Occupational Medicine: For Businesses

A healthy workforce is a productive workforce. Keep your team well by partnering with St. Bernards Occupational Health, which serves companies of all sizes in northeast Arkansas and southern Missouri. We provide an umbrella of care for every stage of employment, from preplacement physicals to rehabilitation. Because we’re part of St. Bernards Healthcare—the region’s most robust and trusted system—your employees have easy access to almost any medical service they need.

Managing Your Risks at Work

Work affects health, and health affects work. For your business to operate at full capacity, it’s important to manage occupational and environmental health risks. It sounds simple, but it’s easier said than done. Our industrial hygiene services help you anticipate, recognize, evaluate and control hazards that can lead to:

• Broken bones
• Cuts
• Hearing damage
• Illnesses caused by breathing, touching or ingesting unsafe substances
• Illnesses due to radiation exposure
• Repetitive motion disorders
• Sprains and strains
• Vision problems

Preventive Care

Workplace wellness begins with identifying potential impairments to safety and employee efficiency. To help your team members avoid injuries and illnesses, ask us for:

• Ergonomic evaluations, which look for opportunities to reduce physical strain and discomfort at your workplace
• Functional job analyses that help you write accurate job descriptions and determine the skills and abilities a position requires
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance consultations to improve staff performance
• Onsite training in exercise, posture, lifting and injury prevention
• Preplacement and annual physical exams that make sure your workers can safely do their jobs
• Progressive lifting evaluations to determine how much weight an employee can safely carry
• Respirator fit testing and certifications, including pulmonary function testing, every year to protect the health of your employees
• Vaccinations against COVID-19, the flu and other infectious diseases

Health Screenings

Screenings look for potential health problems before they become serious medical conditions. Chronic medical concerns affect employee productivity and raise your company’s insurance costs. So, invite us to come onsite to check:

• Blood pressure
• Cholesterol and glucose
• Heart rhythm (using an electrocardiogram, or EKG)
• Hearing and vision
• Height, weight and body mass index (BMI)
• Waist measurement

You can also encourage employees to take advantage of free, monthly community wellness screenings at St. Bernards Auditorium.

Onsite Mammograms

Breast cancer affects one in eight women, but the five-year survival rate is nearly 99% when the disease is caught early. To help your employees take charge of their health, call 870.207.8007 and ask St. Bernards to bring a mobile mammography unit to your workplace at no charge. Our education coordinator will also come to talk about the value of preventive care and women’s health. Or, you can schedule an educational visit from the coordinator without the mobile unit.

Rapid Response to Injuries

When your business contracts with us, you send employees with work-related injuries to St. Bernards Occupational Health if they don’t have a medical emergency. We’ll assess their condition promptly and arrange or provide treatment. If we learn your workers visited the emergency department, we’ll follow up to help them safely return to work.

Impairment Ratings & Independent Medical Evaluations

After employees’ initial treatment, we can determine how their health conditions may affect their jobs. Our providers offer a neutral, unbiased opinion that informs return-to-work plans, including accommodations your staff may need.

Return to Work

Give your injured employees support to get back to their jobs as quickly and safely as possible. Partner with us to create custom work conditioning and hardening programs for specific positions and common medical issues. Your business may reduce workers’ compensation costs, and your staff will retain more of their skills because they spend less time away from work.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation plays an essential role in restoring your employees’ abilities after an injury or medical condition. Ask us about:

• Physical therapy – Focuses on rebuilding strength and mobility and relieving pain
• Occupational therapy – Helps workers regain job-related skills, especially those using their hands and shoulders

Tracking & Monitoring

Let us help you develop and implement a system to document injuries and monitor health concerns, including exposure to chemicals and blood-borne pathogens. Using the information you gather, your organization will identify patterns and common problems to address, preventing future injuries and illnesses.

Drug-Free Workplace Services

Keep your workforce substance-free with:

• Breath alcohol testing
• Drug and alcohol use policies we help develop
• Drug tests, including U.S. Department of Transportation testing
• Services of a medical review officer (physician certified to review and validate lab test results)

Behavioral Healthcare

Give your staff the resources to address personal challenges so they can focus on work during business hours. Talk to St. Bernards Counseling Center for help developing an employee assistance program (EAP). Our trained mental health professionals offer confidential support to your workers when they need it most.

St. Bernards Health & Wellness

Healthy, fit teams perform at their best on the job. St. Bernards Health & Wellness, Jonesboro’s premier fitness facility, offers a wealth of programs and amenities to help your employees get in their best shape. Contact us about opportunities to sponsor full or discounted memberships for your workforce.