Clackamas County Home | Site Navigation

Taking Care of Yourself (Medical)

Medical Care Services County Employees

At Clackamas County, we know that when you invest in taking care of yourself, you have more energy for you, your family and friends, your community, and your job. We encourage you to see the doctor for your preventive maintenance check-up and exams, know the resources available to you so you can make choices about your health, and build a relationship with your provider.

Stay home when you are sick

Please stay home when you are sick and contagious. You will likely recover quicker, and you will not infect your co-workers.

Get your preventive care

Did you know that there is NO CO-PAY for in-plan PREVENTIVE CARE appointments with Providence and Kaiser providers? How are you doing on your check-ups and screening? Preventive care coverage includes age appropriate preventive medical examination, breast cancer and cervical cancer screening for women, prostate cancer screening for men aged 50-75, colorectal cancer screening for adults aged 50-75, blood pressure, and more. See the detailed list of preventive care services in the Kaiser "preventative care list", "Providence open option handbook" and "Providence personal option handbook" on the Employee Services Health Care Providers page. Clackamas County supports taking good care of yourself so you can take care of your family, your community, and our Clackamas County citizens.

Health Education Resources

Both Providence and Kaiser have great educational resources for learning how to take care of yourself. Additionally, they each have classes, gym discounts, and other opportunities for improving your health. Learn more about their resources at the following links:

24 Hour nurse - To go or not to go (to the doctor)

One of the toughest, and perhaps most important, decision you may make is whether or not to go to the doctor, urgent care or emergency room. If you are not sure if you should make that important trip or just do some home self-care, both Providence and Kaiser have a RN Medical advice line FREE and available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Registered nurses will be able to help when you have questions about flu, colds, backaches or other routine ailments, and they can tell you when it might be important for you to go to the doctor, urgent care or emergency room.

  • Providence 24-hour Nurse: 503-574-6520
  • Kaiser 24-hour Nurse:503-813-2000

(If you ever feel like you may be having an immediate life threatening health problem, such as a heart attack or stroke, don't wait! Call 911!)

Medical and Dental Plans & Benefits

As a Clackamas County employee, you have access to a wide assortment of benefits intended to help you take good care of yourself. For links and information about your benefits visit the Employee Services Health Care Providers page.

Alternative Care Benefits

Both Providence and Kaiser Benefit plans provide $1,500 annual in-plan coverage for alternative care. General County employee benefits for alternative care include massage, acupuncture, naturopath and chiropractic care. POA Providence benefits for alternative care include chiropractic care. Kaiser POA benefits also cover massage, acupuncture, and naturopathic care.

Providence contracts with American Specialty Health to provide alternative care services. To learn more about the benefits of alternative care or to find a Providence in-network alternative care provider, visit the American Specialty Health website.

Kaiser Permanente contracts with Complementary Health Plans to provide alternative care services. To learn more about the benefits of alternative care or to find a Kaiser in-network alternative care provider, visit the Complementary Health Plans website.

Health Coaching

Sometimes reaching our health goals can seem daunting when we "go it alone". That is why both Providence and Kaiser provide access to a personal health cosultant or coach free of charge for Clackamas County health plan members. Get the support you need by calling:

  • Providence: 1-877-330-2746
  • Kaiser: 503-286-6816 or 1-866-301-3866, select option 2

The Flu

Remember to practice the germ prevention basics:

  • Wash your hands
  • Cover your cough; sneeze in your sleeve
  • Don't come to work sick

A flu shot is recommended for everyone over 6 months of age. It's not just for your own health; it protects your coworkers, customers, and family. Flu shots are free under both plans. To find flu shot information, including locations where you can get a shot, click on your plan's link below:

Tobacco Cessation

Both Providence and Kaiser provide a tobacco cessation benefit of up to $500 lifetime to help you on your journey to becoming tobacco free. Additionally, they provide programs and education to help you achieve your goal. For information and links to Providence and Kaiser's tobacco cessation information as well as other resources, check out the following:

Employee Self Service (ESS)

Your benefits provide foundational support for your wellness. When we know our families are financially secure with insurance, disability, long term care, etc. we may sleep better at night. When we use our health plan to take good care of ourselves with preventive visits and monitoring conditions, we may have more energy for the things we love.

ESS gives us a way to easily view our benefits so we are connected with the process and can make sure it's what we want such as our beneficiaries, and benefit choices. "It's been a long-term goal of Benefits to go "paperless," says Carolyn Williams, Benefits Manager, "This is the first step in an exciting new opportunity to provide greater service to employees and to be more sustainable and efficient."

Content provided by Wellness

Similar topics: health