Health Screening

Mr. Weeks sent out this reminder today:
Team –

This email is a friendly reminder that employee subscribers to one of the City’s Cigna Health Plans must complete an annual health assessment by Sunday, September 30, 2012, or pay an additional $25 a month on health contributions beginning in November 2012. Currently, 50% of HPL’s Cigna health plan participants have completed the health assessment for 2012. Hopefully, more participants will complete this assessment to avoid the surcharge. Last year, 2011, HPL had a 99% participation rate. We would like to accomplish this high percentile rate again this year. Biometric numbers needed to complete the assessment are; blood pressure, total and HDL cholesterol, weight and height, and waist circumference.

If you have missed out on previous biometric screenings opportunities, there are still two more free events you can register for to obtain your biometric numbers as listed here.

Thursday, September 20 (6a-6p)
Houston Police Officer Union Hall
1600 State Street
Wednesday, September 26 (6a-6p)
611 Walker
4th Floor Civil Service Conference Room

You can register today online at http://wellnessevent.kelsey-seybold.com/COH. Time slots are filling up fast.

Once you have your biometric numbers you will need to log on www.mycigna.com to complete your health assessment. If you have forgot your Cigna username or password, call 800.284.8346. Attached is a flyer that have more information about completion of the health assessment. If you need more information or help in getting the assessment completed please contact the COH Wellness Connection at 713.837.9364, wconnection@houstontx.gov, or Gwen Walter at 832.393.1679 gwen.walter@houstontx.gov.

Thanks,

Laurie

Rio Grande Valley

Hi!

Some library systems are converting abandoned buildings into amazing libraries. I think it is the ultimate in recycling!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/03/abandoned-walmart-turned-into-_n_1647574.html#slide=1181560

When you see a new idea or trend, please share it with us!!
Thanks,
Mary

Brainfuse Training

Registration is now open for the Brainfuse training. This 1 ½ hour training session will be offered next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (September 19th – 21st) and is mandatory for all Frontline Public Services Staff**.

Supervisors, please use the attached spreadsheet to register the staff members in your unit or grouping. Please make all changes and updates in RED and submit electronically to HPL Training (hpltraining@houstontx.gov) using a subject line of “Brainfuse – Unit or Grouping Name.” Be sure to provide each employee’s Last Name, First Name in the spreadsheet. We should receive 1 completed spreadsheet for each unit or NL grouping.

Here’s the schedule at a glance:

Wednesday, September 19th from 9:15am – 3:00pm: PAR
9:15am-10:45am 1st session
11:00am-12:30pm 2nd session
1:30pm-3:00pm 3rd session

Thursday, September 20st from 9:15am – 3:00pm: JUN
9:15am-10:45am 1st session
11:00am-12:30pm 2nd session
1:30pm-3:00pm 3rd session

Friday, September 21st from 8:30am – 4:30pm: CEN Concourse
8:30am-10:00am 1st session
10:15am-11:45am 2nd session
1:15pm-2:45pm 3rd session
3:00pm-4:30pm 4th session

Please provide HPL Training with your registrations no later than Friday, September 14th at 5pm. Be sure to spread your registration requests evenly across all of the available days.

Questions may be addressed to Leilany Vazquez at 832-393-1675 (Leilany.vazquez@houstontx.gov) or Suzy Benton at 832-393-1505 (suzy.benton@houstontx.gov).

Additional web training may be available, but try to send as many people as you can to the in person training next week.

Thanks,

Laurie

Friends - Children's Booksale postponed

On September 7th, several local news agencies incorrectly reported that Houston Public Library had received a donation of books from a home in The Woodlands that was quarantined for a possible hantavirus exposure, and that up to 20% of the books had been distributed to children and families.

Here are the facts:

1. The books in question were donated to the Friends of the Houston Public Library, an independent non-profit organization that exists to support the Houston Public Library through the sale of used and/or donated books.

2. The books were never in the possession of HPL, and our collection was not exposed to the books.

3. The Friends reacted immediately upon learning of the possible exposure, isolating as many of the books as possible at their warehouse. Upon advice of local infectious disease specialists, the Friends have closed the warehouse and suspended operations there pending an investigation by the City's Department of Health and Human Services.

4. None of the books in question were distributed by the Friends.

5. No other books from the Friends' warehouse have been distributed since the Woodlands books arrived at the warehouse.


The Friends and HPL Communications staff have worked to contact local news organizations to correct the story, with some success.

