{"id":17411,"date":"2019-11-05T10:00:19","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T15:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benefitscanada.com\/news\/how-one-niagara-casinos-worker-advocated-for-continuous-glucose-monitoring-coverage-138331"},"modified":"2019-11-05T10:00:19","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T15:00:19","slug":"how-one-niagara-casinos-employee-advocated-for-continuous-glucose-monitoring-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/2019\/11\/05\/how-one-niagara-casinos-employee-advocated-for-continuous-glucose-monitoring-coverage\/","title":{"rendered":"How one Niagara Casinos employee advocated for continuous glucose monitoring coverage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"56707217_123RF\" <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Martha Porado<\/span> | November 5, 2019 <\/p>\n

When it came to asking his employers to add continuous glucose monitoring to its benefits package, John Whitehead, a level-two food server at Niagara Casinos, went all in.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s had type 1 diabetes for years, and lived through many technological developments to help manage his condition. While he says blood glucose monitoring represented a major improvement, it still left some things to be desired.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great tool, but it still is so limiting because it gives me a number, but where\u2019s that number going? Is it going up? Is it going down? And is it going up or down slowly or rapidly? [That] makes a big difference, especially if I\u2019m about to get into a car and drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blood glucose monitoring gives patients with diabetes a snapshot of their current glucose levels a few times a day, while continuous glucose monitoring is more akin to a movie, says Whitehead. That\u2019s why he decided to approach his employer about adding continuous glucose monitoring to its benefits package.<\/p>\n

Read: A look at the newest innovative medications for diabetes management<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Right away, he encountered a challenge. Niagara Casinos had just updated its benefits plan for the year and the changes had been communicated to staff, so Whitehead had almost a full year to prepare his arguments. When the human resources team got a look at what he prepared, they were highly impressed.<\/p>\n

Whitehead didn\u2019t simply ask for the new benefit, says Colleen Falco, vice-president of human resources at Niagara Casinos, he asked to make a presentation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went in with a completely open mind,\u201d she says. \u201cWe had done some preliminary analysis and knew that the costs were extremely high based on what we thought take-up might be for the plan. But when we heard from John . . . he delivered so much data, but from a strong business case. He put together a narrative around the benefit to the employer, and he focused a lot on the cost savings from an absenteeism perspective and how the cost of the benefit . . . would pay for itself readily by having reduced absenteeism overall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whitehead outlined other benefits. He brought in a colleague who cared for a child who also had type 1 diabetes, which added pathos to the weight of his argument.<\/p>\n

Read: Managing diabetes in the new era of glucose monitoring technology<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

As well, he said continuous glucose monitoring would play a significant role in allowing him to do his job better. If he were in the middle of a shift and was able to be forewarned about a problem with his insulin or sugar levels, it could help prevent a serious reaction, or even simply help him feel his best so he could bring his full self to the task at hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to freeze at work, where I\u2019d literally become almost like a statue because my body would just stop working because I had such a low blood sugar. I couldn\u2019t do my job,\u201d says Whitehead. \u201cAnd as a proud man, that is so heartbreaking, not being able to do my job. . . . All these things happened, until CGM came into my life and now it\u2019s never happened. I\u2019ve never once had a day where I had to stop work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The journey towards adding continuous glucose monitoring to the benefits plan was a great example of management and employees working as one team, says Falco.<\/p>\n

Indeed, she says, after Whitehead made his case, it took some serious advocacy for the company\u2019s insurer to consider adding the service. Niagara Casinos experienced a fair amount of pushback from the beginning, she says, but now the treatment is becoming a more standard offering among insurer. Currently, the company shares the cost of the treatment with the employees who are using it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look in hindsight, when a benefit is added and a decision is made, and whether it has netted out as you\u2019d hoped or anticipated . . . it\u2019s one of those moments where you know you\u2019re making a difference as an employer in the lives of your employees,\u201d says Falco.<\/p>\n

Read: How employers can support staff with diabetes-related hypoglycemia<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the full article at BenefitsCanada.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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