Texting with HLMS: A Short FAQ

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Healthy Living has been offering a texting contact choice and refill option for a long time to customers. This is another way that we strive to make life simpler for our patients! Here are a few common questions we receive about texting - and hopefully some very helpful answers!

WHAT NUMBER SHOULD I USE TO TEXT HEALTHY LIVING?

Please text us at (248)577-9903 if you have questions. To text with a live agent, please use the same number: (248)577-9903. (You will see your regular refill notification texts come from (313)329-6400. You may also receive a text messages from Healthy Living Medical Supply from one of these alternate numbers: (313)306-8850 or (313)558-8328.)

Refill Notifications:

HOW MANY DAYS BEFORE MY SCHEDULED ORDER DATE DO YOU SEND THE REFILL REMINDERS?

We typically send out text message notifications two to four days before your order is scheduled to ship out. Being a few days ahead allows us to ensure timely delivery of your supplies so you never run out. As a backup to this system, we encourage customers to text us at (248)577-9903 when they have 10 days of supplies remaining.

WHAT IF I RECEIVE A REFILL NOTIFICATION BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT SUPPLIES I’M DUE FOR?

The best option would be to reply OTHER to the initial refill text. The system will then prompt you for a question/comment. You may also do this by replying APPROVE to the initial refill notification, being sure to ask your question after you receive the street address verification text. Either way, an agent will respond to you with a breakdown of the supplies you are scheduled to receive and you can then pick and choose the ones you currently need.

HOW DO TEXT REFILL NOTIFICATIONS WORK IF I HAVE BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OR MEDICARE?

For Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicare members, you’ll receive a refill notification letting you know that you have an order due. You may reply with one of the following options: APPROVE, DECLINE, or OTHER.

  • If you reply APPROVE, you will be asked if you have fewer than 10 days of supplies on hand. If you answer YES, you will receive a message validating your current shipping address. If this address is NOT correct or you have any other questions, please reply and an agent will get back to you as soon as possible.

  • If you reply NO when asked if you have fewer than 10 days of supplies on hand the system will respond with a question asking you to estimate how many days of supplies you have remaining. Please reply with the number of days so we can set up your supply order to go out accordingly.

  • If you reply DECLINE to the initial refill notification, the system will send you a message back saying we’ll move your order back a few weeks but that you may text us at any time if you need your supplies sooner. Please reply to this message if your doctor has changed or if you have a change of address.

  • If you reply OTHER to the initial notification you will be asked if you have a question or a comment. Please reply with your question or comment and an agent will follow up with you as soon as possible.

HOW DO TEXT REFILL NOTIFICATIONS WORK IF I HAVE A DIFFERENT INSURANCE BESIDES BLUE CROSS OR MEDICARE?

  • You’ll receive an initial refill notification where you are asked to respond with APPROVE, DECLINE, or OTHER.

  • If you reply APPROVE, you’ll receive a reply letting you know the street address we will ship the supplies to. If this street address is NOT correct, please reply with the updated address information, including city, state and zip. You may also ask a question at this point and an agent will get back to you. For example, you may ask, “What supplies am I due for?” after approving your order, and an agent will respond.

  • If you reply DECLINE to the initial refill notification, the system will send you a message back saying we’ll move your order back a few weeks, but you may text us at any time if you need your supplies sooner.

  • If you reply OTHER to the initial notification, you will be asked if you have a question or a comment. Please reply with your question or comment and an agent will follow up with you as soon as possible.

Other Texting Details:

MAY I TEXT A QUESTION OR COMMENT REGARDING MY ORDER EVEN THOUGH I DIDN’T RECEIVE A REFILL NOTIFICATION?

Yes, you can always text us at (248)577-9903, keeping in mind that our Customer Care Team is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. EST, with limited after-hours and weekend support.

MAY I SUBMIT PAYMENT INFORMATION VIA TEXT MESSAGING?

No. While our text messaging system is encrypted and secure, we advise against submitting credit card information via text. It is best to utilize our online, secure patient payment portal, or you may call us with your credit card information.

CAN I TEXT PICTURES WITH MY QUESTIONS?

Yes, it is often helpful for our members to text in photos of their meter, pump, or other supplies for troubleshooting purposes. You may also text in a photo of your insurance card if you change insurance providers.

