Financial Field Manual for Military Families
This just in from the Pennsylvania Department of Health….
The PA Securities Commission, the state agency that regulates the investment industry and investigates investment fraud, is distributing electronic and hard copies of the new “Financial Field Manual For Military Families.” It includes information geared for military personnel and families on basic finances, how to save and invest for retirement and other goals, and how to avoid and report financial scams that specifically target military personnel.
This booklet is educational and non-commercial in nature. Hard copies are available at no cost, while supplies last. Individual as well as bulk quantities are available to anyone who may want to distribute them. Anyone who wants hard copies should e-mail Doug Hassenbein, Pennsylvania Securities Commission, at dhassenbei@pa.gov with their quantity request, address and other relevant contact information.
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I also have a few more links to be added into our Resources for Veterans page, so be sure to check them out if you’re interested. If you don’t know your company’s login, give us a call at 1-800-543-5080 or email us at info@mseap.com!
Heart skipping a beat?
It might be stress, not love!
Feeling a tug at your heart strings? It might be more than love, experts say. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, heart disease is the number one cause of death among women in the United States. While many factors, such as diet, physical activity, and genetics contribute to the onset of heart disease in women, stress plays a more significant role than any leading man.
According to the American Psychological Association’s 2011 Stress in America Survey, women are substantially more likely than men (70 percent vs. 50 percent) to say they have tried to reduce stress over the past 5 years.
“The link between high levels of stress and heart disease is well-known and very real,” says Dr. David A. Rogers, a licensed psychologist at Hershey Psychological Services. “The good news is that by being proactive in their healthcare decisions and making healthy lifestyle choices women can successfully manage their levels of stress and minimize their risk of heart disease.”
In fact, the tools used to prevent stress are also those often employed to prevent heart disease. A healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains as well as regular physical activity, such as walking, yoga, or dance, all contribute to a healthy mind and body.
The Pennsylvania Psychological Association offers these tips on how to manage your stress:
Understand how you experience stress. Everyone experiences stress differently. How do you know when you are stressed? How are your thoughts or behaviors different from times when you do not feel stressed?
Identify your sources of stress. What events or situations trigger stressful feelings? Are they related to your children, family, health, financial decisions, work, relationships or something else? Is there anything you can do to change the situation or reduce your stress?
Learn your own stress signals. People experience stress in different ways. You may have a hard time concentrating or making decisions, feel angry, irritable or out of control, or experience headaches, muscle tension or a lack of energy. Gauge your stress signals.
Recognize how you deal with stress. Determine if you are using unhealthy behaviors (such as smoking, drinking alcohol and over/under eating) to cope. Is this a routine behavior, or is it specific to certain events or situations? Do you make unhealthy choices as a result of feeling rushed and overwhelmed?
Find healthy ways to manage stress. Consider healthy, stress-reducing activities such as mediation, exercising or talking things over with friends or family. Keep in mind that unhealthy behaviors develop over time and can be difficult to change. Don’t take on too much as once. Focus on changing only one behavior at a time.
Take care of yourself. Eat right, get enough sleep, drink plenty of water and engage in regular physical activity. Take regular vacations or other breaks from work. Women often take on too many responsibilities. No matter how hectic life gets, make time for yourself — even if it’s just simple things like reading a good book or listening to your favorite music.
Reach out for support. Accepting help from supportive friends and family can improve your ability to manage stress. If you continue to feel overwhelmed by stress, you may want to talk to a psychologist, who can help you better manage stress and change unhealthy behaviors.
To learn more about stress and mind/body health, visit the Pennsylvania Psychological Association’s Web site, www.papsy.org, or the American Psychological Association’s Consumer Help Center at www.APAhelpcenter.org.
The Pennsylvania Psychological Association is a member-driven organization dedicated to promoting and advancing psychology in Pennsylvania, advocating for public access to psychological services, and enhancing multiple dimensions of human welfare while supporting the development of competent and ethical psychologists. Our mission is to educate, update and inform the public and our membership on cutting-edge psychological theory and practice through training activities and public policy initiatives.
Web site: http://www.papsy.org/public/index.html
Welcome new clients!
