Please take a few minutes to read important information regarding County’s sponsored Wellness Program notice from Human Resources effective January 1, 2017.

“MotivateMe!”  is a voluntary wellness program available to all full-time Currituck County employees who work 30+ hours per week and are enrolled in employer-provided health insurance. The program is administered by Cigna according to Federal rules permitting employer-sponsored wellness programs that seek to improve employee health or prevent disease, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as applicable, among others.

If you choose to participate in the wellness program you may be asked to complete a voluntary health risk assessment or “HRA” that asks a series of questions about your health-related activities and behaviors and whether you have or had certain medical conditions (for example, cancer, diabetes, or heart disease). You may also be asked to complete a biometric screening, which may include a blood test for total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and/or other applicable test type. You are not required to complete the HRA or to participate in the blood test or other medical examinations.

However, employees who choose to participate in the wellness program will receive incentives of dollars in varying amounts for completing the incentive categories. Although you are not required to complete the HRA or participate in a biometric screening, only employees who do so will receive the incentives of dollars in varying amounts. Please see “MotivateMe” Incentive Awards Program for Currituck County 2016-2017 for more information. Additional incentives are outlined on the MotivateMe – Incentive Awards Program and may be available for employees who participate in certain health-related activities such as:

• Monthly Physical Activity
• Lifestyle Management Programs
• Health Coaching Calls
• Online Coaching Program
• etc.
• or achieve certain health outcomes through these programs such as tobacco cessation, weight loss program, etc. ·

For all participants – If you think you might be unable to meet a standard for a reward under this wellness program, you might qualify for an opportunity to earn the same reward by different means. Contact Cigna at 800-244-6224 and they will work with you and, if you wish, with your doctor. ·

For participants who may have an impairment – if you are unable to participate in any of the program events, activities or goals, because of a disability you may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation for participation, or an alternative standard for rewards. For work-site accommodations please contact Alisa Hugdahl at 252-232-3228 x 4027; for accommodations with online, phone or other Cigna programs, please contact Cigna at 800-244-6224.

The information from your HRA and the results from your biometric screening will be used to provide you with information to help you understand your current health and potential risks, and may also be used to offer you services through the wellness program, such as Online Coaching, Telephonic Coaching, etc. You also are encouraged to share your results or concerns with your own doctor.

Protections from Disclosure of Medical Information

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your personally identifiable health information. Although the wellness program and Currituck County may use aggregate information it collects to design a program based on identified health risks in the workplace, Cigna and “MotivateMe” will never disclose any of your personal information either publicly or to the employer, except as necessary to respond to a request from you for a reasonable accommodation needed to participate in the wellness program, or as expressly permitted by law. Medical information that personally identifies you that is provided in connection with the wellness program will not be provided to your supervisors or managers and may never be used to make decisions regarding your employment.

Your health information will not be sold, exchanged, transferred, or otherwise disclosed except to the extent permitted by law to carry out specific activities related to the wellness program, and you will not be asked or required to waive the confidentiality of your health information as a condition of participating in the wellness program or receiving an incentive. Anyone who receives your information for purposes of providing you services as part of the wellness program will abide by the same confidentiality requirements. The personally identifiable health information that Cigna and “MotivateMe” receive will only be used in order to provide you with services under the wellness program.

In addition, all medical information obtained through the wellness program will be maintained separate from your personnel records, and no information you provide as part of the wellness program will be used in making any employment decision. Although no one can prevent all cyber-attacks, Cigna has an information security program considering of people, process, and technology – including encryption and monitoring tools designed to protect electronic information. We maintain safeguards intended to protect the security of your information. In the event a data breach, as defined by law, occurs involving information you provide in connection with the wellness program, we will notify you as required by law.

You may not be discriminated against in employment because of the medical information you provide as part of participating in the wellness program, nor may you be subjected to retaliation if you choose not to participate.

If you have questions or concerns regarding this notice, or about protections against discrimination and retaliation, please contact Melissa Futrell, Human Resources Director at 252-232-3228 x 4026.