True or False?
- BJC EAP is only for employees with problems.
- Your supervisor or manager will find out if you use EAP's services.
Answer: Both statements are false, says Jackie Gilliland, MSW, LCSW, director. But, she says, both are common misconceptions about EAP.
"Employees can use EAP as a resource for a wide variety of reasons," Gilliland says. "EAP isn't just for employees' personal problems or work problems -- and all information is kept strictly confidential as enforced through HIPAA, as well as the credibility of the managers and staff of each BJC EAP office."
EAP offers services addressing marital issues, mental health, family and parenting issues, alcohol and substance abuse, loss and grief, stress management, personal performance and goal setting, wellness and lifestyle consultation, childcare, eldercare and college planning. Any employee or member of an employee's household can use EAP for up to six visits, then a referral to a specialist can be arranged, if needed.
"BJC EAP is the premier employee assistance program in the metropolitan St. Louis area and has more than 40 years of proven success and consistent growth," says Gilliland, who has worked in the mental health field for 30 years, 15 of those years at BJC.
Gilliland says EAP is the provider of choice for more than 60 employer organizations and over 40,000 employees and their families. "EAP has successfully implemented programs in all employment settings, private and public sectors, including health care, industrial, financial, educational, governmental and retail," she says. "As one of the largest local EAPs in the metropolitan area, BJC EAP provides high-quality, comprehensive services."
Gilliland says BJC EAP's 2013 client satisfaction surveys reveal a 98 percent satisfaction rate with the clinical services provided. "We are pleased to say that our mission, vision and values guide our work," she says. "EAP's vision is partnerships that create communities of hope, charged with opportunities for people from all walks of life to successfully build and pursue their dreams."
BJC EAP has 7 metropolitan offices and 23 contract offices in outlying areas. EAP offices can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A division of BJC Behavioral Health, BJC EAP is a non-profit organization founded in 1972 through Christian Hospital, the first health care provider to implement an EAP in the St. Louis region.
For more information, call 314.747.7490 or toll-free 888.505.6444.