Regional FirstCare Occupational Health Services works one-on-one with local employers to help them provide preventive services to employees, decreasing injury and illness rates, increasing employee health and productivity, and decreasing workers compensation costs. This innovative program is under the professional leadership of Brian G. Forrester, MD, MPH. Dr. Forrester is residency trained and board certified in occupational medicine, the first such physician to practice in the northeast Georgia area.

Hours and Location
Regional FirstCare Occupational Health Services is located next to the Athens Regional FirstCare at 485 Highway 29 North, just past Athens Tech. The phone number is (706) 353-6000, option 1.

The hours for Regional FirstCare Occupational Health Services are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

When Regional FirstCare Occupational Health Services is closed, patients can be seen at one of the Regional FirstCare locations for work-related injuries (between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. weeknights and between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays).

All pre-employment physicals and all other Industrial Services should be performed during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, at our Athens location.

Initial Treatment and Management of Occupational Injuries
Typical occupational injury care would consist of the evaluation, treatment and management of the following:

• Sprains
• Strains
• Lacerations
• Low back pain
• Minor fractures
• Other routine injuries

Medical Surveillance and Physical Examination Programs
Physical examination programs serve important preventive functions in the workplace. These programs allow employers to obtain baseline information on an employee prior to reporting to work, which can then be used as a comparison for future examinations. In addition, employees with medical conditions unsuitable for placement in a specific work environment can be identified. All preplacement examinations will be done in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. OSHA also has specific medical surveillance requirements for certain occupational exposures. Typical occupational examination programs include:

• preplacement, ADA compliant
• OSHA medical surveillance
• fitness to work evaluations
• respirator clearance evaluations (new OSHA requirement)
• DOT examinations
• exposure specific examinations, including biological monitoring

Occupational Illness and Disease Evaluations
Although less common than occupational injuries, occupational diseases are often costly to both employer and employee, and may necessitate job modifications or workplace removal. An experienced physician who is knowledgeable in occupational diseases can be very helpful in identifying these cases early before significant morbidity and disability develops. In addition, many workers may believe they have an occupational illness, when actually other factors are responsible for their symptoms. Identification of these non-occupational complaints will limit an employer's workers compensation costs. Typical occupational diseases that can be evaluated at Regional FirstCare include:

• cumulative trauma, repetitive motion disorders, such as carpal tunnel
• occupational skin disease, sometimes requiring patch testing
• occupational lung disease, including occupational asthma, silicosis and asbestosis
• chemical exposure evaluations
• sick building syndrome

Occupational Medicine Consultation
Because of the medical-legal environment of occupational illnesses and injuries, there is often the need for second opinions and consultation concerning occupational disease causation. These referrals are typically made by third parties, such as insurance companies, case managers, physicians or legal counsel. By carefully evaluating such patients and rendering an unbiased opinion, the needs of both the patient and the employer can be served. All referrals will be carefully screened for conflicts of interest. Consultations that will be performed at Regional FirstCare Occupational Health Services include:

• independent medical examinations
• occupational disease causation consultations
• impairment evaluations

Worksite Evaluations
In certain cases it is advantageous for the occupational medicine physician to perform an on-site workplace evaluation. This situation may occur when an unusually high number of occupational injuries or illnesses occur in a particular area, or when there is a dispute concerning the workplace contribution to a workers symptoms or medical condition. The worksite visit is often focused on one or more of the following factors:

• ergonomics affecting musculoskeletal conditions
• disease causation evaluations
• return to work evaluations
• epidemiologic investigation of areas with increased injuries or illnesses
• may be done in conjunction with Athens Regional Medical Center's Rehabilitation Services

Drug Screening
Hair or urine drug screenings can be an effective tool to limit the use of illicit drugs and providing a drug-free workplace. Drug screening may be performed during a pre-placement evaluation, for cause, or randomly for client companies. Regional FirstCare Occupational Health Services will perform drug screenings as needed for client companies, as well as providing the Medical Review Officer function.

Occupational Health Policy Development
In many industries, development of an occupational health policy is impor- tant for the protection of the health of the workforce. Occupational medicine physicians are naturally suited to assist in the policy development because of their unique knowledge of the interaction between workplace environments and worker health. Regional FirstCare Occupational Health Services will function in the role of the consultant, with the responsibility of all final policy decisions residing with company management. Examples of occupational health policies that may require occupational medicine consulting include:

• physical standards for high risk jobs
• preplacement examination policies
• developing essential job function descriptions
• drug testing policies
• policies concerning pregnant workers
• hazardous materials handling policies

Medical Director Responsibilities
Many of the services listed can be provided to businesses in the role of Company Medical Director. Review of occupational medicine cases, worksite visits, advising on OSHA compliance issues, performance of ergonomic assessments, and assisting in policy development are duties often carried out by company medical directors.

Education and Training of the Workforce
Many occupational medicine specialists perform educational and training activities for client companies in order to decrease injury and illness rates through employee education. Because of our affiliation with ARMC, the education and training department of the hospital may be able to assist in these endeavors.

On-Site Services
Many of the above programs could be delivered on-site if facilities are available. By having an occupational health nurse or physician going directly to the industry, employers would save on employee travel time and lost time from work.