“Health at Work” Program is Presented at the Duneland Chamber’s Sunrise Seminar

The Chesterton Duneland Chamber of Commerce held its annual Sunrise Seminar at Riley’s Railhouse with Porter Regional Hospital being invited to speak on the subject of “Health at Work.”

Janette Thorn, Corporate Health Consultant for Porter Regional Hospital; along with Laurie Wehner-Evans, Community Wellness Director, R.N. and Health Coach; and Steve Beach, R.N. and Health Coach presented information and answered questions on the subject of the Occupational Health Program that has been implemented at Porter Regional Hospital.

Thorn said, “This is a brand new program for Porter Regional Hospital. It is a program that utilizes its employers (Community Health Systems CHS) to keep its employees healthy. The goal is to reduce health care costs and develop a healthier workforce.”

Some of the Health at Work services include: employee physicals, return to work screens, assistance with written policies and more. It will also provide 24/7 access to its employees and their dependants to schedule an appointment with one of the physicians or services affiliated with Porter Health Care Systems by dialing an 800 number.

The Occupational Health Program “Health at Work” takes a non-traditional approach to the wellness of its associates with NO contractual obligations or up-front fees. The program uses a Medical Home Model with a primary care physician in a comprehensive health care system. It is the first program to have an electronic personal health record in the area and will have the ability to track the health status of its workforce and, importantly, will be able to track the cost of savings over time.

The Medical Home Model includes the Porter Physicians Group that is growing to meet the needs of Porter County with 24 primary care physicians, with 19 of those taking on new patients. The Group has the capacity for 1,800 new patients in 2013.

“The Occupational Health Clinic is brand new at the Porter Regional Hospital CareEXPRESS in Chesterton. If someone gets hurt or needs a physical they can call the 800 number for the nearest location. This program will help to save money as well as keep them out of the ER,” Thorn said.

The Occupational Health Clinic, 650 Dickenson Rd., Chesterton is open 9am - 9pm seven days a week. There is also a campus in Valparaiso located at 2000 Roosevelt Rd. open 9am - 9pm Saturday and Sunday and 5pm-9pm Monday – Friday.

The Sunrise Seminar is just one of many held by the Chesterton Duneland Chamber of Commerce. The first Thursday of the month there is a new topic to educate Chamber members on subjects that can help their business grow.

Heather Ennis Executive Director of the Chamber said, “We have discussed topics on ‘Internet Security, Recognizing Counterfeit Money and Marketing Strategies. Coming up in April the business, Look For It Local, will be working along with the Chamber presenting Database Tools. This subject is going to be presented to members to give information on building a web presence for their business. These seminars are very helpful to the members and are held so that they can get the most out of their membership.”

 {valpo}Click here to view more photos from the event{/valpo}{portage}Click here to view more photos from the event{/portage}{laporte}Click here to view more photos from the event{/laporte}