The Relief Association was able to gather all of its Medical Plan vendors under one roof at FHMTC on April 6th for this year’s Health and Wellness Fair. The more than 12,000 family members and firefighters covered by the plan were invited in for one-on-one consultations and much more. Members received benefit updates, coverage information, and were able to discuss personal issues and problems directly with vendors.
Holding the fair at an LAFD facility provided the opportunity for on-duty members to attend. Staff from the Medical Liaison and the Community Risk Reduction units, along with reps from AIMS, allowed these members to gain a better knowledge of their many medical related benefits.
The American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross were new to the event this year. UCLA Health was also new to the fair, providing info on their comprehensive clinics that are popping up all over the southland.
Regular vendors like Center for Heart and Health provided health screenings and information on their comprehensive annual physical that is covered by the plan. Medical Imaging of SoCal explained about their enhanced benefit for state-of-the-art body scans, and the VSP rep let members know about the enhanced vision care benefit. Scores of members signed up with Anthem’s Live Health Online program, enabling them to make virtual doctor visits from their devices and laptops.
Most visited at the fair was LAFRA’s own HealthSCOPE table. Members were finally able to put faces to the helpful voices that have been assisting them with their medical coverages and benefits. Denise Schelgel and company are a big part of what makes the LAFRA Medical Plan the very best available.
“Our Medical Plan is run by firefighters for firefighters,” remarked Trustee Dave Peters. “So based on feedback that we receive from the members, we can make adjustments and changes to the plan. There’s no way that third-party insurers can do that. The singular purpose of the LAFRA Medical Plan is to serve LAFD firefighters and their families.”
In addition to the free massages and a custom coffee bar hosted by Terri Godinez, members were treated to an array of health-related prizes in the raffles. Joy and Richard Watters walked away with a NutriBullet blender and a pair of Bose earbuds. Another big winner, Janet Anthony, will be able to enhance her daily workouts with a new FitBit Blaze sports watch. Dan Curry will certainly enjoy the iPad that he won, provided by ProMed Spine.
If you are not currently utilizing the LAFRA Medical Plan, do yourself a favor and contact a Relief Trustee to find out exactly what you are missing. Or visit lafra.org for more information. You’ll want to be ready for the next open enrollment period when you can sign-up for the best Medical Plan offered to LAFD members and their families.
Photos by Deborah Lew for LAFRA