EBS-RMSCO and eni to Offer BalanceWorks ® Employee Assistance Program to Businesses

LIVERPOOL, NY (05/07/2009)(readMedia)-- A partnership between EBS-RMSCO and eni gives EBS-RMSCO clients access to eni's fully integrated BalanceWorks Employee Assistance Program at a competitive price. The BalanceWorks EAP helps employees resolve work/life issues before they affect on-the-job performance.

"With the upcoming legislative changes in the Mental Health Parity Act, EBS-RMSCO felt that a partnership with eni would help many of its clients and their employees," said Joan Osier, senior vice president, EBS-RMSCO. "Companies can expect to incur additional costs as a result of the passage of the Mental Health Parity Act," she said, "but a program such as eni's BalanceWorks EAP can help mitigate the cost."

"According to Business Insurance magazine, companies with an EAP see an average 35 percent reduction in substance abuse health care costs," said Gene Raymondi, chief executive officer of eni. "Research also shows that there is a 20 percent to 30 percent increase in chemical dependency treatment and mental health intervention effectiveness as a result of a comprehensive screening through an EAP."

Raymondi says, "The BalanceWorks EAP helps employees maximize productivity, organizational skills and time management techniques that help them to effectively balance competing demands of work and life." The program also helps companies lower their health care, workers' compensation and disability costs and attract and retain top talent, reduce absenteeism, and improve morale and engagement. The BalanceWorks EAP provides employees and their family members with valuable and confidential access to resources and services that help balance the competing demands of work/life before personal problems affect professional performance. An employee struggling with a work/life, mental health or substance abuse issue, for example, can call a dedicated, toll-free BalanceWorks EAP line 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to speak with a licensed mental health professional.

Aside from providing counseling services, the BalanceWorks EAP includes unique features that can help employees achieve work/life balance. Rather than spending work time on personal issues, an employee can access several BalanceWorks specialists, including:

  • Personal Assistants, who are available to employees 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week via e-mail, web or a toll-free phone number. They can help employees find resources on virtually any topic - from pet care services, to party, event and travel planning and coordination. The focus of a Personal Assistant is to help employees make informed decisions while saving them valuable time.
  • Child/Elder Care Services, which provide limitless resources to help employees find child and elder care, including babysitters, camp locations, after-school programs, assisted living facilities, doctors, along with Medicare assistance, financial planning and transportation resources.
  • Legal and Financial Consultations, which give employees free legal and financial consultations over the phone and in-person, along with providing referrals and discounted fees. Topics can include bankruptcy, divorce, custody disputes, adoption and financial issues such as tax questions, student loans, investments, credit problems and retirement planning.

The BalanceWorks EAP also includes access to an interactive mental health and wellness Web portal that features comprehensive self-help tools and thousands of articles and videos on such topics as health and wellness, family care, depression and stress. Employees also can use the date reminder feature to notify them of planned or upcoming events.

For more information about the discounted BalanceWorks Employee Assistance Program available through EBS-RMSCO, contact Bob Fancher at (315) 448-9148.

# # #

EBS-RMSCO is a progressive, diversified employee benefits administration and risk management firm with primary offices in Rochester, Liverpool, Albany, and Buffalo, N.Y. The company's 400 employees provide innovative employee benefit and risk management solutions to nearly 3,000 clients throughout the United States.

eni is a dynamic and innovative global corporation dedicated to providing the highest level of behavioral health services to promote employee wellness and productivity. For over 25 years, eni has delivered top-quality Employee Assistance Programs to Fortune 500 companies to lower healthcare costs while maximizing productivity, engagement and retention.