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Local
251 Members' Assistance Program
What
is "MAP"?
Purpose
of the Program
Scope of Services
Clinical
Administrative
Training
and Education
Other
Services
What
is the Members' Assistance Program?
Local
251's Union Members' Assistance Program (MAP) is
essentially a cost-effective humanitarian job based
strategy for helping union members whose personal
problems are affecting their work performance.
Local 251's program is a work-site based program
designed to assist in the identification and resolution
of productivity problems associated with employees
impaired by personal concerns, including, but not
limited to: health, marital, family, gambling,
financial, alcohol, drug, legal, emotional, stress,
veteran, elder care, death/grief counseling, Critical
Incident Stress Incidents, or other personal concerns
that may adversely affect employee job performance.
The
Director of the Members' Assistance Program is directly
responsive to the specific needs to union members,
their dependents and retirees in providing personal, confidential, and
appropriate referral and follow-up services.
IN
EFFECT, MEMBERS' ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IS A PROGRAM
OF UNIONS, FOR UNIONS AND BY UNIONS
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What
is the purpose of the Program?
The
problems of substance abuse and mental illness affect
every level of society. As pressures of everyday
living have increased, so have the numbers of people
with substance abuse and mental health problems and
the cost of treatment. MAP was created to
address the needs of union members, their dependents
and retirees arising out of substance abuse; mental
health issues, elder care, financial, gambling, as
well as related problems. Recognition, treatment,
education and cost containment are the areas addressed
by MAP. MAP addresses these areas in
a comprehensive program, which focuses on the following:
Quality
of Services:
The
quality of services provided by psychiatric and chemical
dependency treatment centers varies greatly from
facility to facility. Even within a treatment center,
there are great variations in the quality of care
from therapist to therapist. Unfortunately, unless
a careful comparative study is made, it is impossible
to know which facilities are best for which types
of problems. This problem is even further aggravated
by the impact of treatment centers' marketing efforts.
Because of media advertising and other marketing
effort, treatment selection is often not being based
upon quality care considerations. In addition, when
a union member or his/her dependents or retiree makes
the decision, programs are generally being selected
during times of crisis without real guidance or information.
Cost-Effectiveness:
The
cost of psychiatric and chemical dependency services
varies dramatically from facility to facility. In
addition, outpatient services are often overlooked
in favor of the more expensive inpatient treatment
programs because of the way current benefit programs
are structured.
Local
251's Members' Assistance Program is
designed to ensure quality care in a cost-effective
manner. The investment in a MAP is both
financially beneficial and humanitarian. The dollars
invested result in a healthier work force and the
retention of valuable union members.
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Clinical
Confidentiality:
Through
the counseling of a Members' Assistance Program it
has been found that 60-80% of individuals involved
returned to fully productive status in the workplace.
It is expected that individuals affected by a problem
may be hesitant to seek support and counseling through
the workplace. It is emphasized that fundamental
to a Members' Assistance Program
design is the guarantee of complete confidentiality
and the assurance that job security or future promotional
opportunities are not jeopardized by the union members
use of needed services.
Work-Site
Based:
A
work-site based program is central to the foundation
and purpose of a Members' Assistance Program (MAP).
The three basic ideals of an assistance program support
the need for a work-site based MAP.
1. Employees are valuable members of the team.
2.
It is better to offer assistance to employees
experiencing personal problems than to discipline
or fire them.
3.
Rehabilitation, not punishment, is emphasized.
Recovering employees become more productive and
effective.
24-Hour
Helpline:
A
24-hour telephone, pager system helpline is provided,
staffed by professionally trained and supervised
counselors. In addition, medical personnel and other
human service specialists are available for consultation
on a 24-hour basis.
Telephone
Screening:
When
a union member or union representative calls, an
initial assessment is conducted over the telephone
in order to determine whether there is a need for
emergency services. Based upon this initial assessment,
either an immediate referral is made or an appointment
is scheduled for a formal face-to-face evaluation
and assessment.
