Fall 2025 Newsletter

Fall 2025
NMPSIA.com

NMPSIA News

We're grateful to support your well-being all year long. Wishing you a season filled with good health and gratitude, and quality time with loved ones.

- NMPSIA
We would love to feature your photo in the next NMPSIA Newsletter:
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Send us photos of your part of New Mexico.
Email your pictures to: kaylynn.roybal@psia.nm.gov

fall 2025

Benefits Corner

NMPSIA.com
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Who You Gonna Call? Your Quick Contact Guide

Between your Employer, Erisa, NMPSIA, and the insurance carrier, it's easy to feel like you're being bounced around.

The truth is that different parts of your benefits are handled by different people.

Here are some of the most common call-in questions along with the right place to call!

From ID cards to claims, benefit questions, and everything in-between, NMPSIA, Erisa, and carriers are happy to help!

Important note: your EMPLOYER is always your first point of contact

Employer

  • Enrollment and Eligibility
  • Enrollment Corrections
  • Benefit Questions
  • Payroll Premium Deductions
  • Coverage Effective and Termination Dates

Erisa

  • Confirmation of Enrollment Notices
  • COBRA (Continuation of Coverage)
  • Eligibility and Enrollment Questions
  • Employee User Portal Troubleshooting
  • If your Employer cannot help you...

Carrier

  • ID Cards
  • Claims Questions
  • Appeal Process
  • Case/Disease Management
  • Find a Provider
  • Making a Virtual Appointment

NMPSIA

  • Benefits or Claims Exceptions
  • Benefit Plan Design/Enrollment Rules Questions
  • Eligibility and Enrollment Questions
  • If Employer, Erisa, and Carrier all can't help you
  • After Carrier Appeal process is exhausted

To request a reconsideration review for a denied enrollment, the employee along with their employer may contact Leslie.Martinez@psia.nm.gov

5 Common Open/Switch Mistakes

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Waiting until open enrollment to log in to your employee account. Check out our tutorials in advance to ensure you know how to navigate the system.
People searching for information online
Not researching our plans ahead of time so you can make an informed decision when the time comes. Especially the Medical Plan comparison.
Bag of money with coins laying around
Misunderstanding or not reading the premium rates sheet. Ask your employer about contribution tiers.
documents
Neglecting to gather the required documentation for dependent coverage. Birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc.: uploading at the time of request helps prevent delays.
Woman planning on a calendar
Missing the deadline! Mark your calendar, set an alarm, ask your friend to remind you, whatever it takes to adhere to the deadline.

Getting the most out of your benefits

Easily create a user log in with your medical carrier and begin taking full advantage of your benefits TODAY!
You can visit their website or download their app!
You're already paying for great benefits through your health plan--why not use all of them? Medical carrier member accounts give you instant access to features like weight loss support, one-on-one health coaching, gym discounts, and more.
Download it today and start getting more from the coverage you already have!

Fall 2025

Wellness Spotlight

NMPSIA.com

You might not be surprised that serious health problems don't usually happen overnight. They build slowly, often starting in your 20s or 30s, especially if your habits haven't improved much over the years.

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Let's say...

You started teaching at 26, and now you're 35. That's nearly a decade of sitting, grabbing snacks between classes/meetings, skipping regular checkups, and not having time to drink water much less make it to the gym. Over those years, even if you feel "mostly fine," your body could be quietly experiencing:
  • Oral issues like periodontal disease from poor daily care such as not brushing and flossing twice daily.
  • High blood pressure or prediabetes from processed snacks and sugar overload.
  • Muscle and joint pain from lack of movement and stretching.
  • Digestive or liver issues from regular sugary or alcohol drink intake.
  • Cancer risk is likely rising if you smoke or vape and/or with family history of cancer.

There's still plenty of time to catch issues early and course correct.
Screenings are how we do that.
They're quick and are covered at no cost.
And they can help spot things before they become serious.

Did you know?

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A large boba tea (about 32 oz) can have 50+ grams of sugar! That's more than a can of Coke AND a donut combined.
Fact: Regular sugar overload increases your risk of type 2 diabetes and liver strain.
Martini glass
Having one alcoholic drink per day over time raises your risk of breast cancer, liver damage, and high blood pressure, especially for women.
Fact: your liver needs at least 48 hours to fully recover after alcohol.
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Binge-watching just 2 episodes a night equals around 10 hours of sitting per week! Fact: sitting that long regularly raises your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and blood clots even if you hit the gym a few times a week.
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Colon cancer

Colon cancer (also called colorectal cancer) happens when cells in the colon or rectum grow out of control. It often starts as small, harmless growths called polyps. Some polyps can turn into cancer. Colon cancer may be symptomless and without any abnormal signs, so that is why screening is important.
Screenings: Adults 45+ (every 1–10 years depending on the test results). Screenings may also be
recommended by a medical provider earlier than age 45 if there is a family history of colon cancer.
Colon cancer is one of the most preventable cancers. Stool tests or colonoscopies can catch it early.

