Spotlight on Your Funds

April 2023

Home Care Benefit Fund to Offer Virta Program to Help Members Reverse Their Type 2 Diabetes

While the 1199SEIU Home Care Benefit Fund (HCBF) launched a partnership with WeightWatchers® earlier this year to support 1199SEIU members on their health journeys, including those living with Type 2 diabetes, we recognize that one program may not be the right fit for everyone. To offer your members with Type 2 diabetes another option, this month we are introducing Virta—a program with a medically based approach and the first clinically proven treatment to safely reverse Type 2 diabetes without medications or surgery. Like WeightWatchers, Virta will be offered at no cost to eligible members and their dependents living with Type 2 diabetes. Features of the program include individualized nutrition therapy with effective and sustainable carbohydrate restriction; health coaches; tools to measure blood glucose, ketones and weight; and an app to log health data and symptoms, which Virta clinicians can access to recommend treatment and any necessary adjustments in collaboration with members’ healthcare providers. Eligible members may receive an invitation from the HCBF or they can check their eligibility and create an account at www.virtahealth.com/join/1199. For more information, they may email support@virtahealth.com.

Training and Employment Funds Offer Healthcare College Core Curriculum Program

The 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds’ (TEF) Health Careers College Core Curriculum (HC4) Program is an entry-to-college program for adult learners with little or no experience in higher education who are interested in pursuing associate and/or undergraduate degrees in various allied health fields. Students earn up to 42 college credits in prerequisite courses at the College of Staten Island, Lehman College or Monroe College before transitioning to coursework in their chosen majors. The HC4 program also provides participants with academic and career support to help them successfully complete the program. All Wage Class I and Wage Class II members who are actively working at a TEF contributing institution or facility are eligible. Enrollment for the spring semester runs from October through January, and enrollment for the fall semester runs from April through July. All HC4 classes are currently offered online. For more information about Lehman College, please email Priscilla.Hawthorne@1199Funds.org; for more information about the College of Staten Island, please email Lekwan.Robinson@1199Funds.org; and for information about Monroe College, please email Jhanna.Perez@1199Funds.org.

Special Healthy Living Edition

A special Healthy Living edition of For Your Benefit, the 1199SEIU members magazine, is now available to view online. 

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