From Our Member Newsletter

The fall 2019 issue of our member newsletter, Pulse, includes a feature on healthy holidays. Topics include safety first on Halloween, enjoying seasonal treats without overdoing it, flu shot season and managing holiday stress. We also look at toy safety. Here are a few highlights.

Also, it’s never too late to break a tobacco habit. Learn more about the resources Quartz makes available to our members to support employee health and contribute to a productive workplace.

’Tis The Season for Toy Safety

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were more than 250,000 toy-related injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms in 2017. With the holiday approaching and kids of all ages dreaming about new receiving new toys, we present five top tips for toy safety —

1. Age matters. Toys that are too advanced or too small can be dangerous. Check the package for the manufacturer’s age recommendation.
2. Skip the plug-ins. If your child is under age 10, help prevent shocks or burns by avoiding toys that require electricity. If you do buy electric toys, verify that they’re “UL Approved.”
3. Beware of batteries. Button batteries and magnets are easy to swallow and can cause serious stomach, intestinal and throat problems.
4. Read the labels. Warning labels are important sources of safety information. Read them carefully and show children how to use their new toys the right way.
5. No strings attached. Tags, strings and ribbons can be downright dangerous to smaller children. Remove these hazards before putting a new toy into play.

Kicking Tobacco, Once and for All

It’s well-documented that smoking increases the risk of health problems including conditions like cancer, heart disease, stroke,

lung diseases, emphysema and COPD. Did you know that smoking also causes decreased productivity and increased absenteeism in the workplace? When your employees kick their tobacco habits, it’s a win-win for their health and for your business climate too. Quartz is here to help.

Benefits of quitting

• Reduced risk for multiple diseases and early death
• A year after quitting, the risk for heart disease is cut in half
• Quitting could save the average pack-a-day smoker nearly $23,000 over 10 years
• Improved attendance and productivity on the job

Start here

Not every treatment works for everyone. That’s why Quartz makes available a variety of services that have been proven to help people quit their tobacco habit. We encourage our members to work with their health care provider to determine what options will work best. Resources include heath coaching, medication therapy and a 12-week online workshop. Learn more at QuartzBenefits.com/tobacco

What’s covered

Many tobacco cessation services and medications are provided at no cost to most Quartz members. To determine what’s covered, members should log in to MyChart to view plan benefits or call Customer Service at (800) 362-3310.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Quitting Smoking” fact sheet, (accessed July 5, 2019), available at cdc.gov. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “Youth tobacco use: Results from the National Youth Tobacco Survey”, (accessed July 5, 2019), available at fda.gov. Wiley International Journal of Clinical Practices, “Benefits of quitting smoking on work productivity and activity impairment in the United States, the European Union and China,” (accessed October 2, 2019), available at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “Toy Report 2016”, (accessed July 12, 2019), available at cpsc.gov. American Academy of Pediatrics, “Toy Safety Tips,” (accessed July 12, 2019), available at aap.org.

* If you have health insurance coverage under the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program, please contact wellwisconsin.staywell.com or call (800) 821-6591 to begin health coaching.