T.J. Samson | Destination Health | August 2018

F or Treva Shirley, MA, the best part about T.J. Regional Health’s industrial medi- cine program is that it changes people’s lives. Shirley heads up the program, which launched in 2015. Businesses and industries can tap into it to offer their employees wellness programs and other stay-well services. Shirley has seen the dif- ference it’s made on a very human level. She’s seen workplace participants adopt healthier habits and take control of health problems they didn’t even know they had. “And they can see the difference in the way they feel,” she says. “To see those success stories is my favorite part.” Industrial medicine (sometimes called occupational medicine) may not be the best- known branch of health care. But it’s important enough that T.J. Samson even has a physician who specializes in this type of medicine: Brad Mallory, MD. “It’s all about employee health,” Shirley says. “We have resources to help businesses with any- thing they need.” More specifically, businesses can choose from a menu of services, including some required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. For example: ●  ● Treatment for workplace injuries. ●  ● Workforce education (such as proper lifting techniques and ergonomics training). ●  ● Pre-employment physicals and drug and alcohol testing. ●  ● Spirometry (breathing) and hearing screenings. ●  ● Vaccinations. ●  ● Tuberculosis skin testing. NEXT-LEVEL WELLNESS By boosting employee health, employers may improve their bottom line through increased productivity, reduced insurance costs, and im- proved employee morale and retention, Shirley says. Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Platteville, WI Permit No. 7 T.J. Samson Community Hospital 1301 N. Race St. Glasgow, KY 42141 AUGUST 2018 Workplace wellness also may contribute to a healthier community overall. “We want to keep people working in this town—keep them healthy and happy,” Shirley says. To that end, Shirley recently began working with Nashville-based Applied Health Analytics to help businesses offer even more wellness services. And many are available at low or no cost. For example, T.J. Samson has offered biomet- ric screenings before.They help employees learn more about key health measures like obesity, blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels—which can affect the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. But now businesses can com- bine the screenings with employee personal health surveys. Results from the surveys and biometric screenings can be combined to create an aggregate report that helps employers better understand the health of their staff. “We can actually show the company how much money they could possibly save just by getting these people on more of a healthy trajectory,” she says. Businesses could, for instance, be inspired to start or improve an employee wellness program. “They’ll maybe start walking clubs, things like that,” she says. That’s not all. Employees can receive a personal health report. And they can log in to a personal health portal and get customized health solutions. For instance, an employee might want to: ●  ● Schedule a colonoscopy, mammogram or sleep study. ●  ● Get help to quit smoking. ●  ● Connect with a doctor. T.J. Samson also offers lunch-and-learn events and one-on-one health education to employees. It’s not enough just to help people find out if they’re at increased risk for diabetes or heart dis- ease, Shirley says. People may need help with the next steps, whether that’s eating better, exercising or getting regular checkups. “We’re trying to make personal connections with those employees to help them make those changes,” Shirley says. How can we help? To find out how T.J. Samson could help your company boost workforce wellness, call 270-651-4580 or email Shirley at tshirley@tjsamson.org . Healthy workforce, healthy community Program helps businesses boost employee health Treva Shirley, MA, RT(R)(MR) Industry Navigator