• National WEAR RED Day

• Heart-healthy Chocolate!?

• Working on Wellness

• Spotlight in Wellness

• Benefits Corner

• Employee Assistance Program

• Safety Tip!

• Ballroom Dancing Lessons

• Water Aerobics

Heart-healthy Chocolate!?

Copyright 2006 NPR

Child Passenger Safety Week

Through education, training, enforcement, outreach and legislation, NHTSA seeks to ensure that all children ages 0-16 are properly restrained in the correct restraint system for their age and size every time they travel in a motor vehicle. While great progress has been achieved in recent years in preventing child occupant deaths and injuries, and increasing the correct use of child safety seats, booster seats and safety belts – thanks in no small measure to the tireless dedication of NHTSA and its many partners in the child passenger safety community – more work needs to be done to protect child occupants who remain at heightened risk.

Child Passenger Safety Week is February 12-18, 2006.  Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)  web site and learn how you can help make children safer on America's highways.

Ballroom Dancing Lessons

Great Fun, Great Exercise!

Who may participate: MISD employees only 

Cost: It’s FREE!!! 

Site: Wilson Elementary School Gymnasium, 1200 Hackberry

Session I: Mondays, January 16 – February 20, 7--8:30 p.m. 

Call Tonie at 632-3275 to sign-up.  

Water Aerobics

Wellness...a way of life!

Raising Heart Disease Awareness

Every year, heart disease takes the lives of more women than men—but most people do not know this.  Heart disease is the number one cause of death among women over age 25.  You can help raise awareness that women are at risk and need to take action to stay “heart healthy” by participating in National WEAR RED Day. 

Friday, February 3rd, is National WEAR RED Day. The day was created by the American Heart Association to raise awareness of heart disease among women. The American Heart Association is asking each of us to contribute $5 to support vital research and education efforts during the week of January 31st.  The McAllen School District is supporting this effort.

Look for information at each campus and district office. "GO RED", let your heart shine…and help save women’s lives!  Those that donate are asked to wear red — a shirt, dress, tie, pin — anything to show support of the need for women to modify their life styles to prevent heart disease  on Friday, February 3rd.

The American Heart Association will provide a luncheon to the elementary, middle and high school which document the highest percentage of professional staff who donate to this cause. Lists of names shall be submitted to the office of Sharon Wilkes no later than February 8th, 2006.  Any staff member may donate (paraprofessionals as well) however, to evaluate more consistently, only the professionals will be counted in the competition. CLEARLY MARK THE NAMES OF PROFESSIONAL STAFF, PLEASE.  Administrative Office staff will send donations to Sharon Wilkes. The American Heart Association will provide a luncheon and speaker in the Board Room on February 3rd.

Pictured above are McAllen ISD principals and administrators with Superintendent Yolanda Chapa.

Article by Sharon B. Wilkes, RN, MA, CPS, CCS, Coordinator, Prevention Services and Mark May

Wellness on Wednesday Sessions, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.  All sessions held at MISD Staff Development Center, 1009 N. 10th Street.

Wellness on Wednesday Sessions, 12:00 Noon – 1:00 P.M.  All sessions held at MISD Board Room, 2000 N. 23rd Street.

Staff development sessions for time equivalency regarding Wellness topics are now posted on the ERO (Look under Wellness).

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Thelma Lanfranco. Thelma teaches Reading Recovery at Rayburn Elementary and has worked for MISD for 31 years. Thelma is the perfect employee to spotlight during February, the month to raise awareness of heart disease in women. If you know Thelma, you know that she is health conscious and the picture of Wellness. At age 54, she weighs about 130 pounds, eats a low fat diet, takes vitamins and consumes health foods. No one would suspect that she was the victim of heart disease; yet, in November, 2005, during a routine stress test, Thelma was diagnosed with blockage of her main cardiac artery (the one responsible for 70% of her blood flow). She had no warning, no pain or shortness of breath. Immediate surgery was needed.

Heart disease does run in Thelma’s family, but since she felt so good, she thought everything was fine. It was at her brother’s insistence that she scheduled the stress test. Thelma says, “It is true that it (heart disease) is the silent killer. I would never have known.”

Thankfully, Thelma tolerated the surgery well, recuperated quickly because she had always taken good care of her body, and is now back to fulltime work. Thelma, you are a miracle! I am honored to place you “in the spotlight”.

Sharon B. Wilkes, RN, MA, CPS, CCS, Coordinator, Prevention Services

Frequently Asked Health/Dental Plan Questions

The Employee Benefits Office fields countless of calls each week from employees with questions about the District health and dental plan.  For a list of the most recent Frequently Asked Questions that may be of assistance to you, log on to the Employee Benefits website. 

Cafeteria Plan Flexible Spending Accounts (Medical Expense and Dependent Care Reimbursement)

Participants in the Flexible Spending Accounts for the 2005 plan year must submit claims to WageWorks (formerly HCAP Strategies) no later than March 31, 2006 for eligible expenses incurred January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2005 to be considered.  For a list of eligible expenses, claim form or other related information log on to www.wageworks.com or contact the Employee Benefits Office.  In accordance with the plan guidelines, any balance in the account after March 31, 2006 will be forfeited.  

Participants that enrolled for the 2006 Cafeteria Plan year should expect a Welcome packet in the mail from WageWorks.    

Unum Long Term Disability

A Certificate of Coverage booklet is being delivered through intra-district mail to participants in the group long term disability plan underwritten by Unum Life Insurance.  The certificate is being made available at this late a date due to printing and distribution delays.  Certificates are not available yet for employees that made changes to their existing plan during the October 2005 enrollment period for a January 1, 2006 effective date. Employees in this category will receive the certificate at a later date.

AHL-Allstate Group Voluntary Cancer Plan 

A reminder to participants in the high individual or high family plan that there is a cancer screening benefit of $100 per covered person per calendar year for participants in this plan.  Eligible screenings include colonoscopy, pap smear, mammography, PSA and others.  The benefit is payable regardless of the test result.  For a complete list of the eligible tests, refer to your policy document or benefit summary available on the Employee Benefits web site.  Claim forms are available on-line and from the Employee Benefits Office.  This $100 screening benefit is not available to participants in the basic individual or basic family plan.  The local AHL-Allstate representative is Pedro Morales.  For questions about your policy or claim you may contact Mr. Morales’ office at 630-4343.

Performance Drug List

A revised performance drug list from Script Care has just been published.  The Script Care Performance Drug List is a guide to generic and brand-name medications that are available at the lower co-payment and may provide cost-savings to you and the District’s self funded health plan.   Make sure your physician reviews the list for the most clinically appropriate and cost effective medication.  For additional information, contact ScriptCare at 1-800-880-9988 or log on to www.scriptcare.com.     

Visit the MISD Employee Benefits Department web site for up-to-date benefit forms and information.

Mr. Andres Silva is the Director of Employee Benefits/Risk Management