State Department Offers Online Family Information

December 22, 2005

By John Buhl

Department of State employees and families can obtain information 24 hours a day on topics ranging from child care to finances and health care at an online resource called IQ: InformationQuest. The site provides information on how to locate resources across the U.S.

In terms of child care and parenting, State Department employees and their spouses can find information on care facilities; child safety; adoption; prenatal care; birthing options; coping with adolescence; and discipline.

For those agency employees caring for elderly relatives, the adult care and aging section of the Web site offers help on short- and long-term care as well as senior citizen resources.

Information is also available on health and wellness (particularly preventive health care such as exercise programs and nutrition), financial issues and counseling, and even home improvement and travel planning services.

InformationQuest can help:

• locate community services, realtors, schools and fitness centers nationwide;
• access interactive health tools, for example health assessments;
• participate in online seminars; and
• access online legal forms and interactive financial calculators.

The site also offers kits that contain free products and information on being prenatal, child safety and adult care.

IQ: InformationQuest also provides emergency services and disaster preparedness assistance. During an emergency, the service can help people find: emergency shelters and hospitals; food and clothing assistance; alternate housing; temporary care for children; caring for pets during a disaster; public insurance adjuster associations; and resources to address posttraumatic stress disorder.

The site address is www.worklife4you.com. New users can register using the code “statedepartment,” or by calling (800) 222-0364 or for TTY (888) 262-7848.

2005 OPM Toy Drive

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that it gathered more than 1,300 toys through its annual toy drive to distribute to OPM employees and military families in need. About 1,200 of the toys were provided to family members of servicemen and women aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Eisenhower. OPM Director Linda Springer stated, “Once again, OPM employees have made this holiday season very special for the children of men and women deployed in service to our country as well as for children in need.” The toys were distributed at holiday parties at the Norfolk, Va., Naval Base in honor of both ships. This is the fifth year that OPM has held the toy drive. OPM “adopted” the Theodore Roosevelt when the ship sank shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, when the ship was stationed in the Middle East to assist in fighting the war on terror.