed suicidal thoughts. This person is an otherwise healthy, active, connected individual, engaged with their life. The employee was seeking immediate mental health counseling for their loved one, so the HLR team gathered information and connected the person to a mental health counselor the next day. “Although we were thrilled to intervene quickly to help this person, we knew they would require more in-depth, long-term counseling,” says Harris. “The pandemic has caused extraordinary waitlists, and staffing shortages have narrowed the path to help for those in need, but thankfully, we were able to find an appropriate counselor who was accepting new clients.” Community navigators provided this employee’s family with crisis and behavioral health resources, as well as helpful online tools. The employee who initially reached out emailed the HLR team to say the family was in a much better place and things were looking positive for the future! HLR has strong partnerships across the mental/behavioral health system that allow them to navigate the most holistic and direct path to wellness. “My personal mantra is this: If you are dealing with something that is affecting your mental wellness, we can help,” says Harris. “Even if we don’t have the answer, we know how to find them. Whether it is related to school issues, children, family or work stress, housing, food insecurity, or if you’re new to the area, a community navigator can help.” Need assistance? If you are or someone in your family is having difficulty dealing with an issue that is affecting your or their mental wellness and resilience, HLR at Acadia Hospital can help. To learn more and access this free, confidential service, contact Angela Fileccia, LCSW, HLR director, at 207-973-6446 or by email at AcadiaHLR@northernlight.org. Calling Work Force EAP is the best thing I did for myself By Brandi McEwen, RN, Northern Light Homecare and Hospice When I became a nurse 12 years ago, I did so because I had a calling to help people. The past nearly seven years, I’ve been doing admissions for homecare and hospice patients in the county. Doing this kind of work is a daily reminder to make the most of each day—to be positive and look for the best in people and in situations. Caring for people and losing so many during COVID-19 has been hard, but I was managing—still finding joy. Then I lost my best friend in September 2021. By October I realized I wasn’t coping well. It was affecting my work and my home life. I was overwhelmed with emotions and was just shutting down. One day I decided to call EAP. I think this call literally saved my life. I felt heard. I felt understood. I felt normal. In one hour, I made a connection and hung up the phone with a plan to help myself. I am open to living again. Accessing this service is easy. You can do it wherever, even from the comfort of your home. And the thing is, you don’t have to wait until things are so bad to call them. I won’t in the future! employeehealthplan.northernlighthealth.org | Spring 2022 | 3 Community navigators Helping employees (and their families) through difficult times Casey Harris, BS “One day I decided to call EAP. I think this call literally saved my life.” —Brandi McEwen, RN
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