Frequently asked questions about Eastern Health’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP).

What is EFAP? The Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) within Eastern Health is a short-term employee benefit program. It provides CONFIDENTIAL, professional assessment, referral, and follow-up services to assist employees and their family members experiencing personal problems that could be associated with their home or work life or a combination of the two.  The goal of the EFAP is to enhance the health and wellness of our employees. We want our employees to be healthy and able to focus on their job duties without the distractions that can occur when you are having difficulty coping with life’s obstacles.

What services does it provide? The EFAP provides assessment, referral and follow-up services to our employees. Some of the areas that Employee and Family Assistance provides assistance in are: Mental Health concerns, Addictions, Grief/Loss, Stress Management , Family concerns, Relationship concerns, Financial concerns, Coping with Illness,  and Critical Incident Stress Management(CISM).

As a casual employee can I access the program? Yes. The EFAP is a Regional Program and is available to all employees, physicians, contract service employees, volunteers and immediate family members of employees in all areas of Eastern Health. The way that the program works is that the employee would make contact with either one of the two Employee and Family Assistance Coordinators or the Site Referral Agent for their area to request services through the program. The EFAP Coordinator or Site Referral Agent provide an intake assessment, makes suggestions for options available that may assist the employee or family member and, based on the employee’s choice, sets-up a referral to professional helping agencies in the community. Follow-up services may be provided dependent on the situation.

Do I have to tell my manager that I am accessing EFAP? No.

The cornerstone and most important element of the program is CONFIDENTIALITY. The Employee and Family Assistance Coordinators and Site Referral Agents do everything within their power to ensure the confidentiality of the information shared by the employee and family. Information is not released without the written consent of the employee unless confidentiality must be breeched due to provincial or federal legislation (ex. employee discloses intention to harm themselves or others).

If I have questions regarding the Eastern Health’s EFAP who should I ask?

You can contact one of the two Regional EFAP Coordinators or your area’s Site Referral Agent.

Regional Coordinators:

Lori Hewitt – # 570-2237 Long-Term Care/ Community/Rural Avalon

Kathy Taylor-Rogers - # 777-3153City Hospitals/ Peninsulas

Site Referral Agents:

Debbie Dawe -# 709-945-5441 Rural Avalon

Sheila Lynch - # 709-891-3465 Burin Peninsula

Paula Mouland - # 709-468-5286 Bonavista

Teena Noseworthy - # 709-466-5229 Clarenville

Regina Walsh - # 709-777-3179 St. Clare’s Site