www.kinneypike.com
4th Quarter, 2013 Kinney Pike Report - In This Issue:
Photo taken by Cindee Shallberg 
Kinney Pike Employee     
 



New OSHA Requirement
Effective December 1, 2013, it is required that all employers train their employees on the new OSHA Hazard Communication requirements (Globally Harmonized System or "GHS").

Through our Succeed Risk Management Center, our business clients have access to all the needed solutions to comply and prevent OSHA issues.  The new GHS regulations will help employers:  
  • Implement the new Safety Data Sheet (SDS) formats and protocols, and the new container label pictograms
  • Ensure compliance with the OSHA "Right to Know" and "Right to Understand" principles
  • Comply and prevent risk of citations
  • Reinforce your organization's safety culture and protect your bottom line; nearly 70% of OSHA violations involve the Hazard Communication Standard
  • Help to reduce incidents, injuries and the associated costs
Have you logged into our Succeed Risk Management portal yet?  Our clients are finding it very helpful and effective in implementing on-line employee training and staying on top of Safety and Risk Management standards. 

For more information about accessing the Succeed Risk Management portal, please email Jeannette at jhorvath@kinneypike.com.  

To log in to Succeed, visit the homepage of our website at www.kinneypike.com.
Kinney Pike Awarded 2013 Best Practices Agency for 18 Straight Years!

Kinney Pike Insurance once again has been chosen as a Best Practices Agency, ranking among top performers nationally and continues to maintain this premier standing as the ONLY VERMONT AGENCY with this status.  

 
Home/Renters + Auto Policy in December =  $10 donation to Local Food Shelves

 

If you live in the St. Johnsbury or Randolph areas, here's a great way to try to save money on insurance AND help out your community at the same time!

 

Add a new homeowners or renters + auto policy in the month of December, and Kinney Pike will donate $10 to the Northeast Kingdom Community Action Food Shelf or the Randolph Food Shelf (depending on region).

 

It's a smart idea!  Often times, you are able to save money by combining your homeowners/renters and auto insurance.  

Hurry!  This offer expires on 12/31/2013! 
Community Corner

  

The holidays bring out cheer, hope and smiles in all of us!

In each of our seven Kinney Pike offices, our employees choose an organization to donate to each holiday season.  We're proud to make donations to the following organizations this holiday season:

* Williston Community Food Shelf
* Toys for Tots
* Norwich Basket Helpers
* Swanton Community Food Shelf
* Northeast Kingdom Community   
  Action Food Shelf
* Poultney Food Shelf
* Poultney Womens' Club Tree of
  Giving
* Rutland Area VNA and Hospice's
  Adopt a Family Program
 
Happy Holidays to you and your families!

 

  For Your Health

 Five Benefits of Stretching! 

 

With its ability to reduce stress, ease lower back pain, increase flexibility and more, stretching should become a part of everyone's exercise routine.

 

1.  Increased Circulation - Stretching has been proven to increase circulation by increasing the blood flow and supply of nutrients to muscles and cartilage.  This reduces muscle soreness after working out. 

 

2.  Flexibility - The main way to increase your flexibility is by stretching.  As you age, your muscles gradually become shorter and tighter, reducing your overall flexibility.  Stretching is primarily responsible for increasing flexibility and reduces risks of muscle, tendon and joint injuries.

 

3.  Increased Range of Motion - Better range of motion in joints enables you to keep better balance.  Better balance means you are less susceptible to falls and the resulting injuries.

 

4.  Reduce Stress - Stretching has powerful stress-busting abilities.  Stress causes your muscles to contract, becoming tense, which has negative effects on just about every part of your body.  Stretching exercises relax tense muscles associated with stress, and has the same endorphin-boosting effect as regular exercise, improving the way you feel in general.

 

5.  Alleviate Lower Back Pain - Stretching is an excellent way to strengthen the lower back muscles, alleviating soreness and pain. 

 

- Fitday.com

 

 

  
 
Preparing for the Winter Season
Tips for Keeping Out the Cold

 Around this time of year, much of our activity focuses on the holidays. But it's a good idea to set aside a few hours amid the buying, baking and bustle to prepare your home for the cold and wet months ahead.

Here are some tips on getting your home winter-ready:
 
  • Seal cracks and holes in outside walls and foundations.  Use caulking to protect water pipes and make sure there's enough weather stripping around skylights or other roof openings to keep out moisture.  
  • Check protection alarms.  Residential fires increase in the winter, so check to make sure all smoke and fire alarms are working.  Install a carbon monoxide detector for further protection.  
  • Wood stove and space heater safety.  Combustible materials should be at least 36 inches from a wood stove or portable heater.  And before use, check the heater's cords for any fraying or cracking.
  • Prepare your fireplace.  Inspect your chimney and fireplace area for animals and debris, and clear the fireplace of obstructions, ash and creosote.  Also, as with stoves and heaters, ensure that flammable items are far away to keep that fire where it belongs.
  • Build a plan for outages.  Heavy snow and high winds can bring down trees and power lines.  Planning now for power outages can make it faster and easier for you to swing into action should you experience one.   
By investing a little time now, you can enjoy the holiday season with the confidence that your home and family are protected when winter comes to call.  
 

