Department of Civil Service

NY08-06

TO: New York State Health Benefits Administrators and Employee Assistance Program Coordinators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: Guidelines for NYSHIP Participation at Health Fairs
DATE: April 28, 2008

Planning Your Health Fair
Are you planning a health fair this spring? Health fairs or employee information/wellness days are popular events for personnel offices to schedule, especially during the spring and fall. Many Employee Assistance Program (EAP) personnel and agency Health Benefits Administrators (HBAs) team up to sponsor these events.

To ensure appropriate use of NYSHIP resources and avoid scheduling conflicts, any participation in an agency health fair by NYSHIP health plans (The Empire Plan and NYSHIP HMOs) must be approved and coordinated through the Employee Benefits Division (EBD). When you plan your next health fair, please be sure to follow these simple steps.

1. Contact EBD’s Communications Unit at 518-457-7577 as early as possible in the planning stage, or at least four weeks prior to the event.
2. To request an Empire Plan representative for your health fair, use the Employee Information Day/Health Fair Planning Information Form available on HBA Online. This is the quickest, most direct way to submit your request. From the home page, open Publications & Forms. Scroll down to Employee Information Day/Health Fair Planning Information Form and click on Display the Form. Contact the Help Desk at 518-457-5406 if you have problems with HBA Online access, or your processor, if you need general assistance. If you do not have access to HBA Online, use the attached hard copy version and fax it to the number listed.
   
   Please do not contact The Empire Plan representatives directly.
   The EBD Communications Unit will do this for you when your request is approved. Remember that Empire Plan representatives for health fairs typically do not give presentations or represent any other benefit programs such as the dental or vision programs or the long-term care (NYPERL) program. If you would like representatives from one or all of these programs to attend your health fair, call the Communications Unit at 518-457-7577 at least four weeks in advance of the date of the event to make your request.
3. If your health fair is approved by EBD, you may contact the NYSHIP Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) in your area to invite them to participate. See the attached list of NYSHIP Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) Contact Information for your planning.
4. We ask that you, as the agency Health Benefits Administrator, help coordinate and attend these events to answer general NYSHIP questions and support your employees.

To ensure NYSHIP participation, please follow these general guidelines for coordinating health fairs:

• NYSHIP policy does not permit participation in events organized or sponsored by for-profit entities such as event planners, even if there is no charge to NYSHIP participants.
• NYSHIP information is provided free of charge to State employees and we generally will not pay event admission fees or contribute to any baskets or raffles.
• Notify the EBD Communications Unit of any changes in date or location as soon as possible.
• If you are planning an outdoor health fair, be sure to designate an indoor location or alternate date in case of inclement weather.

Remember, if you allow for sufficient planning time, you stand the best chance of getting full participation of all NYSHIP health plans in your area.

Promoting Your Event
To optimize the use of NYSHIP resources, we ask that you do everything possible to maximize the number of enrollees who attend the health fair. Invite other agencies in your area to increase attendance. Display posters with the date, time and location of your health fair and advertise via email and interagency mail. Work closely with your EAP Coordinator and agency human resources personnel to promote your event.

Using Handouts and Giveaways
We will arrange for you to have handouts at your health fair that reflect the group designation(s) of your population, including our popular web site illustration for NYSHIP Online, an assortment of Empire Plan Reporting Ons and other publications with current health benefits information. In some cases we will also send Empire Plan giveaway items. If your attendee population has possible unique concerns or issues that may affect our selection of giveaways, please be sure to inform us of this ahead of time.

Please make these materials available to The Empire Plan representative at least one hour prior to the start time of the health fair. Leftover materials can be stored in your Personnel Office or, labels are provided to return them to our inventory.

After your health fair, we ask The Empire Plan representatives to submit feedback about it on an evaluation form (see attached). We use this information to gauge participation and the quantity of publications and giveaways we send, as well as to assist with evaluating future requests from State agencies. Promoting your health fair and bolstering your attendance will help ensure NYSHIP participation in future events.

Thank you for hosting a health fair. We wish you great success!

If you have questions about health fairs, please contact EBD Communications at 518-457-7577.

