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HomeMy WebLinkAbout95-106 Resolution No. 95-106 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF AN AGREEMENT WITH EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE SERVICES BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, that Richard B. Helwig, City Manager, be and is hereby authorized and directed to execute an agreement on behalf of the City of Elgin with Employee Assistance Services for an employee assistance program, a copy of which is attached hereto and made a part hereof by reference. s/ Kevin Kelly Kevin Kelly, Mayor Presented: May 24, 1995 Adopted: May 24, 1995 Omnibus Vote: Yeas 6 Nays 0 Attest: s/ Dolonna Mecum Dolonna Mecum, City Clerk Employee Assistance Services 80 Fountain Square Plaza, Elgin, Illinois 60120 7081697-5565 AGREEMENT This agreement made effective as of May 1st, 1995 by and between Employee Assistance Services, Inc. with off-ice's at 80 South Grove Avenue, Elgin, Illinois 60120, and the City of Elgin located at 150 Dexter Court, Elgin, Illinois 60120. WITNESSETH Whereas, the City of Elgin desires to have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all of its employees, and Whereas, the City of Elgin desires to have Employee Assistance Services, Inc. (EAS) administer such a program, and Whereas, Employee Assistance Services, Inc. desires to do so. Now, therefore, in consideration of the mutual promises and covenants herein, the parties hereto agree as follows: A. Objectives: 1. To motivate the employee and his/her family member to seek help as early as possible. 2. To refer the employee and his/her family member to appropriate professional treatment. 3. To restore an employee's productivity. 4. To retain the valued employee. 5. To provide assessment/referral and follow-up services to the employee and his/her family. K. Services to be Provided: 1. Continue under a written policy that would enable Employee Assistance Services, Inc. to function effectively in achieving its objectives. 2. Provide training for supervisory and union officials concerning their important role in Employee Assistance. A continuation from the first four years, these sessions would include a workbook given to each participant to supplement training. These workbooks, designed exclusively by EAS, help supervisors know hoe to confront and refer an employee designed exclusively by EAS, help supervisors know how to confront and refer an employee who other wise would not or could not refer himself/herself. 3. Explanation of the program and policy to all employees and their families on a continuing basis. 4. Maintain an efficient, comprehensive referral network designed to handle a wide range of employee problems, including immediate response in the event of a crisis. 5. Continue to provide a 24-hour Hotline service including weekends and holidays. 6. Provide assessment and referrals, including monitoring of employees after treatment, if appropriate. 7. Follow-up with all referrals, including monitoring of employees after treatment, if appropriate. 8. Continuing consultation with supervisors and/or union personnel, when necessary, concerning individual cases when constructive confrontation/intervention might be necessary. 9. Regular consultation with City of Elgin employees to assess program functioning and devise program modifications as necessary and appropriate. 10. Utilization of the resources of EAS in providing seminars on a wide variety of subjects as requested. For example, we have specialists on stress, financial concerns and addictions available free to the city. 11. Continuing our Quarterly Newsletters on subjects of timely interest, designed to keep employees aware of EAP, including its many free services. 12. Continuing informational posters at strategic locations. 13. Regular, comprehensive and detailed progress reports. 14. Regular visits by EAS representatives to City of Elgin locations, to "humanize" EAP and to maintain continuing personal contact with various city officials including union personnel. C. Scope of Services and Cost: 1. All City of Elgin employees and their families qualify for the services offered by Employee Assistance Services, Inc.. 2. The fee for services of Employee Assistance Services, Inc. will be $15-.00 per- full-time employee per year. One-half the fee shall be expected at the beginning of the contract period with remainder payable after six months. 3. City of Elgin will be responsible for printing costs, including pamphlets, letters,posters, and supervisory workbooks. 