Occupational Medicine

The intersection of wellness and the ability to work has never been more precarious than it is today. More and more businesses are opening up. People are heading back to work—some enthusiastically, some with trepidation about the risks. Urgent care operators who offer occupational medicine services could offer solutions and reassurance to all parties, provided they’re able to make the case with decision-makers. A new article in Personnel Today points out that the chaos and …

One of the vexing issues employers are facing is how to welcome workers back to their jobs without subjecting them to undue risk of exposure to COVID-19. Testing each person before they’re permitted to enter the building might sound like the safest option, but doing so would be so time-consuming as to be completely impractical. Pool sampling—in which a batch of samples is run through a single diagnostic test—could be one way to test large …

This has been a big week for school districts announcing their plans for the new school year. In some parts of the country, hopes are high that they can start again full-time, on-site, and without incident. Other districts are concocting complex schemes to have children learn in school sometimes and at home others. Either way, this paves the way for businesses to open up again in earnest. The question is, how can employers—some of whom …

Workplaces across the country are starting to take steps toward normalcy, with restaurants in many states letting patrons back in or offering outdoor dining options. Retail and office jobs will follow. That doesn’t mean folks feel safe going back after months of working remotely, however, or that precautions shouldn’t be taken to prevent a second wave of COVID-19 infections. Pennsylvania-based St. Luke’s Occupational Medicine, in collaboration with St. Luke’s Behavioral Health, St. Luke’s Fitness Centers, …

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has reversed an earlier guidance that suggested there was some discretion in enforcing reporting requirements when it comes to COVID-19 complaints outside of healthcare or emergency response workplaces. As of May 26, OSHA says it classifies COVID-19 as “a potentially recordable illness” and that “employers should be taking action to determine whether employee COVID-19 illnesses are work-related and thus recordable.” As more workplaces move closer to starting on-site work, …

Regardless of where you stand in the debate over the appropriate time to “open up” the country and see businesses return to relatively normal operations, it’s clear that there will still be people infected with COVID-19. If you offer occupational medicine services, it’s all but inevitable that some of them will be employed by your clients—who will be looking to you for guidance and care. A new article published online by BusinessTech suggests screening all …

Urgent care operators who offer occupational medicine services will be more valuable than ever once states make the difficult decision to resume “normal” operations and allow businesses to do the same. What that looks like will undoubtedly vary from state to state, but it’s likely that worker testing, examinations,  and workplace hygiene practices will be a subject of great interest for both employers and workers. Occ med providers will be in a great position to …