OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
OUR MISSION:
Our team strives to provide high quality services that focus on prevention of work related injuries and illnesses. Our approach to injury management is based on a continuum of care from early intervention, active recovery, safe and rapid return to work and reducing the risk of re-injury to maximize worker productivity and lower work injury costs.

OUR TEAM:
Fred Halverson, Respiratory Therapist,

Jane Gaskell, Employee Health and Infection Control Nurse for Vernon Memorial Healthcare

Occupational Therapy staff provides ergonomic consultation, job site analysis, hand therapy, Functional Capacity Evaluations, pre-work screens, work conditioning and on-site prevention education.

Physical Therapy staff provides Functional Capacity Evaluations, pre-work screens, work conditioning, prevention education and acute on-site injury management.

Community Health Educator- provides CPR and First Aid Instruction to employees along with prevention education seminars on smoking cessation, stress management, flex and stretch, blood pressure and lipid screenings.

Registered Dieticians- provide prevention education on healthy eating, weight loss and diabetes management/education.

Greg Leighton, Speech Therapist, performs baseline and annual audiograms (hearing test).

Vernon Memorial Healthcare Practitioners: includes practitioners from clinics in Viroqua, Westby, Soldiers Grove, and LaFarge. Our team members also work closely with practitioners from other facilities also.

OUR SERVICES:

Prevention Education: injury prevention is the most common theme between all Occupational Health team members. That’s why our diverse staff works closely with employers and employees to minimize a company’s potential risks by identifying these risks and offering possible solutions. Safety, health and wellness education programs empower employees to understand and solve problems.

Ergonomic Consultation and Job-Site Analysis: performed by Occupational Therapists or Occupational Therapy Assistants to identify ways to make the work environment safer and work more productive. After an analysis of work, worker and work site, they provide employers with guidelines for safety and give recommendations on new work area designs, job modification and adaptive equipment. (AliMed link) The consultation may be helpful in preventing injuries from happening at the work site or can assist an employee in returning to work after an injury.

Acute On-Site Injury Management: coming soon

Post-injury Management: includes surgical and non-surgical treatment by Vernon Memorial Healthcare practitioners and rehabilitation specialists for all types of work related musculoskeletal injuries. Rehabilitation includes the use of various modalities along with stretching and strengthening exercises in order to return the worker to his/her previous level of function. Therapists work closely with the employee, physician, employer and worker’s compensation company to facilitate recovery and the return to work process.

Isernhagen Functional Capacity Evaluation: a work-related test that assesses an individual’s physical ability to do a specific job or activity, and aids in developing a safe return-to-work program. The test is comprehensive and clearly describes the tasks a worker could perform in an eight-hour day. The evaluators are Occupational or Physical Therapists trained specifically by Isernhagen Work Systems. The test is only be performed by those who have completed the specialized training.

Work Conditioning: performed by Occupational and/or Physical Therapy staff depending on the nature of the injury. With the goal of returning to work in a safe, timely manner, this program strengthens a client’s abilities by simulating job duties. The program maximizes an employee’s tolerance to a job’s physical demands.

Other Occupational Health Services offered by Vernon Memorial Healthcare Providers:

Specimen Collection for Department of Transportation (DOT) drug screenings and non-DOT drug screenings are performed at Vernon Memorial Hospital or Hirsch Clinic- VMH. All collectors have been through specific training to meet the new DOT standards for Specimen Collectors.

Breath Alcohol Testing (BATs): pre-employment and post-accident breath alcohol testing.

Pulmonary Function Testing: includes NIOSH approved spirometry

Respirator Fit Testing

TB Skin Testing

Vaccinations/Immunizations

OSHA Blood Borne Pathogen Training

Infection Control Presentations

On-Site Health Fairs
Respiratory screenings
Blood sugar testing
Blood pressure screenings
Lipid screenings
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome screenings
Health Risk Assessments
Hearing screenings
Body Composition Analysis

CPR/Automated External Defibrillation (AED) and First Aid training

On-site Health Education Programs
Stress Management
Flex and Stretch
Basic Ergonomics
Diabetes Management and Education
Nutrition/Weight Loss
Lifting and Body Mechanics Training
Smoking Cessation

Audiograms: baseline and annual hearing tests are performed by our Speech Therapist designed meet OSHA’s Hearing Conservation program standards.

Pre-Work and Annual Physicals: performed at any of our Vernon Memorial Healthcare clinics by qualified physicians, physicians’ assistants, or nurse practitioners.