Referral
Services:
Based
upon the initial telephone screen and /or the formal
face-to-face evaluation, individuals are referred
to treatment. The selection of treatment providers
is determined by the following criteria:
- The
treatment needs of the member
- The
quality of the provider's services
- The
cost of the provider's services
In
all cases, the goal is to match the individual with
the most appropriate and least expensive level of
care. MAP's counselors include clinical social
workers, certified drug and alcohol counselors, psychologists,
marriage and family counselors and licensed professional
counselors.
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Follow-up
Contacts:
Supportive
follow-up contacts are made both during and after
an individual has entered a treatment program in
order to supplement and monitor the care received.
These contacts are conducted according to an individually
established schedule depending upon the needs
of the individual and his/her family and continue
for not less than six months after completion of
treatment.
Consultation
Services:
The Members'
Assistance Program is available to help assess
the situation, identify options and develop a plan
of action.
Step
1: Clarify the Problem
During
the first step, the MAP counselor will help
the member clarify the underlying problems that
caused him/her to seek assistance. This step insures
that the real problem is addressed.
Step
2: Identify Options
Together,
the member and counselor will explore possible
options and resources to help the member resolve
the problem. MAP counselors provide an objective
point of view and can offer suggestions that most
people would not be likely to consider on their
own.
Step
3: Develop a Plan of Action
An
individualized plan of action is then developed
for the member. The plan may involve continued
short-term counseling through MAP, or referral
to an appropriate professional resource in the
community. Family members may be included in counseling
as part of the action plan for problem resolution.
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Administrative
Provider
Network:
A
wide variety of treatment providers will be selected
for inclusion in the Members' Assistance Program Preferred
Provider Network. The selection of these providers
is based on the following criteria:
- Quality
of Services
- Cost
of Services
- Geographic
proximity to worker
In
all cases, the goal is to utilize the numerical strength
of our union membership to qualify the best service
providers at the least cost. The majority of psychiatric
and addiction treatment providers in the Rhode Island/New
England area will be asked to submit their best,
all inclusive, daily rates to the MAP and
we will select the providers offering these levels
of care:
- Medical
Detoxification
- Non-medical
Detoxification
- Inpatient
Psychiatric Rehabilitation
- Intensive
Outpatient Rehabilitation
- Halfway
House
- Outpatient
Counseling
- Aftercare
Groups
Monitoring
of Provider Services:
The
Director of Members' Assistance Program on
an ongoing basis accumulates quality care data on
the treatment providers. Data generated is shared
with treatment providers and is used to guide future
referrals. Quality care measurements includes, among
other criteria:
- Confidential reports
from members who have completed treatment
- Confidential reports
from union representatives who have contact with
workers
- Inspection
of provider facilities, policies, procedures and
records
Only
licensed facilities, licensed professionals and/or
certified addiction counselors are included in Local
251's Members' Assistance Program Network. In
addition, the Members' Assistance Program is
establishing additional requirements for participating
programs concerning communication with our staff.
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Training
and Education
Business
Agent and Shop Steward Trainings:
In
order that key individuals within each union understand
and support the program, a series of training sessions
is held which orient them to the purpose, policies
and procedure associated with Local 251's Members'
Assistance Program.
Educational
Programs:
Brief
educational programs are available for union meetings,
which cover many areas of substance abuse and mental
health issues. In addition, the Members' Assistance
Program is available to design educational programs
to meet the needs of a particular union.
Payroll
Stuffers/Newsletters:
The Members'
Assistance Program will from time to time distribute
payroll stuffers or short newsletters to members
and their families and retirees.
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Other
Services
Health
Promotion Services:
Health
promotion programs can be operated through the MAP or
as separate entities. The purpose of the health promotion
program is to provide preventive health activities
and incentives to promote the adoption of healthy
personal behaviors. Health promotion programs usually
include educational seminars and material distribution
on a variety of topics of interest to the health
and welfare of union members and their families,
including potential health risks in the workplace
and lifestyle behaviors. Such issues, which can be
dealt with through these programs, include weight
control, nutrition, smoking cessation, fitness, stress
management, hypertension awareness, preventive medicine,
substance abuse, retirement planning, and career/vocational
guidance.
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