Mazzitti & Sullivan EAP Services is pleased to welcome a few new clients into our EAP “family” for 2012!
The Greater Latrobe School District in Latrobe, PA, joined us as of February 1st. I conducted employee orientations just yesterday in several of their schools and got the chance to see some of their vast and impressive art collection there. If you’re in the area, they occasionally have free exhibits and recitals for the public – events are listed on their website, www.glsd.k12.pa.us.
Also joining us for February 1st is BRT Inc., also known as Buck Run Transport. They are a trucking company based out of Parkesburg, PA that has specialized in petroleum transportation since 1980. You can visit their website at http://brtransport.com/.
Welcome aboard! We are looking forward to another great year. If your company is interested in a proposal for EAP Services, please give us a call at 1-800-241-5740 or complete our Proposal Request Form today!
Go4Life
Go4Life , an exercise and physical activity campaign from the National Institute on Aging at NIH, is designed to help you fit exercise and physical activity into your daily life. Motivating older adults to become physically active for the first time, return to exercise after a break in their routines, or build more exercise and physical activity into weekly routines are the essential elements of Go4Life. Learn more
Flooding Recovery Guide
Although the floodwaters have receded, many individuals are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Katia, and Tropical Storm Lee. Sometimes it’s difficult to navigate the available options, and that’s why Senator Bob Casey has released a Flooding Recovery Guide.
This PDF download has excellent resources on where you can find aid and other assistance on rebuilding your home or business, as well as the many options that are out there for flood victims. The EAP is also here for you, if you would like to talk to someone – please call us anytime at 1-800-543-5080!
Charity Golf Tournament at Rich Valley
Andrew Schmitt is one of Mazzitti & Sullivan Counseling’s therapists, and would like to share the following information:
I am writing on behalf of Schmitt’s Quest for the Cure, a small group of family and friends who have for the past several years been working closely with the American Diabetes Association in raising donations for diabetes research. For the past several years we have participated in the local Tour de Cure bike rides as well as organized and annual volleyball tournament, both of which have been quite successful. This year we are hoping to take on a new challenge, a charity golf tournament at Rich Valley in Mechanicsburg, PA, on September 10th.
Our goal is to raise as much money as possible for the American Diabetes Association, increase awareness about diabetes and provide an opportunity for both local businesses and individuals to participate in a worthwhile and enjoyable event.
We hope you will join us in reaching our goals. As a business there are several ways to participate. You have the opportunity to participate as a player, you could offer a simple monetary donation or gift, or you could select a package from those listed below in which you would like to participate in as a select sponsor of this year’s tournament. All donations will receive a donation receipt slip for any relevant tax purposes.
| Package title | Donation requested | Package includes |
|
Par |
$100 |
Company sign at hole(located at tee box) |
|
Birdie |
$200 |
Company sign at hole, company sponsored centerpiece(located at dining area for after round party) |
|
Eagle |
$350 |
Company sign at hole, centerpiece and free two person registration for participation in golf outing |
|
Hole in One |
$550 |
Company sign at hole, centerpiece, four person registration for golf outing and company name on commemorative t-shirt given to participants. |
If you would like to golf, there is a fee of $55 per golfer (before August 20th; /$65 after August 20th) or $175 per foursome ($225 after August 20th). Please see the registration form for more details.
For more information, please contact me directly at powerofone78@yahoo.com
We sincerely thank you for your time and continued support.
Sincerely,
Andrew Schmitt
New Program from PHFA Helps Save Homes!
If you are a homeowner and have recently lost a job, had your hours reduced, or been hit with many medical expenses, you may qualify for up to $50,000 in mortgage assistance.
Brian A. Hudson Sr, of the Pennsylvania Home Finance Agency in Harrisburg, recently sent out a mailing about this, so I thought I’d pass the word out to everyone here! From his letter:
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Here are some details about the Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Program:
- This program will provide up to $50,000 for homeowners whose income is cut by 15 percent or more due to job loss, job reduction or medical expenses.
- The program will help homeowners who are at least three months behind on their mortgage payments.
- Wage and salaried workers, and self-employed workers, are eligible.
