Employees Who Live Outside of NC Eligible for No Charge Counseling
Short-term counseling sessions extended to staff and faculty who work outside of North Carolina
Duke’s Personal Assistance Service has partnered with an outside provider to offer short-term counseling for staff and faculty and eligible family members who work outside of North Carolina.
In recent years, larger numbers of faculty and staff are now working remotely beyond the borders of North Carolina. Through an arrangement with BHS, these individuals can now get up to eight no-cost, confidential consultations similar to the services offered through PAS for mental and emotional well-being concerns from clinicians in their states.
Due to state license and legal regulations, PAS can only serve employees and eligible family members based in North Carolina and can only refer out-of-state employees seeking help to clinicians covered by Duke’s health insurance plans for standard visits. But now through BHS, out-of-state employees can be connected with clinicians in their own area for in-person or virtual consultations, and referral services for a broad range of concerns for themselves or eligible family members.
“The driving factor is that, as the Duke footprint for where our employees live expands, we wanted to make sure that the benefits and services were equally available for individuals to take advantage of,” said Nichole Capitanio, director of Duke’s Personal Assistance Service.
Staff and faculty outside of North Carolina can now call BHS at 1-800-327-2251 (press option 1 on main menu) to schedule time to talk with a counselor about a broad range of difficulties that can interfere with health, life and work.
Another enhancement to PAS takes effect July 1, when employees at Duke Raleigh Hospital and Wake County clinics will be able to consult with clinicians from PAS. Previously, Wake County-based members of Duke’s workforce accessed help through an outside vendor. As part of this change, PAS will soon open an office to serve Wake County staff members on the campus of Duke Raleigh Hospital.
“Wellness has always been important, but during the pandemic, it highlighted the need for putting sustained attention on our emotional well-being,” Capitanio said. “The way your physical health fluctuates, our mental health does the same. So I think it’s wonderful that we have now expanded these services so all employees have the opportunity to benefit.”
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