Attachment

NYSHIP Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) Contact Information

Effective until 1/1/09

Aetna
Stacey Navas
Account Executive
Aetna
99 Park Avenue F107, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10016-0016
Phone (212) 457-0412
Fax (860) 262-9197
NavasS@aetna.com
NYSHIP Code Number 210
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, and Westchester counties in New York and all counties in New Jersey.

Blue Choice
Nicholas Carbone
Account Manager, National Accounts
Blue Choice, HMO Blue, Univera Healthcare
165 Court Street
Rochester, NY 14647
Phone (585) 399-6650
Fax (585) 238-4348
Nicholas.Carbone@excellus.com
NYSHIP Code Number 066
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties.

CDPHP
Shelly Marcantonio
500 Patroon Creek Blvd
Albany, NY 12206
Phone (518) 641-5151
Fax (518) 641-5005
smarcant@cdphp.com
NYSHIP Code Number 063
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington counties.
NYSHIP Code Number 300
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Essex, Hamilton, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Otsego, and Tioga counties.
NYSHIP Code Number 310
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster counties.

Community Blue
Mary Loverde
BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York
1901 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14240
Phone (716) 887-2084
Fax (716) 887-8993
loverde.mary@healthnow.org
NYSHIP Code Number 067
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties.

Empire BlueCross BlueShield HMO
Sonja Blanks
Empire BlueCross BlueShield HMO
11 Corporate Woods Blvd
Albany, NY 12211
Phone (518) 367-2744
Fax (518) 367-5102
Sonja.Blanks@empireblue.com
NYSHIP Code Number 280
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Essex, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington counties.
NYSHIP Code Number 290
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester counties.
NYSHIP Code Number 320
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, and Ulster counties.

GHI HMO
Debbi Z. Pallas
GHI HMO
80 Wolf Road, 6th Floor
Albany, NY 12205
Phone (518) 446-8042
Fax (518) 435-1895
debbipallas@ghihmo.com
NYSHIP Code Number 220
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington counties.
NYSHIP Code Number 350
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, and Ulster counties.

HIP
Mike Manzella
HIP
55 Water Street
New York NY 10041
Phone (646) 447-6994
Fax (646) 447-3001
mmanzella@hipusa.com
NYSHIP Code Number 050
A Network HMO serving individuals living or working in Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, and Westchester counties.

HMOBlue
Nicholas Carbone
Account Manager, National Accounts
Blue Choice, HMO Blue, Univera Healthcare
165 Court Street
Rochester, NY 14647
Phone (585) 399-6650
Fax (585) 238-4348
Nicholas.Carbone@excellus.com
NYSHIP Code Number 072
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Onondaga, Oswego, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins counties.
NYSHIP Code Number 160
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Chenango, Clinton, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, and St. Lawrence counties.

Independent Health
Joel Marinaccio
Independent Health
511 Farber Lakes Dr.
Buffalo NY 14221
Phone (716) 635-3843
Fax (716) 631-8554
jmarinac@independenthealth.com
NYSHIP Code Number 059
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties.

MVP Health Care
Michael Murphy
MVP Health Care
625 State Street
Schenectady, NY 12305
Phone (518) 386-7882
Fax (518) 386-7869
mmurphy@mvphealthcare.com
NYSHIP Code Number 060 (East)
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington counties.
NYSHIP Code Number 330 (Central)
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Otsego, Oswego, Tioga, and Ulster counties.
NYSHIP Code Number 340 (Mid-Hudson)
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Sullivan counties.

Preferred Care
Mary M. Carroll
Preferred Care
259 Monroe Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607
Phone (585) 327-2269
Fax (585) 325-3478
mcarroll@preferredcare.org
NYSHIP Code Number 058
An IPA HMO serving individuals living or working in Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties.

Univera
Nicholas Carbone
Account Manager, National Accounts
Blue Choice, HMO Blue, Univera Healthcare
165 Court Street
Rochester, NY 14647
Phone (585) 399-6650
Fax (585) 238-4348
Nicholas.Carbone@excellus.com
NYSHIP Code Number 057
A Network HMO serving individuals living or working in Cattaraugus, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties.

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