4. The services of Employee Assistance Services, Inc. will continue to be managed by Dr. Joseph Rosenfeld and Tom Skiles, in cooperation with a consortium of not-for-profit service providers. City of Elgin D. Insurance Requirements: In the performance of the work covered by this Agreement, unless otherwise provided for, Employee Assistance Services, Inc. shall act as an independent contractor and maintain full and complete control over their employees. During the performance of their work, Employee Assistance Services, Inc. shall maintain the following: 1. Professional liability coverage with$1,000,000.00 aggregate and$1,000,000.00 coverage for each occurrence. E. Period of Performance: The term of this contract shall be for one year, commencing on May 1, 1995. F. Extent of Authority: This agreement does not negate any administrative policies or procedures of the City of Elgin specifically indicated herein. Compliance with administrative policies or procedures currently in effect or hereinafter developed are made part of this agreement. G. Entirety of Agreement: This agreement constitutes the entire Agreement between the parties and supersedes all previous agreements and understandings with respect to the subject hereof. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this agreement as of the day and year first hereinabove written which shall be deemed the effective date. Employee Assistance Services, Inc. City of Elgin By '� � �-�2���z� By �3• ' '7 Date G�� �y /l9�- Date City of Elgin El in ?Xw Agenda Item No. i v May 2, 1995 TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Richard B. Helwig, City Manager SUBJECT: Employee Assistance Program PURPOSE The purpose of this memo is to recommend the renewal of the Employee Assistance Program contract with the Employee Assis- tance Services . BACKGROUND • The current contract for the City's EAP Services expired May 1, 1995. The present provider, Employee Assistance Services, is a .'local provider. Another local provider, First Choice EAP, and Employee Resource Centers of Hillside were solicited for quotes. Employee Resource Centers did not summit a pro- Both 'Employee Assistance Services and First Choice EAP pro- posed providing the EAP services at the annual rate of $15. 00 per employee (see attachments) . This - is a $3 . 00/Employee reduction in the rate currently provided by Employee Assis- tance Services . COMMUNITY GROUPS/INTERESTED PERSONS CONTACTED None. FINANCIAL IMPACT Based on 520 employees at $15/each, the total amount of the contract is $7,800. The cost of renewal will be approximately $1560 less than the last contract year and .it will be charged to General Fund non-departmental budget under "Miscellaneous professional services" (010-6902-719.30-99 ) . • LEGAL IMPACT None. _ I RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the contract be renewed with Employee Assistance Services. Respectfully submitted, Olufemi olari Human Res ur't irector R c a 1 i h rd B. Helwig City Manager OF/vls • • Employee Assistance Services 80 Fountain Square Plaza, Elgin, Illinois 60120 7081697-5565 - April 20, 1995 Mr. Olufemi O. Folarin Director of Human Resources CITY OF ELGIN 150 Dexter Court Elgin, II. 60120 -- Dear Femi: Enclosed is our proposal to administer an Employee Assistance Program for the City of Elgin in the 1995-96 contractual year. This proposal is in response to your request, made through your secretary on April 14, when you relayed word to us that the City has a new Procurement Ordinance requiring that you ask for competitive bids. We would look forward to our 8th year administering this program for the City. Should you have any question, or need further information, please do let me know. Sincerely, Tom Skiles - - - --- - - - - Managing Director zs:itm FASCOF-95 • LIST OF EAP CLIENTS AURORA: Association for Individual Development 225 employees Aurora Pump Manufacturing Company 330 employees BATAVIA: TWO Rivers Head Start (all offices) 115 employees CARPENTERSVILLE: School District #300 1,000 employees EAST DUNDEE: K. Reinke, Jr. & Co. 20 employees ELGIN: Amax Plating, Inc. 124 employees Apostolic Christian Resthaven 82 employees City of Elgin 520 FT employees Elgin Community College (faculty and staM 300 employees - - - - Elgin Community College All students - -- Fox River Valley Center for Independent Living 15 employees Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick 40 employees Refractory Products, Inc. 40 employees Sherman Hospital 2,000 employees Sherman West Court 110 employees Wait-Ross Allanson Funeral Home 10 employees • GENEVA: Kane County Government 950 employees MAPLE PARK: First State Bank of Maple Park 80 employees ST. CHARLES: Dukane Corporation 723 employees Maple Park Mortgage 40 employees TOTAL: _----- 18 Clients, estimated 6,700 employees covered, 8 communities == • EAS\COE.95 • SERVICE PROVIDERS Employee Assistance Services, Inc. of Elgin has pre-certified dozens of service providers in the Elgin area, the Fox Valley, and beyond according to their professional capabilities in providing therapy for EAP referrals. Emphasis is on outpatient therapy with a sliding scale fee basis. Inpatient facilities also have been pre-certified according to standards of quality. Among those more frequently utilized are the following listed alphabetically: Aurora Family Services Ben Gordon Mental Health Center, DeKalb Breaking Free, Aurora Center for Human Development, Elgin Community Crisis Center, Elgin - Community Counseling Center, Aurora Ecker Center for Mental Health, Elgin Family Services of Greater Elgin Family Services, DeKalb Kairos Family Services, Elgin Open Door Clinic, Elgin Reese & Associates, Aurora • Renz Addiction Counseling Center, Elgin St. Charles Family Center Tri-City Family Services, Geneva Well Child Conference, Elgin Yates & Associates, West-Dundee For inpatient services, we utilize Sherman and St. Joseph's Hospitals in Elgin; Woodland in Hoffman Estates and Mercy Center, Aurora. