Bringing out the best.

As you read this column, more than 1,000 employee assistance professionals will be gathering in Philadelphia to share ideas and discuss how we can improve out skills, out standards, and, most importantly, the lives of those we serve. As we did in 2001, we will come together in the aftermath of a disaster, one that has displaced thousands of people in the United States and killed hundreds more. Our thoughts and prayers will be with the survivors and those who are helping as they rebuild their lives.

Disasters, especially large ones like Hurricane Katrina, bring out the best and worst in people. We have seen images and heard stories of both--of emergency personnel conducting dramatic rescue operations, of families opening their homes to people who evacuated New Orleans, of scam artists using e-mail to solicit donations in hopes of stealing credit information. How people respond to Katrina and other crises depends on how prepared and resilient they are and how well they are supported and assisted afterward. Prevention, assistance, and case management, the basics of EAP services, can bring out the best for those who have been affected by Katrina.

EA professionals can work together through EAPA to magnify our efforts to help meet the needs of individuals and businesses affected by Katrina and those who are survivors of other disasters. EAPA can serve as a clearinghouse for information about EAP providers in need of additional practitioners or employers needing EAP services. EAPA can also disseminate materials about workplace disasters, critical incident stress management, and other pertinent topics and point EA professionals to external resources such as the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other governmental and private agencies.

I encourage all EA professionals to monitor the EAPA Website, www.eapassociation.org, for new developments and to contact the EAPA staff with any suggestions on how the association can respond to Katrina. I also urge everyone, especially those of you on the front lines in Louisiana and Mississippi, to share your ideas, experiences, and concerns with me or any member of the Communications Advisory Subcommittee. The subcommittee will meet in Philadelphia to consider theme topics for upcoming issues of the Journal of Employee Assistance, and we will use your input toward making these decisions.

As for this issue of the Journal, the focus is on health, wellness, and productivity and their interface with each other and with EAPs. Wellness programs have come a long way from their early days as workplace fitness centers. They now include health screenings, smoking cessation and weight loss programs, exercise classes, and many other initiatives. With health care costs rising at a double-digit pace in recent years, wellness programs have become more popular. Yet with global competition and an aging workforce putting pressure on profits and benefits, wellness programs also have come under more pressure to deliver cost-effective results.

How can EAPs integrate with wellness programs in an overall effort to improve workplace health and productivity? The four theme articles in this issue of the Journal, especially Bob Karch's explanation of the "big tent" approach to wellness and Beverly Beuermann-King's thoughts on ensuring leadership buy-in, offer some perspectives that may provoke discussion. The same can be said for the feature articles in this issue, especially David Miller's piece on the "faith at work" movement and Partie Porter and Cecily Sawyer-Harmon's argument for adding conflict mediation to the EAP Cote Technology.

As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have on this or any other edition of the Journal. And I hope to see many of you in Philadelphia in mid-October at the EAPA convention.

Let your voice be heard!

Maria Hartley, LEAP