- To receive assistance, a homeowner must reside in the mortgaged property as his or her principal residence.
- The mortgaged property must be a single-family residence in a one-to-four unit structure or condominium.
- While the money is considered a loan, homeowners who remain in their homes for a number of years following the loan period may have all or part of the loan forgiven.
This emergency mortgage assistance funding will be available only until September 30. So time is of the essence. Please let others know that details about HUD’s emergency mortgage loan program are available on the Web at: http://www.phfa.org/consumers/homeowners/ehlp.aspx. They should continue to watch the PHFA Web site at www.phfa.org for news updates about this mortgage assistance program, commonly referred to as EHLP. Additionally, they may call our foreclosure
hotline at 800-342-2397 during normal business hours to inquire about their eligibility for the program.
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I hope this program helps anyone who may need it! If you need any additional resources on foreclosure abatement or emergency housing, don’t forget that your EAP can help. Please call us at 1-800-543-5080 if there’s anything you need!
Spotlight on ForSight Vision
ForSight Vision is a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization, established in 1927 as York’s Blind Centre, incorporated in 1932, and in 1948 became the York County Blind Center. In 2005 the name was changed to ForSight Vision. We are located at 1380 Spahn Avenue, York PA 17403 and serve York and Adams Counties .
We are a member of the Chamber of Commerce of York County and a United Way agency.
ForSight consists of multiple facets ranging from specialized services , low vision assessments and vision screening , to a retail store and an employment training program.
Specialized Services
These services are varied, including processing applications for the Library of Congress’ “Books On Tape” program, assisting with Disability and Medicare issues, support groups as well as special educational sessions.
Low Vision
We now have a Low Vision Therapist on staff who provides functional low vision assessments, low vision rehabilitation, and enhanced vision skills training.
An Optometrist provides weekly low vision evaluations.
Remedial Eyecare – Direct assistance in obtaining glasses free of charge or at a reduced rate.
Vision Screening
Over 4,000 preschool children are seen annually by our vision screeners.
Additionally, our staff participates in regional health fairs sponsored by local hospitals and gives presentations to various group interests including the Lions Clubs, Boy Scouts, and Senior Centers.
Retail:
Our low vision retail store is open from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. weekdays and is located at 1380 Spahn Avenue, York PA 17403. Our retail staff not only sell low vision aids and access technology, but also use the equipment and software to assist our clients. These products include equipment such as CCTVs, and software such as JAWS.
For access technology information, please call 717-848-1690, ext. 114.
Employment Program:
Our employment program has a long-standing contract with the Library of Congress recycling the Library’s Books on Tape. This matches well with the population we service since many low vision clients also use the “Books on Tape” program (a national program) .
We were also the first non-profit to provide companies with scanning services for such diversified clients as engineering firms , physician’s office, schools and title companies. We provide a full-service scanning operation from document sorting, scanning, indexing, and archiving to final disposal of hard copies.
Anyone interested in our digital record services may contact Carl Hosier at 717-324-0942.
2010 New Personal Enrichment Programs
Beep Ball – the Thunder Sticks – baseball for the blind. The team played Lancaster low vision beep ball team ( the SABVI Bats ) at the York Revolution and Lancaster stadiums during the 2010 season. Central PA’s York/Lancaster beep ball teams are two of 3 beep ball team in Pennsylvania. There is a national Beep Ball Association.
Children’s Art Group – visually-impaired and blind children (and their families) have the opportunity to experiment with different art forms and create their own masterpieces. This program is open to the children , siblings and parents. Contact Bill Rhinesmith at 717-848-1690, ext 103 for more information.
ForSight Vision has been with Mazzitti & Sullivan EAP since May 2006.
Client Spotlight: McConkey
Since 1890, McConkey Insurance & Benefits has been providing financial security for businesses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. McConkey is one of Central PA’s oldest, most respected insurance brokerage firms. They are a Property & Casualty risk management expert and a Benefits Consulting firm offering traditional insurance, off-shore captive programs, self-insurance and other high finance techniques to insure businesses and maximize efficiencies within corporate insurance programs. http://www.ekmcconkey.com/