MAY I TEXT IN MY NEW ADDRESS OR CONTACT INFORMATION?

Absolutely - if you move or change phone numbers, please text the new information to us as soon as possible to make sure we are sending your supplies to the correct address.

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We look forward to texting with you soon! For now, have a beautiful day!

Check This Out: “Imagine 288 Fingersticks a Day”

I came to rely on my CGM as my personal blood sugar “GPS.”
- Michael Hattori

Image credit: FreeStyle Libre (www.freestyle.abbott)

Image credit: FreeStyle Libre (www.freestyle.abbott)

The purpose of this post is actually to introduce you to an awesome article from diaTribe about the life-changing effects of CGM for a nurse who discovered he was living with type 2 diabetes. Read the article here. He used the power and knowledge provided by CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) to change his health strategy and outlook and overall diabetes management, putting his type 2 diabetes into remission. Read his own words. I love this article; it is an amazing testimony to the experiential learning opportunities and health benefits provided by using a CGM!

Welcome to Autopay & Our Patient Portal

At Healthy Living, we are always taking steps to make life easier for our customers. We work hard to make it simple to contact us, and we do as much of the necessary legwork as possible when it comes to communication with your health care and insurance providers. As we continuously strive to improve, a natural progression has been to offer a Patient Portal with a new Autopay option. This self-service tool allows you to enjoy 24/7 access to view and pay your invoices through a convenient, safe, and secure environment, with no additional cost. Here's how it works!

OUR PATIENT PORTAL

To pay your bill, please visit our Patient Portal. Have your account number and invoice number nearby. On our portal you can securely make payments and store multiple credit cards (including HSA/FSA cards) to use to pay deductibles, copays, and other related charges as necessary. Learn more about registering for the Patient Portal here.

HLMS AUTOPAY OPTION

Getting started with Autopay is easy! Just ask a rep to send you an invitation via email OR send you a code for registering at the site (press the red "Register via code" button at the site if the code option is chosen).

Why use Autopay? Keep life simple and never miss a payment. When enabled in the system, you will receive an invoice notification after your order ships and the claim has been processed by the insurance plan(s) we have on file. Twenty days after receiving the invoice, the default credit card stored on file in the bill pay system will then be charged. This 20-day period allows you to change or update your credit card before the charge goes through. By selecting email as your invoice delivery option, you will ensure timely receipt of any balance due.

The system also allows you to update your mailing address, email, and phone number on file. You can view past statements for any payments made via the portal and download these statements in PDF format.

CHECK IT OUT!

As you can see, our Patient Portal system is a great way to streamline bill pay for your diabetes supplies with Healthy Living! Give it a shot, or contact us with any questions!

Shipping and Tracking with HLMS

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Okay! Your order has been placed. Are you wondering when you will receive your supplies? Here’s a little more information about Healthy Living’s shipping system and how we provide tracking notifications.

Our shipping service is noted for being fast, efficient, and reliable. Shipments will go out the same day from our Detroit, Michigan warehouse if the order has been received and processed prior to 3:30 p.m. We work with multiple carriers to ensure prompt and careful delivery to your home.

How can I track my package?

To track your order, the most important step is to make sure you have a valid email attached to your profile. Tracking information is automatically sent out via email to customers with an email address on file.

You will receive a shipping confirmation email with the tracking number the evening your order goes out. If you don't receive this email, please contact us the next day. You may also send a text message with your name and the word "TRACK" to 248.577.9903 to track your order.

To make things simple, we highly encourage our customers to provide their email address to their customer care agent at the time their order is placed. You can also call us anytime to have your email address linked to your account at 866.779.8512. Happy tracking!

Confidentiality & Compliance

You Can Trust Us.
With your health. With your care. With your information.

Rest assured, your medical information will always remain confidential. Other than the standard data we exchange with your doctor or insurance provider, the law prohibits the release of patient information to any other business, person, or entity, and we will always honor and respect your privacy.

Privacy of medical information and the protection of patient privacy is an essential component of Healthy Living's vision to be the diabetes supply provider of choice for patients and providers. Our staff members receive annual training regarding patient privacy and are required to pass tests on HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and PHI (Private Health Information).

Compliance.

We’re committed to providing our patients, customers, and employees with the highest level of business ethics, accountability, and compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Healthy Living Medical Supply follows compliance recommendations developed by its accreditation agency, Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) and other compliance best-practice organizations.

