Ceridian LifeWorks to Support Psychological Health Services for the National Guard
MINNEAPOLIS (October 22, 2008) – Ceridian LifeWorks, a leading provider of behavioral health services to commercial, government and military organizations, announced that the company, in a teaming agreement with Zeitgeist Wellness Group, was awarded a contract to support psychological health services for the 600,000 National Guard members and their families throughout the U.S. and its territories in the Pacific Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The contract became effective on September 18.
Ceridian LifeWorks and Zeitgeist Wellness Group will provide coordinated psychological and optional health services to support the National Guard Bureau’s vision to be relevant, reliable, ready and accessible. With National Guard members geographically dispersed and seldom within the catchment area of military treatment facilities, this new program will address the unique challenges. Services will include assessment, direct 24/7/365 telephone access to Directors of Psychological Health, mental health resource identification and referral, communication of applicable benefits and other counseling services within state/territory and military framework. Ceridian LifeWorks will also provide case management services, follow-up services, commander consultation services and training, guard member orientation, wellness education and critical incident management services.
“We are honored to support the National Guard vision, and we understand that this program is one of the proposed solutions to the findings in the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health, June 2007 Report,” said Cherie Zadlo, Vice President, Ceridian LifeWorks Military Programs. “With experience providing the Department of Defense’s Military OneSource program and the Joint Family Support Assistance Program consultants, Ceridian LifeWorks will be able to draw on our extensive experience serving the military members and their families.”
Ceridian LifeWorks will work with other National Guard joint programs, such as Transition Assistant Advisors already in J1 Offices, Wounded Warrior Program, Family Support Centers, TRICARE, Veterans Administration and Yellow Ribbon Program, to provide seamless support for all National Guard members. Since 2003, Ceridian LifeWorks has provided similar services to the Department of Defense’s Military OneSource (MOS). MOS currently serves 2.8 million active duty, National Guard and Reserve Service members and their families.
About the National Guard Bureau’s Psychological Health Services
The National Guard Bureau’s Psychological Health Services (PHS) is a comprehensive service designed to assist in all efforts to resolve a continuum of mental health concerns from mild adjustment disorders to more severe conditions such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Overall goals of PHS include:
* Providing high quality services that are National Guard member specific, friendly and comprehensive, while increasing state/territory utilization rates to promote National Guard member readiness.
* Assisting program managers and supervisors to improve National Guard member’s readjustment to civilian life by managing professional services and/or overseeing an individual’s mental health needs.
* Providing consultation and support to help address organizational and individual health care situations that have a detrimental effect on National Guard member’s reintegration to civilian life.
* Offering consultative guidance and support to state and territory National Guard senior management on state specific mental health needs based on Guard member demographics and mental health status.
* Providing National Guard oriented mental health training throughout the full spectrum of the deployment cycle.
Source: Ceridian