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE ARE INDEPENDENT OF ANY-TREATMENT- AGENCY-(HOSPITAL, CLINIC, ETC.) -AND CAN THEREFORE BE FREE TO MAKE REFERRALS TO THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE PROVIDER. WE ABIDE BY THREE CRITERIA FOR ALL REFERRALS: APPROPRIATE QUALITY OF CARE, COST, AND DISTANCE FROM HOME. Related to the above is the disturbing fact today that EAP firms are increasingly representing service providers, with the result that referrals will be sent to that provider-(for example, a hospital-owned EAP agency will be obligated to send referrals to that hospital.) Our rate of hospitalization at the City of Elgin is less than 2% over a 7-year period. This is substantially less than many hospitalizations of employees under EAP's in the years prior to our • own program, which began in 1988. EASICOE.95 OPTIONS ON RATES A. Current system is $18.00 per full-time employee per year-(part-timers and family • members included free): $9.360.00 annual fee, based on 520 full-time employees per year. New proposed fee would be $15.00 per full-time employee per year totalling $7,800.00 per year based on 520 employees. -�=--a. Per Employee Usage, with all other services also billed separately: $17.575, estimated annual cost. This figure is itemized as follows: -~-- -1. $175.00 per employee referral-(includes $75.00 for the initial session that we had paid for under the flat-fee contract); and $100.00 for follow-up services during & after treatment, also not charged to the City under our contract. Estimated referrals: 30 Cost: $5,250.00 2. Part-time employees & family members, heretofore free == - under Contract A, also at $175.00 each. - -- - ------ ------ - -Estimated referrals: 15 - - — - -Cost: $2,625.00 - 3. Yearly Administrative & operational costs 24-hour Hotline Cost: $1,000.00 4. Consultations with supervisors, other officials: Estimated 30 times per year Cost: $1,500.00 5. Training sessions-(supervisory, employee): Four (4) at $300.00 each Cost: $19200.00 6. All Reports & Record-Keeping: Cost: $1,500.00 7. Activation of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Re: a traumatic event Cost: $1,000.00 8. All-employee/family Quarterly Newsletter "--Cost: $1,500.00 9. Seminars on stress, addictions, financial concerns, etc: Cost: $1,000.00 10. All other services, including regular visits by an EAP representative to City of Elgin locations; posters; supervisory training manuals, etc.: - Cost: $1,000.00 ='C. Per Employee Usage, but with EAP services limited to . -- - Items #1 through #6: Fee: $13,075.00, estimated annual cost EASTOE.95 • EAP REPORTING PROCEDURES Employee Assistance Services, Inc., has been making both annual and semi-annual reports to -,._:the Director of Human Resources, .City of Elgin. Should the City's desires change, we can .adjust accordingly as to frequency and kind of Reports. Reports have included comprehensive statistical information re the following: The number of employees and family members using EAP, including average age, service and gender. Classifications of problem areas are listed according to their frequency of usage. Without violating confidentiality, various individual cases have been described in general terms, and how they were handled. Distinctions are made according to kind of referral, i.e., self or supervisory. Utilization of service providers has been described in these Reports and reference is made as to how many were inpatient, outpatient and/or to individual therapists. Utilization of special services is also described, i.e. any use of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), special seminars, subjects of the Quarterly Newsletter, etc. Appropriate at this juncture would be a description of our Quality Assurance Program, whereby we closely check on ourselves in between Reports to the City. This has been underway for the past 3 years, as we check our efficiency against EAP standards, on a continuing basis. Included in these standards that we check are: (1) Answering the Hotline call in a prompt and professional manner; (2) An EAP Assessor contacting the employee within one hour of the initial call; (3) Beginning the free initial assessment within 24 hours of the call; (4) Referring the employee to an appropriate provider within one day of the assessment; (5) Following up on all cases and (6) Checking with the employee to see if the therapist was appropriate for his/her problem. Responses