Looking for more details? Visit our Compliance page for more information and our Notice of Privacy Practices.

Speaking Out for Vaccine Prioritization for People with T1D & T2D

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As COVID-19 vaccines become available, are you wondering how people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes will be prioritized? This is actually something that many people are asking and many advocacy groups are currently addressing. Here is information about the current status of eligibility and prioritization, as it relates to diabetes, from Diabetes Mine:

Unfortunately, as of early January, the CDC seemed to view type 2 diabetes (T2D) differently than T1D as far as prioritizing COVID-19 vaccine access. People with T2D are categorized as “at increased risk” of more severe illness, according to 2019 CDC dataTrusted Source, considered the “strongest and most consistent evidence.” Those with T1D, however, simply “might be at an increased risk” for severe illness, based on dataTrusted Source that’s considered “limited evidence.”

In the meantime, a growing collection of clinical data shows that T1Ds are indeed at increased risk of more severe COVID-19 outcomes. More recent clinical evidence demonstrates that COVID-19 severity is more than tripled in individuals with T1D. More from the American Diabetes Association:

Currently, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices – whose recommendations influence the order in which states are making vaccines are available – classify T1D as a lower risk than T2D for COVID-19. With many states now utilizing the same outdated CDC risk classification to design their vaccine distribution plans some 1.6 million with T1D are at risk for receiving a COVID vaccination later than others in the same risk category.

On January 13, nineteen diabetes organizations signed a letter urging the CDC to immediately prioritize T1D alongside T2D given the common, heightened risk both groups face for the most severe health outcomes of COVID-19. “As the data make clear, differentiating between T1D and T2D for purposes of assessing COVID-19 risk is an error that could cost even more lives, and we urge CDC to correct this immediately,” said Dr. Robert Gabbay, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for the ADA. Read the letter here.

The ADA was joined by 18 other organizations who signed the letter:

American Diabetes Association
JDRF
Children with Diabetes
Beyond Type 1
American Association of Clinical Endocrinology
American Podiatric Medical Association
Diabetes Leadership Council
Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition
Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education
DiabetesSisters
The diaTribe Foundation
Endocrine Society
Pediatric Endocrine Society
T1D Exchange
College Diabetes Network
YMCA of the USA
National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation, Inc.
Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists

A New, Early Option for T1D Screening

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When it comes to type 1 diabetes, the more proactive you can be, the better. Thanks to the JDRF, a new program has been launched, aimed at early detection of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The at-home test is accurate, comfortable, and convenient, and is a first for this kind of testing option. The test is called T1Detect, and has been developed by Enable Biosciences.

This new personal test kit works by looking for particular autoantibodies (using an autoantibody detection panel) in the blood that are the most important markers for T1D. JDRF states on its site that “JDRF-funded scientists have discovered that having two or more specific autoantibodies — antibodies that are directed toward your own body or, in the case of T1D, your pancreas — means that you have an almost 100-percent chance of developing T1D.”

Families and individuals can use this type of testing to detect T1D early, so they can plan and prepare. Eighty five percent of T1Ds have no family history, and a diagnosis can arrive suddenly, with potentially life-threatening symptoms already present. Forty percent of the newly diagnosed T1Ds present DKA symptoms at the time of diagnosis. For many, this new program will offer new hope and a way to find out more before reaching a crisis situation.

You can order your own test HERE, and a kit will be mailed to you. When you receive the test, all you will need to do is collect a few dried blood spots (see instructions for more details). The cost of the kit is $55, with subsidized pricing offered for those unable to afford the full price of the kit. Full results can take 4 to 6 weeks to arrive. You will receive your autoantibody results, explanations of what they mean, and next steps to consider.

“T1Detect is the first and only screening program that will enable a broad population to know their risk of T1D,” says JDRF CEO Dr. Aaron Kowalski. “This groundbreaking initiative is an important milestone for JDRF because it will increase awareness about early-stage T1D, provide access to crucial education and support for those at risk, and pave the way to ensuring that T1D screening becomes part of universal, clinical preventive services.”

For more information, including test accuracy as well as a thorough FAQ section, click here. Our blog also references information from this Diabetes Mine post.

The new T1Detect option gives great hope!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!!