If you haven't had a checkup or screening in a while, now is the time. Even if the appointment is months away, scheduling it is a meaningful step in the right direction. It's a way of saying: my health is worth it. Because it is. You are worth it.

Whether it's catching something early or getting peace of mind, preventive care makes a difference.

Let this be the moment you put your health first. Call your provider. Make the appointment.

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Cholesterol test (heart disease risk)

Cholesterol is a fatty substance in your blood. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly, but too much of the wrong kind can build up in your arteries.
Screenings: Adults 20+ (every 4-6 years, or more if at risk)

Nucleic acid test

Blood Pressure Screening

Over time, things like stress, excess salt, obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, and aging can cause your blood vessels to tighten or lose flexibility causing the force of your blood pushing against your blood vessels to be too strong.
Screenings: Adults 18+ (at least every 2 years)

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

  • 2 sticks celery chopped finely
  • 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped finely
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 1/2 lbs uncooked chicken breasts
  • 1 cup uncooked orzo
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Sauté the celery, carrots, and onions in a large soup pot with the butter and oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the flour and cook for another minute or so.
  • Pour in the chicken broth and stir until the flour has dissolved, then add the Italian seasoning and chicken. Bring the soup to boil.
  • Cover the soup (lid slightly open) and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Stir in the orzo and cook for another 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through. I keep the lid off and stir it fairly often because it tends to
    stick to the bottom of the pot.
  • Take the chicken out of the pot and shred it, then add it back in. Add the lemon juice (you may want to add more than I suggest – I didn't want
    to make the soup too lemony for some people), parsley, and season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Enjoy!
Fall 2025

Risk Resource

NMPSIA.com

How the Anonymous Reporting System Works:

Young man thinking and trying to solve problem

Step 1: Observe & Submit

Individual observes an incident or concern and submits is using the STOPit app, website, or telephone hotline

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Step 2: Monitor & Escalate

STOPit 24/7/365 Incident Response Center monitors and escalates life threatening incidents to school officials and low enforcement (as needed)

Task done with checkmark and thumbs up

Step 3: Manage & Resolve

School officials receive and act upon the incident using the STOPit admin app and/or web-based Incident Management System

STOPit provides the industry's most comprehensive onboarding for program administrators AND training for students and adults on howto recognize safety, misconduct, and/or compliance concerns and use the STOPit Anonymous Reporting System through our account management, training, and customer success teams.

How your District Will Benefit
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Create safer, healthier school environment and culture for better learning and, at an extreme, to save lives
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Over time, create "upstanders" versus "bystanders" who take action to help their fellow student, staffer, and administrator
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Build social and emotional skills as well as reinforce compliance amongst students and staff of relevant, timely issues and concerns

Schools with Anonymous Reporting Systems (ARS) see 13.5% fewer violent incidents, according to the National Institute of Justice. Tip lines help students break the “code of silence,” and false reports are rare—especially once students see their concerns are taken seriously. Success, though, depends on school climate: when students feel supported by teachers, they’re far
more likely to speak up.
That’s why NMPSIA provides STOPit! Solutions to member entities at no extra cost. Students and staff can submit concerns by app, website, or hotline. It is backed by 24/7 Incident Response Specialists. STOPit! also offers on-demand videos for social–emotional learning, safety, and trauma-informed care.

To learn more about STOPit! ARS and to get started with the service today, reach out to Matthew Toth at mtoth@stopitsolutions.com

Other Valuable Trainings Can Be Accessed Here!

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practices: Staff-to-Student
  • FERPA: Confidentiality of Records
  • Hazing Prevention in K12 Environments
  • HIPAA Overview
  • Playground Maintenance & Inspection
  • Playground Supervision
  • Sexual Harassment: Staff-to-Staff
  • Student Alcohol and Substance Abuse
  • Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Prevention
  • Cybersecurity Overview
  • Cybersecurity Awareness for Employees: End-User Best Practices
  • Cybersecurity Awareness for Employees: Security Awareness Essentials
  • Cybersecurity Awareness for Employees: Social Engineering
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practices: Staff-to-Staff

It is important to take a look at the culture of your school and look for opportunities to improve.
Suggestions in the research include:

  • Strengthening student-teacher relationships. When students feel cared for, they are more likely to speak up about concerns.
  • Ensuring fair discipline policies. Clear and consistently enforced rules help build trust and foster a sense of safety.
  • Educating students about Anonymous Reporting Systems. Some students may not know how to use these systems or may fear retaliation despite anonymity.