to our quality assurance surveys on whether we are adhering to.these standards are running over 90% favorable in all categories. But this could quickly change if we.do not maintain continuing concern for standards, and when we find some "glitches" along the way, we try to rectify them as soon as possible. • EAS\COE.95 • TRAINING OPTIONS _ Training for supervisory and union officials concerning their important role in EAP has been available since the program began in 1988. Sessions were held for all supervisors, then more specifically for Police and Fire supervisors. Department heads and other officials were also Included. These-90-minute sessions include a training film and Supervisory Training Manuals which Dr. Joe Rosenfeld and I have published for the express purpose of workshops like these. More such sessions should be undertaken in the near future, as suggested in several recent Reports to.the City. In addition, we differ from many EAP's in. that we follow up training sessions with our instant availability to work with supervisors and/or department heads as they undertake difficult referrals that may not "fit the training textbook". We are available 24 hours per day, 365 days .per.year, and there have indeed been a number of critical instances over the years when EAP has been of assistance in this manner. Similar to supervisory training, employee orientation sessions can also be conducted by EAP at such times that the City may request them. These are designed to make the employees more comfortable in calling the Hotline for help and also to reassure them that their cases will be held in utmost confidence. We also can call upon specialists to provide seminars on a wide variety of subjects. These would include stress and mental health issues; marital and financial problems; addictions, including alcohol, other drugs and gambling; domestic violence and sexual abuse. Many other services would also be available, including an expert on violence in the workplace, who can discuss how to deal with anger, among other issues. • EAS\C'OE.95 • ANNUAL REPORT EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CITY OF ELGIN 1994-95 • Employee Assistance Services - -. 80 Fountain Square Plaza, Elgin, Illinois 60120 7081697-5565 y` ='April 12, 1995. Mr. Olufemi O. Folarin Director of Human Resources CITY OF ELGIN 150 Dexter Court Elgin, IL 60120 Dear Femi, 'The pattern of referrals over the past year reflects the fact, once again, that the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is reaching a number of troubled employees as the ensuing charts indicate. This is our Seventh Annual Report on EAP for the City of Elgin, which includes all full-time and part-time employees as well as family members. A total of 26 more employees called the 24-hour EAP Hotline for help during 1994-95 to bring the grand total to 203 cases since the program began in 1988. That is over 39% of the workforce, including a wide range of job functions and wage levels, as well as every major City department. Although in past years, emotional problems were usually first in frequency, the scene shifted in the past year as marital concerns were uppermost. These cases involved efforts to prevent an impending break-up, dealing with.the divorce itself, or recovering from the end of a marriage. Many factors were - faced, whether it was the welfare of children; legal and financial issues, etc. `In all cases, therapy was provided on a sliding scale. Statistics area as follows: . May 1, 1994 through April 30, 1995 Marital...............................................6 Depression......................................5 Emotional.........................................5 _.. Financial ............3 Weight Loss.....................................2 Grief/Loss......................................... 1 Domestic Violence......................... 1 ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder... 1 Eating Disorder............................... 1 - Nutritional Advice........................... 1 Total..................................................26 • May 1. 19 A through April 30, 1995 Emotional... Marital.....................................:........35 Chemical Dependency................28 - _ Financial .......... . ........................... 16 = - Stress.............................................. 13 Depression School Physicals............................ Eating.Disorder...............................5 Family/Behavioral ..........................5 Domestic Violence.........................4 Lead Poisoning..............................3 Developmental Screening ...........2 Diagnostic Testing.........................2 Stop Smoking.................................2 Sexual Abuse - - -- - ................................ ACOA................................................2 Co-Dependency.............................2 Weight Loss.....................................2 .Physical Rehabilitation.................. 1 Eldercare......................................... 