At the holidays and always, thank you from Healthy Living. From our customers to our employees, to providers, partners, ownership, to all who quietly support from behind the scenes, thank you for your commitment, loyalty, patience, innovation, kindness, honesty, and compassion. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for trusting us.

Warm wishes to you and yours for a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of Holidays!

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Celebrate the Season & HLMS Holiday Hours

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This year, traditions may have changed a bit, and we may be stretching to connect with family and friends. In the meantime, let’s celebrate the season as we can! There is much gratitude, much light, and much hope to be found. We are right on top of the holidays now. Hanukkah has just passed, Christmas is this week and soon, the New Year!

Here are our special holiday hours for the rest of 2020.
Dec. 24, 8:30 am-12:30 pm | Dec. 25, Closed | Dec. 31, 8:30 am - 6 pm | Jan. 1, Closed

Have a beautiful holiday & a happy New Year!

HLMS Core Values: Creating a Culture of Service

Our Core Values set us apart. They guide how we treat each other as team members. Our values root the care, compassion, and concern that shape our customer service. We use these Core Values to inspire us to continue learning, growing, and improving. As we walk forward each day, these values guide our way and give us focus to do our best. I am thankful to be a part of Healthy Living, a group that cares so much about people (both within and outside of our organization) and serves generously.

Happy Thanksgiving from Healthy Living!

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Today is a special day of the year when we collectively reflect on our lives with gratitude. 2020 may be a year when our grateful list and our Thanksgiving celebrations look a little different. But let’s not overlook the gifts in our lives that are pulling us through, connecting us, and bringing us comfort, peace, and joy.

On behalf of Healthy Living, I would like to thank our customers, employees, providers, partners, owners and the rest of our care team for their gifts of ongoing support, friendship, teamwork, commitment, and loyalty… We are forever grateful for your caring hearts. Wishing you and your loved ones a Thanksgiving full of togetherness and kindness, and gratitude for what is.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.
— Melody Beattie

New Resources in Mental Health & Diabetes - Diabetes Distress & Beyond

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Many of us are getting in gear for the holidays, starting with Thanksgiving next week! There is so much festivity and so much to be thankful for this time of the year, but for many people, this is also a very difficult season. Maybe it’s due to the extra responsibilities that translate to more stress. Or maybe old stories or family dynamics make the holiday season a more intense time of the year. With our emotional and brain health in mind, and because I happily stumbled across some new resources focused on mental health and diabetes, I present this information to you:

Dr. Mark Heyman’s Podcast:
The Diabetes Psychologist

"Join Dr. Mark Heyman, a clinical psychologist and a leading expert in T1D and mental health, as he talks candidly about the emotional side of T1D. You’ll hear honest conversations about how T1D impacts mental health, and you’ll get actionable strategies to help you face the emotional challenges of T1D head-on, and live a full life, without letting diabetes get in the way."

From DiabetesMine:
When and How to Take Antidepressants with Type 1 Diabetes

"DiabetesMine explores the contradictory information out there about using antidepressant drugs with type 1 diabetes…take a closer look at when, why, and how taking an antidepressant as a person with T1D could be a safe and beneficial approach to improving your mental health."

Also from DiabetesMine:
Managing Type 1 Diabetes Postpartum: Self-Care After Baby Arrives

"The pressure of diabetes management postpartum certainly comes with less emotional woe and guilt than while your child was actually growing inside you, but the work it requires still persists, of course. The transition from pregnancy diabetes management to postpartum diabetes management can be overwhelming.”

And a final quote with a great visual:

“It’s as if you’re walking through tall weeds, it’s over your head and you have no idea where you’re going. You have no idea what’s forward or what’s back — you can’t see clearly. Taking an antidepressant is like having a step stool that helps you see over the top of the weeds.”

- Dr. Mark Heyman

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Living, Learning, and Giving with Diabetes

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When Christina started working at Healthy Living almost five years ago, she had already been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It runs in her family. Since then, Christina has grown into a leader in HLMS’s customer care team. Her personal experiences with diabetes have informed her compassionate, understanding, and knowledgeable approach to customer service. And coming to know more about available diabetes management technology through working at Healthy Living has improved Christina’s own life with diabetes.

