Associates Today

Your good health: Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness month. What better time to address such a topic than this season of sheltering in place and social distancing? The toll on mental health this takes reaches not only those who are in the high risk but those who have to make adjustments to their routines as well as our essential workers. Anxiety and stress are forms of mental illness. Knowing the common signs of mental illness can be helpful for those who have found themselves in a prolonged stressful situation.

A key component to managing mental health is being mindful of the amount of information ingested about a given topic. The CDC recommends limiting the time spent watching the news and engaging in media that continually report on the virus. Along with limiting the intake of potentially inflammatory media there are things that we can do to stay prepared and healthy both physically and mentally.

Washing hands, disinfecting surfaces, practicing social distancing and taking necessary precautions are several ways of dealing with the stresses caused by the pandemic. Exercise, eating a balanced diet, talking to friends and family members are also ways to boost mental health. Self-care during an emergency helps long-term healing.

For more information on Mental Health and COVID-19 visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org or call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-NAMI for 24/7, confidential, free crisis counseling.

TIPS FROM TOGETHER CREDIT UNION:
5 Financial Tips During the Coronavirus Pandemic

We want to help you successfully navigate the financial challenges of this unique time. Here are five tips for managing your finances during the coronavirus pandemic:

1. Ask for help. If you have loans or bills, you’re concerned about paying on time, talk to your creditors about any options they may have to help. Call before the payment is due this to be the case.
2. Protect your accounts. Most individuals are receiving a stimulus check or direct deposit. Watch out for scammers who may be using these unusual circumstances to try to trick you into giving out your personal information. Remember, no financial institution or government agency will ever call, email, or text to ask for your account details. You can find additional information on the stimulus payments here.
3. Assess your income and expenses. Take a deep dive into your accounts. See if there’s a place to shift some of your long-term savings into short-term savings for the time being. For example, maybe you’re taking out “extra” taxes just to receive a tax refund next year.  And see if there are any non-essential expenses (subscriptions, entertainment, gifts, etc.) that you can cut down or completely cut out.
4. Use your resources. Reach out to your employer or local community groups about benefits or programs that may be available to help give you a little more flexibility and support—from working from home to paid leave or other benefits that can help sustain your household income through any interruption.
5. Keep the long term in mind. If things do get rough, try to avoid running up high-interest credit card debut, using pay day loans, and withdrawing from your retirement funds. These options can often leave you in a worse position than when you started thanks to fees, penalties, taxes, interest, and more.
6. The credit union has disaster relief efforts available for Members.

During this time, the credit union wants to be there for you, and we know finding the perfect solution isn’t “one-size-fits-all”. If you’re worried about making ends meet, see the full list of our Resources Available.

Questions?  Contact Teresa Evans at tevans@togethercu.org or reach our Columbus branch at 1-614-888-2299. Together Credit Union is an equal opportunity lender.

IT Support:

• Your IT Department is here for you! During business hours support is available by sending an email to Support@HeidelbergDistributing.com, opening a ticket in Service Now or call in 1-844-HDL-BERG (435-2374). For after hours critical support, please call 1-844-HDL-BERG (435-2374).

VIP Upgrade

• On Saturday, May 8, we will be upgrading to the newest version of VIP, V15.24. The IT Department along with Accounting and Supply Chain Teams have thoroughly tested the functionality and features offered with this new release. Keep an eye out for communications pertaining to the upgrade.

Training Videos:

• Recently you received in your email a training video produced by your IT Team explaining the differences of OneDrive and SharePoint. Keep an eye out for more videos on Service Now, Cybersecurity, and VIP Sales Application.

Driver iPads:

• Prepared a configured iPad’s to be rolled out to all delivery drivers at Lorain, Columbus, Ohio Valley and Cincinnati.

Monthly Tip & Trick: Stop sharing OneDrive files or folders

Files and folders can be shared by sending someone a sharing link. If you are the file owner, you can stop sharing the file or folder.

1. Select the file or folder you want to stop sharing.
2. Select Information in the upper-right corner to open the Details pane.
3. On the Details pane, under the Has Access header, you’ll see the People icon, the Links icon, and/or the Email These options vary depending on how you have shared the file or folder.
4. Select Manage access and:
   
5. To stop sharing the file entirely, click Stop sharing.
   
6. To delete a sharing link, click the …next to the link, then click the X next to the link to remove it. (You’ll get a prompt asking you if you’re sure you want to delete the link – if so, click Delete link.)
   
7. To stop sharing with specific people, expand the list under a specific people link and click the X to remove someone.