Taking care of your wellbeing isn’t always easy. But it helps to know support is available when you need it. Many may be familiar with Employee and Family Assistance Program, which are often included in employee benefit plans. However, if you have an Alberta Blue Cross® personal plan, you have access to similar support through the Individual Assistance Program (IAP).
Life can be tough. And navigating the tough times becomes an uphill battle without the right support system. That’s why we partnered with Homewood Health—a Canadian leader in mental health and addiction services—to offer the Individual Assistance Program (IAP) to Alberta Blue Cross personal plan members, like you.
What is Individual Assistance Program?
IAP provides short-term, confidential and professional counselling and coaching, supplemented by online tools and resources to support you and your loved ones when you need it most.
This program provides a wide range of support services such as counselling, legal advice, financial planning and more.
Who can access it?
If you’re enrolled in a personal plan with Alberta Blue Cross including Blue Choice®, Blue Assured®, Retiree or Young Adult, you have access to IAP.
How does it work?
When you need help, you can start by contacting Homewood Health at 1-844-375-5399 or through their website. Their caring team will be there to guide you through the registration process, ensuring you receive support in a way that best suits your needs:
- In person
- Phone
- Video
- e-counselling (instant chat or private messaging)
- Self-directed online resource packages and tools
IAP is available to you 24/7, offering 12 hours of support services per plan member and dependent(s) per year.
Whether you prefer a late-night phone chat, early-morning chat session or afternoon video call, their flexibility ensures that help is always within reach.
What makes Individual Assistance Program different?
Personalized advice from real professionals
Don’t let yourself get swept away in a sea of one-size-fits-all advice. When it comes to finding support, personalized guidance from a professional beats a generic online search any day.
With IAP, you can dive into a conversation with an experienced and understanding professional counsellor who listens to you and provides advice and resources that are tailored to your needs.
Completely confidential
Your wellbeing matters and you deserve a safe space to open up without fear of judgment or disclosure. IAP offers complete confidentiality.
Support covering various areas of life
Whether you’re battling personal hurdles, wrestling with work-related stress or navigating complex life situations, IAP is designed to meet you where you are and provide you with short-term, solution-focused support.
Through IAP, you have access to personalized health and wellness tools, counselling and support in a wide variety of areas, including:
Improving personal wellbeing
- Mental health, depression and anxiety
- Nutrition and weight management
- Grief and loss
- Alcohol, drug or smoking addiction
Managing relationships and family
- Communication
- Relationship conflict
- Parenting
- Separation and divorce
Addressing workplace challenges
- Work-life balance
- Career planning
- Workplace conflict
- Work-related stress
Taking financial and legal control in life
- Credit and debt management
- Retirement planning
- Bankruptcy
- Family law
This post was originally published May 15, 2019 and was updated on July 27, 2023 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
I entered by BC number as shown on my card and was refused entrance. Please contact me so I can change by bank account number for my monthly payments.
Hi Daryl,
Someone from our team will reach out to you through email to help sort this out.
Thanks!
My wife has Parkinsons and she can not be left alone does Blue Cross cover home care
Hello Frank. Sorry for the late reply, I wanted to make sure I got the correct information for you. While some nursing services may be covered depending on the plan, home care is not an eligible benefit. Alberta Health Services does have a Home Care program that may be able to help. Here is a link to their page:
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/cc/Page15488.aspx
There is also a program through AHS that will assist with a family member staying in their own home and not using homecare but finding staff to come in and assist this gentleman’s wife. I have been one of those hires for two families now. It is a family-managed care thru AHS, I do not have the link (sorry) but one can google it or discuss it with AHS.
Does the Blue Assured plan include IAP? If not which ones do?
Hi Kayla. Yes, the Blue Assured plan includes 12 sessions per calendar year for IAP. A full outline of Blue Assured benefits can be found online at: https://www.ab.bluecross.ca/plans/personal/individual/blue-assured-plan.php