During our recent conversation, Christina explained to me that being diagnosed with Type 2 required a complete lifestyle change for her, including finding employment where stress levels were lower. Technology, specifically the Libre, has made a tremendous impact on her health. She can more easily see the connection between what she eats and her blood sugars, and Christina can make decisions in real time for medication therapies. This also increases her motivation to help others, because she knows what they are dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

Christina is currently a Team Leader for one of our insulin pump and CGM teams. Her group mainly works with referrals from Metro Detroit (and some out of state) , especially Ann Arbor, Farmington Hills, and Children’s Hospital. Referrals may come from CGM and insulin pump manufacturers or directly from doctor’s offices. Patients can also call us to find out more about starting the process. Christina’s team handles everything from start to finish, working with the doctor’s office and insurance, then coordinating shipment to the patient. Christina has noticed that as technology is advancing, availability to patients is also advancing as insurance companies are recognizing more and more the benefits of CGM and insulin pumps.

In our interview, Christina talked about the importance of making each patient feel like he or she is the only patient. And as Healthy Living grows, she believes that we need to continue to ensure that our team collaborates well together. Although the transition to working from home wasn’t difficult, Christina explained that communication is the biggest challenge, and our two best responses are our virtual touch-base meetings to keep everyone engaged and Slack. Slack an online team communication platform that Healthy Living has been using for years and has become even more important now as we work together, yet apart.

Christina really gave me more insight into Healthy Living and how other employees feel about being a part of our culture. She believes that what most sets us apart is that:

  • We’re dedicated to taking care of customers first.

  • We make it easier to live with and manage diabetes.

  • Patients are more than just a number.

She finished by saying that everyone from the top down makes sure that patients are taken care of collectively. For example, when COVID-19 and the quarantine first started in early 2020, there was so much uncertainty about what supplies would be available in future months. Healthy Living proactively brought in an additional three months of supplies in advance to ensure that our patients would be covered.

Thank you, Christina, for your openness. We appreciated receiving a glimpse into your own experiences with Type 2 diabetes and your commitment to Healthy Living patients.

Once in a Blue Moon Halloween

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Happy Halloween weekend! This Saturday, October 31, will be an extra exciting, super spooky Halloween with a full moon shining over us. The last time a full moon fell on Halloween was in 1944. Whether we see it will depend on cloud cover, but creatures around the world will have the opportunity to witness a Halloween blue hunter’s moon this year. Learn about more specifics of this moon cycle from NASA.

A blue moon occurs on the rare occasion when there is more than one full moon during a month. A hunter’s moon follows the harvest moon (which fell on October 2 this year). From NASA: According to the Farmer's Almanac, with the leaves falling and the deer fattened, this was the time to hunt. Since the harvesters had reaped the fields, hunters could easily see the animals that had come out to glean (and the foxes that had come out to prey on them). The earliest use of the term "Hunter's Moon" cited in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1710.

We wish you a very happy and safe Halloween weekend!
Rock those costumes and have fun!

A Champion for Diabetes Patients

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A champion for his patients, I recently heard Dr. Lowell Schmeltz of Associated Endocrinologists in Farmington Hills put very powerful words to the experience of caring for people living with diabetes. I cannot recreate the strength and inspiration of his words, but I can share what I took away from his short presentation:

  • Keep the education going. He encouraged us to share what we know, between suppliers, manufacturers, insurance companies, and doctors' offices. What are the new requirements for obtaining a device? What is missing in the documentation? Keep the conversation going for the sake of helping the patient. Always think about the patient.

  • My favorite single sentence that Dr. Schmeltz said was, “CGM is driving diabetes with your eyes open” because it offers such a poetic, understandable visual. With the G7 coming out in the next six to 12 months and the advanced iterations of the Libre, we are as close as we ever have been to a solution until we can learn to make pancreases work again.

  • His message to Healthy Living was his appreciation of our personal touch with patients. Don’t lose the patient touch. Provide the good care. We so value Dr. Schmeltz's positive feedback as we continue to put patient care first and foremost in our calls and interactions, while we work closely with referral sources as partners in care.

I was obviously wowed by this presentation. It was an honor to hear Dr. Schmeltz in person.

GetInsulin.org - Insulin Access Tool

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A new resource is now available! If you or someone you love is struggling to access insulin, try tapping into GetInsulin.org.

