• Newsletter Survey Results & Budget Planner Winners
• Taking Care of an Important Organ: Your Skin
• Rise, Shine & Wear Sunscreen Giveaway
• Wellness Points Made Simple
• Hootie's Recipe Corner: 5-Ingredient Banana Smoothie
• Employee Benefits: Who We Are & How We Can Help You
  

Nearly 100 employees took the time to take our survey, and we thank you for that. We are still going through the feedback but included some early highlights below:

• 77% prefer the newsletter monthly.

• The top 3 topics of interest included Financial Wellness, Mental Health, and Smart Use of Benefits.

• You specifically asked for some "How-To" examples on different benefit scenarios and would love to hear some personal testimonials from fellow employees.

• Areas we can look at for improvement include easier viewing with more links and including reference lists of important insurance contacts.

• Prizes are a hit, so check out another giveaway later in the newsletter!

Winners of the Clever Fox Budget Planners are listed below. Thank you for your feedback! Your prize will be sent by inter-office mail to you this week! We hope that you enjoy it and that it helps you along in your financial wellness path.

• Angela Schoelwer - SSC
• Brianna Fibelkorn - Hyde Elementary
• Cierra Sauls - Jefferson Elementary
• Danielle Toothman - Enders Elementary
• Gail Keller-Cox - Gardiner Elementary
• Jennifer Jackson - SSC
• Joshua Beck - Mayberry Fine Arts
• Katie Mendez - Gammon Elementary
• Kim Isherwood - Northwest High
• Marah McKissick - Northeast Magnet High
• Marla Martin - Heights High
• Muriel Love - Isely Traditional Magnet
• Peter Jonathan Reimers - East High
• Tawnya Glover - Enterprise Elementary
  
• Tyler Demel - AMAC

We don't often think of the skin as an organ of the body, but it makes up 16% of our overall body. It protects us from a variety of harmful factors in the environment, regulates our body temperature, and stores water and fat.

One easy way we can help care for our skin is by using sunscreen. Sunscreen is actually important all year as we can easily get burned on a day that is not hot by being in the rays too long and not even realizing burning is a possibility. Even people enjoying the ski slopes can get a burn. As the summer months approach though, sunscreen becomes even more important with stronger rays and burns happening at a faster rate.

One severe burn in your lifetime increases your risks for developing skin cancer.

Suffering five or more severe sunburns doubles your risk for melanoma which is the most serious form of skin cancer.

Hootie cares about your skin, and so should you! Keep these tips in mind to stay sun-smart:

• Limit your time in the direct sun, especially during peak hours of 10 AM to 4 PM.
• Always use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and reapply as needed.
• If swimming, look for a waterproof sunscreen.
• Wear a hat with a broad rim to protect your face, front and back of neck, and ears. The back of your neck and your ears are areas often forgotten with sunscreen or protection that can easily suffer burns.

VIDEO TO CHECK OUT: CAN YOU SPOT THE EFFECT OF SUN DAMAGE?

For some additional education about your skin, UMR has provided this video to help you look for unusual changes on your skin that can be caused by sun damage. Early detection and prevention is so important: Can You Spot the Effect of Sun Damage?

FREE SKIN CANCER SCREENING CLINIC - SATURDAY, MAY 6TH

Provided by Wichita Area Dermatologists - No Appointment Necessary & Open to All Ages

WHERE: KU School of Medicine - Wichita

1010 N. Kansas

I-35 & 8th/9th St. Exit

East Entrance

WHEN: Saturday, May 6th from 8 AM - 12 PM

For More Information, call (316)777-6104

Article Sources: www.healthline.com

health center on www.umr.com

www.ksn.com/news - Free Skin Cancer Screening

We have some really cool hats to give away this month: the two pictured above are just a few examples of what we have in Hootie's prize bag. Use the link below to enter for a chance to win a sun hat with UV protection and a bottle of sunscreen with SPF of 70. Hootie cares about your sun safety this summer.

Please note that this prize giveaway has a shorter window so we can draw prizes while school is still in session and have time to get prizes to any winners before some of our employees are off contract for the summer. Prizes will be drawn the morning of Thursday, May 11th so be sure to get your entry in no later than May 10th.

Click here to be entered for the prize drawing: Rise, Shine, Wear Sunscreen Giveaway

Wichita Public School Employees,

More detailed information will be mailed this summer and with open enrollment communications this fall, but we wanted to share the good news. We will be simplifying the wellness discount process in preparation for the upcoming 2024 benefit year with benefits beginning 01/01/2024.

During open enrollment this fall, if you enroll in one of the district medical plans, you and your covered spouse, if applicable, will be asked to certify if either option below is true and if so, you will be awarded the wellness discount for 2024.

1. You have completed screenings between 9/1/22 – 08/31/23 that equal 100 points (from the same list of wellness screenings we have been using) OR
2. You have completed both an annual exam with complete bloodwork with your primary care provider AND have had an annual vision exam between 9/1/22 and 8/31/23.

At the close of open enrollment, Employee Benefits will perform a random sample audit and validate the screenings were completed. If we are unable to verify the screenings, you will be given the opportunity to provide backup documentation by the stated deadline. If documentation is not received or the screenings are unable to be confirmed, the wellness discount will be removed, and you will begin paying the additional premium beginning no later than 04/01/2024.

Unless you are notified by Employee Benefits, you will not have to upload wellness documentation.

Beginning with the wellness period from 9/1/23 - 8/31/24 for the 2025 benefit year, you will only need to complete one of the options below to get the wellness discount for the 2025 benefit year that begins 01/01/2025:

1. Annual physical exam with complete bloodwork with your primary care provider OR
2. Annual vision exam
   

All preventative screenings will continue to be covered at 100% with in-network providers. We encourage you to take advantage of these free screenings to keep you healthy and hopefully provide early detection of more serious issues.

Ingredients:

2 small bananas or 1 large

1 cup ice

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 Tbsp flaxseed

2 tsp honey

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Hootie's Tip

If you need more protein or are just a peanut butter and banana fan like Elvis, swap out the flaxseed for 1/8 tsp of vanilla and 1/8 tsp of cinnamon and bump the almond milk up to 1 cup. Add 2 Tbps of peanut butter and blend.