2022 SERMA Conference draws large crowd for live,

in-person event!

One hundred and sixty-four people attended the 32^nd annual SERMA Conference this year. The consensus among attendees was, “It’s good to be back!”

The SERMA Conference offers opportunities for state agencies’ safety representatives to meet and share best practices on occupational safety and risk management. The live, in-person event was held at the Boumi Shriner’s Temple in Rosedale, MD on Thursday, May 26.

Each year, the Conference culminates with an awards ceremony where individuals and teams are recognized for their safety efforts over the past year. Among the awards this year, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services’ (DPSCS’) K9 Unit won a Best Practice Award (see photo above).

General Session and Breakout Speakers

• Division of Labor and Industry Update
• 2022 Legislative Session Wrap-Up
• Maryland Overdose Response Program
• Successful Strategies for Early Return-to-Work
• Introducing MyMDCares
• Indoor Air Quality and HVAC Evaluation

2022 SERMA Award Winners

• Click here for a list of the 2022 SERMA award winners.
• Click here to view photos of this year’s award winners.

State of Maryland rolls out MyMDCares

Laura Franceski, Program Manager for BHS, introduced attendees to the new MyMDCARES program at the 2022 SERMA Conference.

MyMDCARES is a whole life program that provides State employees and dependents with confidential, in-the-moment, no cost, well-being support, 24/7. MyMDCARES is a “counselor on call” program, with so much more to support employees and dependents as they navigate whatever life brings.

Common reasons to use MyMDCARES include:

• Relationship issues, such as family, friends, work relationships
• Life changes, including illness, divorce, retirement
• Emotional well-being risks, i.e., burnout, depression, anxiety, and
• Life challenges, such as daily responsibilities, parenting, financial and legal issues.

MyMDCARES is available to active employees within the State Personnel Management System, Maryland Department of Transportation, Judiciary and Legislature, including full- and part-time employees and contractual employees. This program is not available to contingent workers, temporary employees, and interns.

For more information, call 844-405-8200 or go online to portal.bhsonline.com and use the login MyMDCares. You can also download an app to access this service; download instructions here. 

State Medical Director shares strategies for successful return-to-work

Dr. Kanumuri, MD, MPH, MBA, is the new Concentra® Medical Director for the State of Maryland.

At the Conference, Dr. K, as he is more commonly known, presented information about the importance of several factors as relate to a successful return-to-work outcome after a work-related injury.

These include:

• Continuity of care, where the injured worker continues to see the same medical provider during treatment and recovery,
• Negotiation tactics for patients that are likely to have a delayed recovery process; and
• Clinical indicators for the assessment of maximum medical improvement (MMI), and strategies to appropriately use Independent Medical Examinations (IME’s) and impairment ratings when clinically indicated.

For more information, go to the Concentra® page on IWIF’s website.