Please contact our Personal Lines Insurance Specialists for more information about Personal Lines of insurance. 

Source:  Kemper Preferred
Employee Benefits
 New Options for Flexible Spending Accounts 

 
A recent IRS announcement modifies the Section 125 Health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) 'Use-or-lose" rule to permit up to $500 of unused FSA accont balance to be carried over to the following plan year.  Health FSAs can offer the current 2 1/2 month grace period, or the new $500 carryover option, but not both.  The carryover amount also does not count against the $2,500 salary reduction limit applicable to Health FSAs.

To read the Kinney Pike Issue Brief on this modification, please click here.  

Please contact our Employee Benefits Division if we can help you with any of your health care reform or other Benefits needs. 
 
FAST FACT

AAA forecasts suggest there will be 93.3 million Americans traveling 50 miles or more for the end-of-year holidays, with 84.4 million doing so by car.  Be careful driving!
It's Here!  We've Launched Our 
Customer Referral Program!
 
We value our clients and would like to reward you for your referrals, while thanking you for your loyalty and support!  
 
Here's how our Referral Program works:  
- Kinney Pike will reward you with a $10 gas card for every qualified referral that we quote on.
- We will reward you with an ADDITIONAL $10 gas card for each qualified referral that becomes a new client!  
- The reward is for new personal, commercial or group benefits coverage for a NEW Kinney Pike client  
- A "qualified" referral is a prospect looking for the following types of coverage:
    * Home/condo/renter + auto insurance
    * Business insurance    
    * Life insurance
    * Any combination of the above

Thank you to all of our great clients who refer their friends/family to us.   We truly appreciate it, and are happy to be able to reward you with a gas card.   
 
Questions?  Please email us, and we'll get right back to you!   
 
Client Feature 
Good Neighbor Health Clinic & Red Logan Dental Clinic
Good Neighbor Health Clinic & Red Logan Dental Clinic

The Good Neighbor Health Clinic and Red Logan Dental Clinic offer free medical and dental care to residents of the Upper Valley who are in need but without the means to pay. This includes the uninsured and underinsured with high-deductible health insurance, as well as a group of disenfranchised individuals living in our region. Overall, the clinics contribute to improve the quality of life of members of our community.

Organized by a team of community volunteers, health professionals and community advocates, the clinics opened in January of 1992. Drs. Paul Manganiello and Peter Mason founded the Good Neighbor Health Clinic and Dr. Robert Keene led the initiative to found the Red Logan Dental Clinic. The clinics were supposed to be of a "temporary" nature but time has proven otherwise. Now in their 22nd year of service, their programs have successfully offered primary care to approximately 13,500 residents living in 34 towns of New Hampshire and Vermont. The services offered to our neighbors have proven to be a vital service for many of them.

Our clinics work to prevent minor issues from becoming major and possibly life-threatening ones. With jobs scarce and families struggling to make ends meet or being able to afford health insurance, having access to adequate basic care results in fewer lost school or work days and fosters peace of mind.

The Red Logan Dental Clinic was named after Dr. Maurice "Red" Logan, a beloved local dentist from the Upper Valley who died in 1995. The dental clinic was named after him in 1996. Volunteer dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants have since helped many patients. The medical and dental clinics merged in 2001 under one single nonprofit organization, Good Neighbor Health Clinics, Inc., and moved into their current facilities at the former Gates Memorial Library building in downtown White River Junction.

The clinics don't receive any federal funding. Instead, they are supported by the generosity of a combination of local and out-of-state individual donors and foundations, as well as from local businesses, organizations and regional hospitals, such as Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital.

Volunteers make up the heart of our organization. They provide very significant in-kind and pro bono contributions to serve our patients. Without their time, know-how and dedication, the clinics would not exist in the Upper Valley. Several individuals, including the founders of the clinics have been volunteering for more than 20 years, which says something about their dedication and the continuity of our services.

The clinics are open Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
For eligibility and appointments at the Good Neighbor Health Clinic, please call (802) 295-1868.

For eligibility and appointments at the Red Logan Dental Clinic, please call (802) 295-7573.

To support the work of the clinics, please send your tax-deductible contribution to:

Good Neighbor Health Clinics, Inc
70 N. Main Street, White River Jct., VT 05001
Or contribute online at www.goodneighborhealthclinic.org
 


The staff and owners of Kinney Pike Insurance wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday season!  Thank you for your continued loyalty, and we look forward to serving you in 2014! 

                                                                                          www.kinneypike.com 
                                                                                                   800.296.5722 

STAY CONNECTED

Facebook    Twitter    LinkedIn    Pinterest