Bridge to Wellness

• If it is an Annual Physical exam – use the date of the exam.
• If it is “Tobacco-Free” – also use the date of the physical exam.
• Use the actual date of completion for items such as “completing a Tobacco Cessation program”; end date of a Wellable (or similar) challenge; date you completed an online course; etc.
• Use the date of “registration” or date of “sale” for items such as “Purchase at home gym equipment” or “Participate in CSA”
• For self-reported on-going items, use the current date

• You will be able to Delete your own documents by clicking on the “DELETE” button, then typing in DELETE to ensure you wish to delete an item.
• If you uploaded the wrong document, the Wellness Coordinator will still be able to “approve” or “deny” items, and if the item or points are denied, an email will be sent to you directly, notifying you of the denial.

You will only receive an email if the points/documentation has been denied. You can assume that your points have been approved if you do not receive an email. At the end of the program’s duration, you will receive a confirmation of your award total.

There are a couple of options:

• If you happen to have your tracking form, you can have the doctor/practitioner sign off on that form.
• If you can download the General Medical form from the Bridge, you could fax or email to the practitioner’s office and collect a signature that way.
• You could have the doctor’s office write a note with date of completed services.
• If you receive an Explanation of Benefits, you can white-out EVERYTHING except your name and the doctor’s name and the location of the doctor office (just so we can identify if it was a physical, dental, dermatology or eye exam).

• Essentia Health Tobacco Free Services offers one-on-one counseling, as well as a plan that's personalized for you.
• Medica provides a variety of quit-plan options here:https://www.medica.com/wellness/tobacco-cessation-program.
• The American Lung Association offers a Freedom From Smoking program
• Sand Creek EAP also offers resources under the "Addiction and Recovery" page. 

Virtuwell is our online 24/7 clinic, that allows you to get treatment for everyday illnesses without going to the doctor! You can visit https://www.virtuwell.com/ to find more information. You’ll complete an online interview, a certified nurse practitioner will review your case and write you a treatment plan either via email or text message. If you need a prescription they’ll send it to your pharmacy of choice and if you need to speak with a nurse practitioner you can reach them via phone 24/7.  It’s safe, convenient and easy to use and saves you from going to urgent care or the emergency room for many cases!

Virtuwell is now 100% completely covered benefit for employees and families on the health insurance plan (free)! 

If you have waived coverage, you might not have access to this service, however there may be something similar with your health insurance provider.

Wellable is a web-platform that we use for different challenges such as the Move or Bust Challenge, Step Challenge, etc. We pay a small fee for employees who choose to participate in challenges, and if you wish to use it to track other activities, you are welcome and encouraged to do so. Your tracking is private – the only information the wellness coordinator can see is IF or WHEN you sign up for a challenge and then only the totals are displayed (for example, if you sign up for a step challenge – all that would be visible to the wellness coordinator or anyone else would be your total points, that is all). 

Create an account and start tracking today! In order to utilize your activity tracked in Wellable (if you are not using any other method of tracking), simply pull up the monthly calendar, and take a screen shot of that month to save for your verification. 

Yes. You must provide a method of sign-in/proof of your visits, but certainly can utilize your on-site fitness center. If you have a home gym, you will need to provide some form of verification that you were working out at home and paying a membership.

There are a couple of ways to track your activity without a wearable device.

• Use your phone’s “Health app” or download an activity app for free (such as Map My Fitness; Human; Moves; etc)
• If you don’t have a phone, you can use Daily Endorphin and manually enter your minutes and types of activity.

At this time, Omada and Diabetes Prevention Program are the two approved and certified programs that operate in a capacity to help reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. If you are pre-disposed to Type 2 Diabetes, but somehow are not eligible for these programs, contact your Wellness Coordinator. Other weight-loss programs may fall under a different category.

• TLS stands for Transitions Lifestyle System that is offered in the community and facilitated by different health practitioners (check out https://holistichealthhealing.info/worksite-wellness-lifestyle-counseling/ ) to learn about a local facilitator.

  St. Luke’s and Essentia both offer Weight Management programs that are focused on your goals and needs. Check out St. Luke’s information here: http://www.slhduluth.com/Services-Specialties/Weight-Loss-Essentials.aspx

  And Essentia’s here: https://www.essentiahealth.org/services/weight-loss-nonsurgical/

  Weight Watchers is also another program that would be considered a weight-management program: https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/

  Profile by Sanford offers a 50% discount to employees who sign up for an annual membership: https://www.profileplan.com/duluth/

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. You purchase a “share” of vegetables, or fruit, or meat, or a “whole diet” which includes all of those items at a set price for a season. You’re choosing to buy local produce and support local farmers through this effort. There are different CSA’s available to choose from.  The one that delivers to City Hall is Bayfield Foods https://www.bayfieldfoods.org/. There are also others you can support and learn more about here: https://www.sfa-mn.org/lake-superior/ or here: http://www.csaguild.com/csa-guild-farms.html

We will make every effort to make lunch and learns or the material from the lunch and learn presentations accessible and available to employees, either by recording the session and posting it on the Bridge OR by offering a substitute program (webinar or community event).

There are some different options available. 

Medica: If you participate in the My Health Rewards program through Medica, you could complete a nutrition journey and/or participate in Monj.

Sand Creek (EAP) – My Life Expert (login is duluthmn) – Select from any of the nutrition focused webinars, courses and articles.  

Outside of those two, there are sites that offer free courses, though some may not be as reputable as others…The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has some valuable information (though not technically online courses) : https://www.eatright.org; American Heart Association

There are some free courses here as well:  https://www.edx.org/learn/nutrition

Sand Creek (our Employee Assistance Provider) has several E-learning courses that you can complete.  Go to www.sandcreekeap.com select My Life Expert (create your profile -using company ID: duluthmn) then click on Soft Skills.  There are also several webinars surrounding mental health - Resilience, Practicing Mindfulness to Rid Stress, etc. 

Essentia and UMD offer MBSR or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction courses that are fee-based, in-person courses.

Here is an example of a free Mindfulness based stress reduction course online that you can complete https://palousemindfulness.com/index.html

If you have questions or need more information regarding options, please contact your Wellness Coordinator.

Mental Health First Aid is a course that teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis. Trainings are offered by Wellness Coordinator in-person/virtually, but you are welcome to attend one through the community as well.

Yes – there is a Random Acts of Kindness Challenge that will take place sometime in the program year. If you complete your own random acts of kindness throughout the year, document it and share your stories as those will count towards points. 

Positive psychology is a scientific approach to studying human thoughts, feelings, and behavior, with a focus on strengths instead of weaknesses. There are courses being offered on positive psychology/Intelligence throughout the community – The College of St. Scholastica is one example.  

My Health Rewards is a new points-based incentive program through Medica, that offers rewards for completing healthy activities in addition to our current Wellbeing program. Redeem points from My Health Rewards for e-gift cards, or shop for health and fitness products in the Virgin Pulse store. You can even choose to donate your rewards to a charitable cause. You can earn up to 4 levels worth of points. If you are participating in My Health Rewards, you can get dually rewarded! Hit each level and earn additional points in our Wellbeing program.