Our Services - The IHMS Pro-Life Program

At IHMS, we have gone a step further than the the traditional cost containment measures. We not only protect you from the financial losses occasioned by ill health, provide your staff, family, members and friends with first rate medical care, but we also provide them with the tools that ensure that they do not fall ill unnecessarily but remain productive all the time.

The IHMS Pro-life program is a comprehensive preventive and wellness program that achieves this. It comprises:

A basic appraisal of your health status
Immediately you enroll on the IHMS Health Plan, we conduct a basic health evaluation to determine your present state of health, detect any special health need and draw up a program for managing you within the period of cover. This means that we adopt a proactive approach in our health management system.

Well designed program to manage any condition we detect from the appraisal.
Chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, arthritis etc require effective and coordinated care. Our chronic disease management programmes employs best practice evidence based medical strategies to reduce the impact of these conditions and ensure optimum productivity. 

Medical helpline and counseling centre that provides you with immediate health assistance.
Time lost from unnecessary hospital visits can cost you even more than you spend on direct medical expenditure. To minimize this potential loss, the IHMS Health Plan provides you with medical advice help lines and counseling services to attend to conditions that do not require hospital visits. This reduces unnecessary time spent off work, thus maximizing staff productivity.

24 hour emergency call centre for life threatening conditions
Your life and that of your loved ones cannot be taken for granted. We have thus made available several hotlines that any of you can call to obtain immediate assistance in times of urgent need. The hotlines are listed on the membership ID, Member Manual and our Website.

Self-care resource centre
We empower you with resources to take charge of their health. For instance, if a colleague collapses in the office, what do I do? You should be knowledgeable enough to administer cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to save life. These are the type of skills you, your staff, family, friends and members require.

Newsletters and periodic health talks
Newsletters are provided and periodic health talks given to you to keep our members up to date of contemporary health issues.

HIV/AIDS management program
In view of the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, and the devastating effect it may have on anyone, we have developed a program specifically tailored for you.

This program consists of the following:

• Development of a HIV/AIDS Policy
• Voluntary testing and diagnosis
• Counseling
• Treatment of opportunistic infections
• Assistance in the procurement of ARVs
• Supply of relevant literature and other educational materials
• Health Talks

Discover if you're at risk of burnout, and what you can do when your job begins to affect your health and happiness.

It's time to head back to work after your brief vacation. You have a demanding job and carry a great deal of responsibility on your shoulders. Even though your time off was relaxing, you dread going back to work. A trusted friend thinks you have job burnout.

Maybe you've started to wonder whether you have burnout yourself. Or maybe — like many people — you've tried to avoid the question all together. A closer look at burnout and why you may have it can help you to face the problem and take action before it affects your health.

What is burnout and who's at risk?

• You try to be everything to everyone
• You identify so strongly with work that you lack a reasonable   balance between work and your personal life
• Your job is monotonous
• You work in the helping professions, such as health care, counseling, teaching or law enforcement

What are the signs of burnout?
Ask yourself these questions to see if you're experiencing signs and symptoms of burnout:

• Do you find yourself being more cynical, critical and sarcastic at work?
• Have you lost the ability to experience joy?
• Do you drag yourself into work and have trouble getting started once you arrive?
• Have you become more irritable and less patient with co-workers, customers or clients?
• Do you feel that you face insurmountable barriers at work?
• Do you feel that you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
• Do you no longer feel satisfaction from your achievements?
• Do you have a hard time laughing at yourself?
• Are you tired of your co-workers asking if you're OK?
• Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
• Are you self-medicating — using food, drugs or alcohol — to feel better or to simply not feel?
• Have your sleep habits or appetite changed?
• Are you troubled by headaches, neck pain or lower back pain?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be experiencing burnout. You may also be depressed.

Identify the causes
You can overcome burnout. But first you have to understand what caused it. Burnout can result from:

• Lack of control. Perhaps you're unable to influence decisions that affect your job, such as which hours you'll work or which assignments you get. Perhaps you're unable to control the amount of work that comes in.
• Unclear job expectations. Examples include uncertainty over what degree of authority you have and not having the necessary resources to do your work.
• Dysfunctional workplace dynamics. Examples are working with an office bully, being undermined by colleagues or having a boss who micromanages your work.
• Mismatch in values. If your values differ from the way your company does business or handles employee grievances, it will wear on you.
• Poor job fit. Working in a job that poorly aligns with your interests and skills is certain to become more and more stressful over time.
• Extremes of activity. When a job is always monotonous or chaotic, you'll need constant energy to remain focused. Over time this energy drain can lead to burnout.

Is it time to take action?
If you feel you may have signs or symptoms of burnout don't ignore them. Like stress burnout can have significant health consequences including fatigue, insomnia, weight gain or loss. It has the potential to put some people at increased risk of depression, anxiety and other emotional difficulties. And working in an environment that negatively affects your physical and mental health can affect your personal life.
Talk to your supervisor or mentor, or see your doctor or a mental health professional. A counselor at your employee assistance program (EAP) can help you assess your interests, skills and passions. This can help you decide if you should consider an alternative job, whether it be one that's less demanding or one that better matches your interests.

Recovery from burnout is possible, but it may require changes and take time, so don't expect a quick fix. Keep an open mind and consider all your options. Don't let a demanding job affect your health.

By Mayo Clinic Staff
Sep 29, 2006