US Family Health Plan eNews | ISSUE 3 | 2024

PTSD and Your Family

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a challenge for many families. If you or a family member is experiencing PTSD, you understand that it can be hard to accept some of the changes it can bring to your life. By learning more about PTSD and strategies for dealing with challenges, you and your family will be better prepared for these changes.

The good news is that there are many resources available to help. Just talking is a key first step and there are helpful guides about how to start these important conversations with family members. Family therapy can be an important tool to support these conversations.

Visit our Martin’s Point Mental Health webpage to find information about PTSD and your family, including:

• Helping your family understand what PTSD is
• Understanding and sharing information about your symptoms, triggers, and treatments
• How to talk with your kids about PTSD so they feel safe, secure, and loved
• Handling the extra stressors at holidays
• Finding support for family members of those with PTSD

Martin’s Point Behavioral Health Care Management Program

This program is offered at no cost and is designed to support best-practice care for all US Family Health Plan members.

Our care managers are social workers with behavioral health training and expertise. A care manager may follow up after you are discharged from a hospital stay and can also help address ongoing behavioral health needs.

A social work care manager will:

• Call you to assess your behavioral health needs
• Collaborate with your care team
• Provide support and advocacy
• Find local resources, providers, and community supports
• Provide education around behavioral health needs
• Assist in preparation for your office visits
• Follow up for up to six months

To contact a Martin’s Point behavioral health care manager, please call 1-877-659-2403.

Flu Season is Coming

The best way to reduce your risk of flu and complications is to get a flu vaccine. Flu shots are covered whether you receive them at your provider's office or at your pharmacy.

Although flu seasons can vary, it typically increases in October and can continue into May. The peak time for flu is between December and February. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends flu shots for everyone 6 months and older.

Steps to Prevent the Spread of Germs:

• Avoid sick contacts and limit your contact with others when you are sick. You should be fever free for 24 hours before you leave your house for non-medical reasons.
• Cover your sneezes and coughs.
• Clean and disinfect shared surfaces.
• Wash your hands with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if washing is not an option.

For more information, please visit the CDC flu webpage - Prevent Seasonal Flu | CDC.

Health and Wellness Resources

Online Health and Wellness pages help you learn about important health topics and take steps to protect your and your family’s best health.

Men’s Health and Wellness

Learn about preventive screenings and men’s health conditions.

Pediatric Health and Wellness

Find resources as your child grows through the years of infancy to adolescents.

Supporting Mental Health

Find resources designed to support your and your family’s best mental health at every stage of life—from childhood through adolescence and to adulthood.

Suicide Prevention/Mental Health Crises:

If you or someone you know talks about suicide, self-harm, a mental health crisis, substance use crises, or any kind of emotional distress, call, get help right away. You may call 988, or text HOME to 741741 the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, anytime, day or night.

Health.mil — Another Excellent Resource for Health Education

Did you know that the Defense Health Agency’s Health.mil website has a Virtual Education Center that provides more than 50,000 education resources? Accessing this resource and the Health and Wellness pages of the Martin’s Point website before a visit with your health care provider can help provide valuable information to help prepare you for your appointments or make decisions about your health and wellness.

Learn more at Virtual Education Center | Health.mil.

Decision Points

Tool to Help Make Informed Health Care Decisions

In our last issue, we touched on general information about living with diabetes. Today, we focus on two important aspects in the management of your diabetes–quarterly hemoglobin A1c tests and annual kidney testing. For more detailed information available on our website through Healthwise, explore our comprehensive guide. Decision Points are tools designed to help you make informed choices about your health care. They provide clear information about your options, including the benefits and risks of each choice, based on the latest medical research. Topics range from heart and kidney treatments, obesity, prediabetes, prostate cancer, and more. By using Decision Points, you and your doctor can have a more informed conversation about what’s best for you, considering your personal preferences and medical needs. This way, you can feel confident and involved in decisions about your health.