Still, you might have some customers today who saw the stories last night, and not the corrections. If so, please use the information in this email to ease any concerns.

Finally, the Friends has taken the proactive step to postpone their upcoming Children's Book Sale, which was scheduled for September 21 and 22. Please remove all promotional materials for this sale and return them to the Print Shop.

Please let your Team Leader or Coordinator of Extended Hours know if you have any questions-
Thanks.
Mary

CMC Campaign

Who are the dream makers?

We are asking that every location select a unit CMC coordinator to be a part of the Dream Team. The unit CMC Coordinator is responsible for distributing CMC materials and information, coordinating CMC fundraising efforts for your location, totaling participation and monetary contributions, and securing all funds until they are turned in. Please forward the name of your Dream Team member to Belinda Cox (ext. 31682); or Leilany Vazquez (ext. 31675)by Friday, September 14th.

We thank all of you for working to make dreams a possibility in our communities.

Thanks.
Mary

Hi

Thanks to those that responded and have already signed up for this initiative. For those of you still thinking about this, your daily walk to and from lunch or, your walk around the library while helping customers counts!!! This should be fun and even a good team building exercise. Please consider! I’d love to have 100% participation in Neighborhood Libraries. NL Administration has signed up to participate as a group for this wellness initiative. Let us all work together to increase the number of participants. I have also attached Gwen's email below for reference.

Looking forward to positive responses from Neighborhood Libraries..........

Shammi

Hello All,

Hopefully, everyone has had an opportunity to review the information about the

wellness initiative and friendly competition that HPL is currently participating in

for the next three months called, “Get Fit on Route 66”, HPL vs. Parks. The

start date of this initiative is Monday, September 10, 2012.

We will all virtually be in Chicago, Illinois next Monday! Yay!

I am pleased to celebrate the 53 HPL Staffers who have all ready registered.

Thank You All Very Much! The 25 HPL Staffers who registered during the

HPL Biometric screening event on August 24, 2016, will receive a Wellness

T-shirt this week for their early bird response!

The entire staff at Stella Link Library has sent in their registration forms.

Thanks, Patrick Atkins!

These Stella Link staff members will receive a wellness gift bag treat this week,

courtesy of the COH Wellness Dept. Your group can be the next entire team

to register! We still have wellness treats to give away to whole group/staff

registration participants.

Currently, the Parks Dept. is leading us in registered participants.

Therefore, it is imperative that we accelerated our actions. If you have not registered,

please do so today. Send completed registration forms to me via interoffice mail

or email them to me at gwen.walter@houstontx.gov.

REMEMBER, We Are In It - to Win It! We can be successful in this Wellness Initiative.

It is an “easy to do” fabulous program. All we have to do is; walk, write and win.

WALK

All registered participants will receive their registration packet and pedometers

this week. When you receive your pedometers we ask you to wear them daily as

you track your steps.

WRITE

1. Pocket Log Cards - All library locations and groups will receive a supply of

pocket logs this week. Record your daily steps on this card.

2. Review how to earn “Bonus Steps” on the Route 66 Brochure. Participate in

Bonus Step activities. Record these points on your tally pocket card. Total

your points on your card for the week, Monday through Sunday.

3. Every Monday send your pocket logs to me via interoffice mail for tallying.

You can also email me a copy of your log entrees as well. Our scores will

be tallied by our COH.HR Wellness Team and published every Thursday.

Pocket Log Cards are due for the month of September on …

· September 17, 2012

· September 24, 2012

WIN

ü Improved Health

ü Bragging Rights over the Parks Dept.

ü Our Claim to Wellness Fame 2012!

TRACKING OUR PROGRESS

Every Library location will receive a ROUTE 66 Map Poster and be able track our

progress in this “no holds barred” competition. As our weekly totals are published,

you can track HPL’s progress on your locations’ Route 66 map poster. Thank you

in advance for participating in this life changing event. If you need more information

contact the COH Wellness Connection at 713.837.9364, wconnection@houstontx.gov,

or Gwen Walter at 832.393.1679 gwen.walter@houstontx.gov.

Kind Regards,

Gwen Walter

HPL Safety & Wellness

832.393.1679

This message was approved for library system wide distribution by Library Administration Deputy Director,

Roosevelt Weeks.

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