The St. Luke’s University Health Network Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Care Now is celebrating 35 years of distinction in service to the local community by providing workplace solutions for employers and employees in the greater Lehigh Valley and New Jersey areas.
Over the course of its history, the department has grown from a handful of locations to 22 Care Now clinics that serve patients throughout the greater Lehigh Valley region.
With the Expansion of Care Now facilities, the occupational and environmental medicine department has also evolved to move beyond evaluation and treatment of workplace injury to address care and prevention and provide a number of customizable contract services to employers. These services include pre-employment screening and physicals, lab work, and a host of health and wellness programs.
Innovative, evidence-based programs such as the Worksite Injury Prevention Program offer employers cost-saving solutions, while bettering the health and well-being of the employee population. These offerings provide employers continuous partnership and integral assistance in navigating Worker’s Compensation claims and meeting compliance standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The evolution and growth of the department has gone hand-in-hand with the region’s economic development, according to Ben Guerin, manager of business development for the department of occupational medicine. “This area has really seen an economic boom over the past few years – just look at the continued growth of warehouses,” he said. “And with more employment opportunities, we’ve seen a greater need for occupational medicine.”
The success of the program is fundamentally attributable to the individualized patient care and coordination with insurers and health care professionals to treat the injured worker and facilitate their return to work while minimizing lost time, he said.
“A distinct advantage for the patient is the communication and coordination between the department and the vast St. Luke’s network, including orthopedics and general surgery,” Guerin said. “That is a real benefit for treating the employees and getting them back to work.”
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