The need for insulin is not a choice. High insulin prices have forced many people with diabetes to make difficult, high-stakes decisions. While there has been help available, it has been difficult to navigate. GetInsulin.org is an easy place to start. This tool connects people to the options that match their unique circumstances, by getting urgent insulin support, building an insulin action plan, and exploring optional insulin resources.

GetInsulin.org is designed to be an immediate solution to connect people in the U.S. to available insulin access and affordability options, so no one goes without the insulin they need to live. This is a program of Beyond Type 1 with incredible support, including partners American Diabetes AssociationAssociation of Diabetes Care & Education SpecialistsEndocrine Society, Feeding America, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, JDRF, NAACP, National Hispanic Medical Association and is funded by Lilly, Mylan, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi.

Read the full announcement from Beyond Type 1

The 8 Colors of Fitness

Right now with everything turned around and upside down, it's a bit harder to follow our old routines, including in the areas of exercise and fitness. I found a fun and interesting approach to fitness choices called The 8 Colors of Fitness. It offers a way to help us look at fitness through the lens of personality type. The idea is that maybe, we will find more success with exercise if the activity and environment fit our unique natural tendencies. Take the test here to discover your fitness color! It might give you a new perspective or idea for getting moving in a way that works for you.

The 8 Colors is based on the MBTI® system, which interprets your personality according to four categories. These categories cover how extroverted or introverted you are, how you perceive and process information, how logical or emotional your decisions are, and how open-ended you prefer things to be. The combinations of these categories create 16 basic personality types. Both of these tests can give you more insight into yourself, which of course can be invaluable for personal growth and peace of mind.

Here is a little preview of the eight fitness color types! Which ones do you relate to?

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Healthy Living Warehouse Updates

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We have great news all around about shipping at Healthy Living Medical Supply. Our team is working day in and day out to ensure that customers receive their shipments in a timely manner. One piece of this is a change in our transportation provider; we have moved to FedEx. There are some major benefits to this shift:

  • In November, through FedEx, we will be able to offer Saturday and Sunday delivery to 95% of our customers.

  • FedEx customer alerts now let our patients know when their product has shipped and also provide ETA and delivery notification (for this reason, please be sure to provide your email address to our customer care agents if you haven't already).

  • And a huge advantage for our team - we'll be able to load pallets of to-be-shipped packages on the trucks, versus box by box in the past.

Warehouse safety remains a priority for Healthy Living's owners, management, and the entire shipping team. Thermal mirrors have been set up to scan employees' body temperatures when entering the building. Hand sanitizer is readily available, and masks and gloves are provided. Signs are also posted to remind visitors (and team members) to use personal protective equipment in the building.

Healthy Living has hired seven new employees since June, and several of them have joined our shipping crew with vast work experience in the area. We are so grateful for our awesome shipping team!

Safe at School

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The fall transition back to school has begun. For some families, school has started (in one form or another). Other families begin next week, and some kids’ summers will extend through Labor Day. Whether your family and district have chosen in-person learning, virtual learning, home schooling, or a hybrid option, safety is of the highest priority. The ADA (American Diabetes Association) has compiled recommendations for staying as safe as possible, especially in the in-school setting. Here are some highlights from their resource, Safe at School During COVID-19: Recommendations on Returning to School for Children with Diabetes.

How can my child and I limit the spread of COVID-19 at school?

  • Wash hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.

  • Wear a mask when outside of your home.

  • Practice physical distancing.

  • Cough and sneeze into a tissue or your elbow.

  • Avoid touching your face.

  • Avoid being around people who are sick.

  • Follow local and state regulations.

My child is very worried about returning to school. What should I say or do?

  • Keep in mind that every child responds to stress in different ways.

  • Understand the facts so you can provide your child with accurate, age-appropriate information.

  • Limit your child’s exposure to the news and social media.

  • Stress that the pandemic is temporary, and adults are working to keep them safe.

  • It can help to keep a schedule that mimics the school day. A schedule can help children and adults feel that the situation is more predictable.

  • Be an example! Model ways to minimize risk for COVID-19 exposure such as washing your hands, practicing physical distancing and wearing a face mask.

  • Elevated levels of stress can impact blood glucose levels and these tips can help ease your child’s stress.

On behalf of Healthy Living, good luck as a new school year begins! Take care, and let us know how we can help!