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Deaths by suicide have reached an all-time high. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for young people and the 10th leading cause of death in this country. People are often surprised by this, even though most of us have been touched at some point in our lives by this deeply sad epidemic.  We know that the shame and stigma of suicidal thoughts are part of the reason why those experie…

A Mandatory Referral (MR) is a formal and documented program, which may help an employee retain his or her job in times of progressive disciplinary action. Although it's often used as a last chance agreement with risk of termination, it's not meant to be punitive. The goal is to help employees improve performance and resolve issues so they can be successful at work. Mandatory Referrals are ty…

Managers at companies with EAPs, such as First Choice Health EAP, have access to valuable tools to help their employees. Whether an employee comes to you for personal or professional advice, or you notice performance or behavior patterns that you'd like to address, there are a few EAP referral options available.Educational referral: Did you know over 60% of employees learn about the EAP benefit fr…

Did you know? We're now offering a free opioid use report to employers in the Puget Sound area. An extension of our COPE (Chronic Opioid Pain and Education) program, the report will help identify high rates of opioid use which can be associated with potential misuse and addiction among employees. The first step to fighting the opioid epidemic is identifying the problem so we're providing repo…

The exploding opioid crisis, well documented across the media, has resulted in 142,000 overdoses in U.S. hospital emergency departments in just 14 months between 2016 and 2017, according to the CDC. When employees in a company's workforce have an opioid problem, it affects job performance, absenteeism, and the other employees around them on a personal level. 75 percent of U.S. employers say t…

Support Your Employees: Employers that offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), with free and confidential services, provide their employees the solutions and resources they need to feel healthy and productive at work and at home. EAP benefits help employees to resolve their concerns, focus on what matters, and feel appreciated by their employer. Support Your Supervisors: Your EAP is also …

First Choice Health EAP is excited to announce we're adding an innovative new telehealth technology that will greatly improve behavioral health access for our 600+ clients. The platform is offered through online counseling partner BetterHelp, which will connect EAP members to the world's largest online behavioral health network.Employers are struggling with the best ways to address employee behavi…

I'd like to personally welcome you to our just-launched blog. This month marks the end of my first year with First Choice Health, and I've been busy gathering insights, building foundations, and collaborating with some amazing teams. I couldn't be prouder of our people here and the work we've done to chart a new era for the organization.This past year was one of growth for First Choice Health…

A study in 2015 showed that the prescription opioid crisis caused almost one million people to be absent from their jobs. Employers are increasingly aware of this crisis and seek to identify if their workforce has problems with prescription opioid addiction and abuse (Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder, or CPOUD).Employers are encouraged to work with providers, provider networks, and employee as…