Committee reviews employee assistance program usage and confidentiality

The Finance, Insurance and Section 16 Lands Committee reviewed utilization of the employee assistance program (EAP) operated through Hidalgo Health Associations and heard that use increased in the most recent reporting period.

Mister Curtis, presenting the item, told the committee that 84 employees sought direct assistance through the EAP in the most recent year and that a total of 112 persons (employees plus family members) used the program. He described confidentiality protections and formal referrals: “The referral source you see 1 was formal, which means a principal went to an employee and said, call these people. You need to talk to somebody because it was affecting their work. When that happens…what's discussed and what they do is private. All we get notified is, yes, they went and they attended,” Curtis said.

Curtis told the committee that most uses (99 instances) were for counseling, three were referrals to self-help groups, five were for legal/financial assistance, and five were referred to a PPO therapist for ongoing treatment. He provided a breakdown of problem types cited in the report: behavioral issues tied to children (18 instances), depression (12 instances), grief (5 instances) and other categories noted in the materials. Committee members praised the program as reducing stigma and enabling earlier intervention by principals.

The presenter also said Hidalgo staff plan to meet with school principals to explain the formal-referral process so principals can identify employees whose work suggests they need assistance and use the EAP before performance issues escalate.

No committee action was required; the committee received the report.