1 Psychiatric....................................... 1 Pre-Marital Counseling................. 1 G rief/Loss....... ................................ 1 Nutritional Advice........................... 1 ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).. 1 Total ..................................................203 The above totals reflect program usage by 106 males and 97 females, including a 16-10 male-to-female ratio last year. Average age and service have both fallen somewhat in recent months from 36.1 to 34.2 (age) and from 8.3 years to 7.1 (service). Referrals continue to represent a very wide range in job descriptions, from top positions to laborers. A number of employees with over----- 20 _ - 20 years' service have needed help, along with others having less than one year on the job. No hospitalization was needed throughout the year, an indication that employees seem to be calling earlier before problems get to the point that extreme measures have to be taken. They have been urged to do this since the program began. But particularly at the beginning of an EAP, employees are reluctant to call--either because they do not trust the program to help them (and keep it confidential) or because they misunderstand what EAP is all about. Over a period of years, I think these and other barriers to calling for help have been overcome. During that time, the rate of hospitalization has been under 2%! Without an EAP, there is no question that that figure would be multiplied many times. • Consequently, as an alternative to the cost and complications of inpatient treatment, referrals were made to outpatient therapy on a sliding scale basis or to one of our won free services under our contract with the City of Elgin. In 1994-95, we provided 32 such free services including the initial sessions for all _. employees and/or family members. After they call the Hotline, they are provided 4kT-7this first assessmeWcounseling session at no cost from professional in the field, whom we pay to counsel with Elgin employees. -�" ---To insure that EAP is running smoothly, we at Employee Assistance Services, Inc. meet monthly with the Executive Directors of Elgin's major community service agencies. As you know, Femi, this is a unique consortium arrangement whereby there is inter-agency cooperation to enhance all aspects of EAP in the Elgin area. All agencies are independent and we at EAS are separately incorporated, with those Directors as Board members. They understand that all referrals must be based on appropriate quality of care, cost, and distance from home--which many times excludes their agencies as providers. Sum total of. this arrangement is synergistic in achieving EAP quality for the City of Elgin. No-�- other city in Illinois, to our knowledge, has such community cooperation. By the way, we have had a Quality Assurance Program underway for the past two years, which I think was mentioned to you at its outset. Included in our list of self-imposed standards that we regularly check are: 1) answering the Hotline call in a prompt and professional manner; 2) an EAP Assessor contacting the employee within one hour of the initial call; 3) beginning the free initial assessment with 24 hours of the call; 4) referring the employee to an appropriate provider within one day of the assessment; and, 5) following up on all cases. Responses to our quality assurance surveys on whether we are adhering to these standards are running well over 90% favorable. In the category of special services, we have professionals available to provide seminars on a variety of subjects including stress, financial concerns, violence in the workplace, addictions and in many more areas. Our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) was not utilized during the past year - -----_ although it had bee_ n in the past. The CERT team will respond within a.few hours in providing on-site debriefing following a traumatic event. In addition, I -- myself am on 24-hour availability and during the past year I received about a dozen calls directly from department heads and/or supervisors who needed EAP input. Quarterly Newsletters during 1994-95 covered such subjects as gambling. and marijuana, financial concerns and how to deal with difficulty people (the latter to ' be in the upcoming Spring newsletter). We continue to believe that these newsletters are a good vehicle whereby employees, and particularly family members, are reminded of EAP. Family participation in EAP continues at a good level and we believe the newsletters to be a major reason for this. In closing, Femi, may I say that we at EAS would enthusiastically look forward to handling EAP in 1995-96 for the City of Elgin. The same fee as that established in 1988 would apply ($18 per employee per year) which is a most reasonable level compared to any other city in Illinois. Should you have any questions or comments on this Report, please let me :.know. `Sincerely, Tom Skiles Managing Director