H E A LT H
Other Services for Client Companies
INJURY CARE: Workers get
emergency care for many types
of injuries from skilled physicians
at the Sycamore office.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH: Workers
Dr. Patrick Gannon, DO, FACOEP
them how to prevent it from happening
again, especially repetitive-use injuries.”
However, many injuries are avoidable if
employers anticipate dangers and plan
ahead. Kishwaukee Corporate Health at
MOI’s on-site job analysis service and
pre-lift work tests determine the physical
stresses – lifting, bending, stretching, and
climbing stairs – a potential employee
might encounter doing a certain job.
Y
ou already may know that
Kishwaukee Corporate Health and
Midwest Orthopaedic Institute
have teamed up to treat the illnesses
and injuries of local business employees.
But did you know they bring comprehensive safety and wellness education,
as well as on-site job analysis, right to
the comfort of your own workplace?
New on-site classes encourage workers
to make healthy changes at home and
smart decisions at work with advice on
everything from eating properly to handling
physically demanding tasks safely.
Dr. Patrick Gannon, DO, FACOEP, can
attest to the damage workplace hazards
cause. He listed some conditions he treats
at Kishwaukee Corporate Health at MOI’s
offices in Sycamore. “We see a variety: back,
neck, extremity, and eye injuries; muscle
tears, lacerations, burns, and fractures.”
Some injuries occur over time. “We also deal
with long-term injuries, such as hearing
loss, and we do monitoring for respiratory
issues such as exposure to asbestos or for
36
silicosis. There are repetitive-use injuries:
for example, repetitive gripping, lifting, and
twisting of the wrist,” Dr. Gannon said.
Brent Huff, industrial certified athletic
trainer for Kishwaukee Corporate
Health at MOI, travels to businesses to
train workers how they can avoid these
injuries. “I do on-site presentations about
nutrition, lifting techniques, strength and
conditioning, anything safety-oriented. We can modify the presentations to
anything the company would like...We come
to you. You don’t have to leave work.”
Huff’s presentations have been well-received by Sycamore’s city workers, said
Sue Willey, the city’s human resources
director. Huff has covered nutrition,
safe lifting techniques, defibrillator use,
and precautions for winter weather
– avoiding dehydration and frostbite –
with the people who keep Sycamore safe.
“We always need back-stretching
exercises,” Willey said. “The firefighters
and EMTs do especially. They do
a lot of lifting, for instance, getting
heavy cots into the ambulance.”
It would seem heavy lifting and moving
machinery would pose the greatest
threat, but sitting very still for a long
time can be detrimental too.
Willey explained that Sycamore police
officers have taken instruction on how
to stay limber sitting in a squad car for
long periods of time. They must make
adjustments so their guns, batons, and
equipment don’t affect their posture and
ability to move quickly when they need to.
get access to preventative care and
help returning to work after an injury.
CONVENIENT CARE: Employers,
their employees, and dependents
13 years of age and older can
get treatment for non-work-related minor illnesses and injuries at
the Sycamore office. This private
service is not available to the general
public, thereby reducing wait times
experienced in urgent care settings.
Fit-for-duty exams are also available.
HEALTH RISK SCREENINGS
& IMMUNIZATIONS: Baseline
health assessments check body
mass index (BMI), blood pressure,
and blood work, among other tests.
Immunizations offered include
flu, chicken pox, and others.
DRUG TESTING SERVICES: Workers
can get testing to meet requirements
for certain licenses and policies.
WORK CONDITIONING: Supervised
reconditioning sessions focused on the
physical demands of an individual’s
job in preparation for returning
the employee to work, safely.
Contact Kishwaukee Corporate Health at MOI
Visit www.kchatmoi.com or call (815) 754-4882
“In our on-site job analysis, we are able
to record the daily physical demands
placed on an employee , this allows us to
provide realistic physical requirements
needed to perform a job safely. From
there, we can offer pre-employment lift
screens and post-injury lift screens that
we expect will increase safety measures
for employees and employers.,” Huff said.
city also takes advantage of the job
analysis service, an important step in
preparing for the work of firefighters,
police officers, and utility workers, who
often bear heavy burdens at work.
The City of DeKalb relies on Kishwaukee
Corporate Health at MOI’s services for
everyone from clerical aides to firefighters.
Each requires some form of pre-work drug
testing or physical, said Michelle Anderson,
the city’s human resources director. The
“Our water employees are required to
do a lot of lifting, so we do a pre-work
lift test,” Anderson said. She explained
that careful planning prevents injury,
“Especially if they climb ladders
or walk over uneven terrain.”
2111 Midlands Court • Sycamore, IL 60178
Job site analyses and wellness presentations benefit employees, but the results affect
employers as well. “This program reduces
lost time and lost days and helps companies
avoid increased insurance premiums
and reduced production,” Huff said.
Kishwaukee Corporate Health at MOI
may extend its on-site services in the near
future to include having medical professionals stationed at client companies’
workplaces at