The Binghamton University Employee Assistance Program (EAP) continues to be active with strategic initiatives to benefit university employees, retirees, and their families.  EAP offers confidential assessment and referral counseling for both personal and work related issues.  The overarching goal of EAP is to make a positive impact on the health and well being of individuals to support a healthy and productive workplace.  EAP remains a voluntary and confidential service for the university community workforce.

EAP program referral and assistance contacts numbered 342 contacts for January-December 2007. This includes all primary, follow-up and consultation meetings.  EAP has strived for efficiency by focusing on increasing primary (first time EAP client) referrals in 2007 while attempting to limit the number of follow up sessions with EAP clients.  EAP has been successful in this pursuit and will continue to streamline client counseling time in the coming year. This allows the EAP staff to balance time on broadening EAP programming and focused collaboration with other campus entities.  Appendix A summarizes overall monthly program usage.

In 2007, our on-going noontime wellness programs reached 1423 participants. Large group venues such as spring and fall health benefit fairs as well as the popular employee flu vaccine clinic granted EAP opportunity to interface with over 1,000 faculty and staff members.  Medium sized programs such as the third shift “America on the Move” had 60 on-going participants as did a new and popular program of “Cooking with Chef” had 63 attendees.   Noontime wellness programs were also popular as they addressed more specific topics and issues, including specific programming on men’s issues and health. Appendix B summarizes EAP’s community wellness and outreach programs.

Attendees at our wellness programs express satisfaction and find great value in the programs offered.  EAP continues to be innovative and creative in partnering with Office of Campus Recreation, the University Counseling Center, and the Center for Quality, University Ombudsman, Sodexho, Eating Awareness Committee and other campus entities as well as uses our broad network of community resources.  In November 2007, EAP joined the on-campus Professional Development and Training committee.  With this formally structured partnership we predict increased program publicity and further successes in 2008 programming for the campus community.

The EAP committee meets on a monthly basis and has representatives from all campus divisions and labor unions.  Sarah Maximiek, UUP Faculty representative serves as EAP committee chair and Nancy Wolf, PEF representative is EAP Vice -Chair. The committee list is found in Appendix C of this report.  EAP is happy to report that we have a full and participative committee which represents all administrative areas and all union represented divisions on campus.  The Binghamton University EAP committee is the longest standing joint management-labor committee on campus.

The strategic plan (Appendix D) is the road map for our direction and our objectives are measured and evaluated bi-annually.  This plan, created with assistance from the Center for Quality in 2003, has added clarity and solid direction for our program.

EAP has received support from the university for our additional office space and for allocated funds for a work study student. A dedicated Library Resource area is located in LSG 672. EAP now has a professional suite of three offices dedicated to the needs of the university workforce.   EAP was also funded $1000 for a work study student to assist the EAP staff on a regular basis.  Lucy Hernandez has critical in assisting the EAP staff maintain files and update local referral resources.

The EAP model is one of empowerment.  EAP encourages individuals to take responsibility for their health and well being and offers support in positive behavioral change.  Common personal or family related referral assistance may include drug and alcohol rehabilitation and education, mental health referrals, marital and relationship counseling, local resources for eldercare, childcare, legal or financial assistance.  EAP is also instrumental in assisting supervisors deal with workplace issues and employee referrals. 

In the past year, EAP has made significant gains and increases in program availability to faculty and staff within the university community and looks forward to another banner year in 2008.

Respectfully submitted,

Diane S. Campbell
Employee Assistance Program
January 8, 2007