Joey Wahler (Host): They're both important to staying healthy in the workforce. So, we're discussing the combination of primary care and occupational health. Our guest, Kyle Sommers, a family nurse practitioner working in occupational health for Woodlawn Hospital. This is Woodlawn Health Doc Talk. Thanks for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler. Hi there, Kyle. Thanks for being with us.

Kyle Sommers: Hey, thank you for having me today.

Host: Great to have you aboard. So first, just remind us to get us started, if you would, please. What do we mean by primary care?

Kyle Sommers: Well, with primary care, that's a basic healthcare approach for family members of all ages to address acute or chronic healthcare needs.

Host: And so, we're talking about basic checkups and things that go along with that, right?

Kyle Sommers: Absolutely.

Host: And so what would some of those things include?

Kyle Sommers: So, yearly wellness checks, depending on age and whatnot, basic labs to look at cholesterol, kidney, liver, thyroid, blood sugars, make sure those levels are all within parameter; school checkups for children, sports physicals for our young athletes. And then, it leads into acute visits. I mean, does somebody have the flu or do they have an upper respiratory infection and we're checking for strep throat? And it even goes into if we're actually managing chronic disease such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, arthritis, those kinds of things.

Host: Gotcha. And so, what is occupational health? It may be a new term to some.

Kyle Sommers: Oh, absolutely. What's interesting is that, globally, 70% have access to primary care, but only 15% of people have access to occupational healthcare. Occupational healthcare can have the same focus as primary, but you approach it differently. It's a service that comes to you through your employer. And we're looking at OSHA compliance, injury prevention, timely response to work related injury, prevention of repetitive work-related injuries.

Host: So, when we talk, Kyle, about combining primary care and occupational healthcare, we'll get into some details in a moment, but to set us up, what would you say the overall goal should be?

Kyle Sommers: I think the overall goal is the health of employees and supporting businesses in the community so that you have a healthier community all the way around. If you can get an employer to invest in an occupational health contract, it helps them invest in the healthcare of their employees and potentially their family members.

Host: And so, how would an occupational health contract differ from providing basic health insurance?

Kyle Sommers: So, the occupational health portion of it, we offer pre-employment physicals to ensure that the people you're hiring are healthy to do what you need them to do. Are they the right person to repetitively lift 50 pounds a hundred times a day? You can look at drug screens. Audiometry, so you make sure that people have their OSHA compliance. Spirometry screening, should they be wearing a mask or a ventilator? First aid training, do they know how to take care of each other should an injury happen on site until we get an employee to a healthcare professional? CPR. We can also come in and do health screenings to screen cholesterol and diabetes to start the conversations to let somebody know they may have a problem they're not aware of.

Host: And you led me beautifully with that last part into my next question when you talk about they may have a problem they're not aware of. You mentioned a moment ago one option there is a physical for people that haven't yet been hired. To use your example, if someone on the job needs to lift a certain amount, they may think they're capable but a physical might show otherwise and reveal something they weren't aware of right?

Kyle Sommers: Absolutely. And so then, that protects the employer, but it also protects the employee. And we can have the conversation, you know, this person may be better suited for job A versus job B.

Host: Gotcha. So when you visit a workplace, what do you observe typically and how do you make recommendations?

Kyle Sommers: So, when you're looking around, you're looking to see if people are working with proper ergonomics and proper alignment or are they in a position that is going to set them up for injury based on a far reach happening to be accomplished repetitively throughout the day. That's a first example right there. We can work with employers if they do find that they're having a repetitive injury over and over again. We can have physical therapy come in and talk about maybe some realignment for the job. Do we need to put a platform on the floor? How can we make this repetitive action safer?

Host: And speaking of which, when you make these observations and you see things that can be added or changed, what would be one example, if you would, of a common thing that you point out that an employer needs and doesn't have and says, "Wow, I'm glad you mentioned that"?

Kyle Sommers: Proper lift technique and ergonomics for people that are making repetitive motions. Are they using good lift technique? Are they lifting with their legs instead of their back? Where are they repetitively putting the strain on their body? How can we tell them how to move their body to protect themselves?

Host: So, the ideal scenario here would be that both employees and employers benefit, of course. First, how would you say employees benefit from occupational healthcare?

Kyle Sommers: So, employees, if the employer offers a health, occupational healthcare component or contract like Woodlawn Health does, that's something that they can extend to the employee's family members. So, employees see that their employer isn't investing in them, they have access to healthcare. Should they have the common cold or the upper respiratory, get treatment quicker, get back to work quicker. We're evaluating to prevent the injuries so they're missing less days. That helps on both ends.

Another thing that I found is if somebody has a workman comp injury but they know me from the primary care aspect where they've come in for an upper respiratory, they feel more comfortable in their care they're getting. I'm not suddenly "the corporate physician." I'm somebody that knows them, but that's also treating them. And the bottom line is people don't care what you know until they know that you care. So if we can bridge that gap and help them, they just know that we're invested in them, their employer's invested in them, and that's how they benefit.

Host: Yeah, I'm sure that provides not just better healthcare, but a comfort level that's increased as well, right?

Kyle Sommers: Absolutely.

Host: And how about what's in it for employers?

Kyle Sommers: So for employers, if they have this type of contract that Woodlawn is offering to the community for an occupational contract with primary care and come combined, then your employees stay healthier because they're getting care faster. We're doing healthcare screenings so they find out about chronic diseases before they become problematic. It also helps the majority of their claims and visit run through the contract, which reduces the number of claims that's hitting their primary insurance. Let's use Blue Cross Blue Shield for an example. If you have less claims hitting Blue Cross Blue Shield, then your overall premiums are down, so you now have a cost savings that you can put back into your business.

Host: And I'm sure that is something that any employer would sign up for. How about with so much focus these days, Kyle, on mental health, is that included here?

Kyle Sommers: So, mental health does start in primary care, and I would say that that is a significant portion of visits that I see because stress, anxiety, the emotional burden of chronic disease, the emotional burden of a Workman's Comp injury. So yes, we can address those needs as well. That doesn't mean to say that we wouldn't want to bring on mental health professionals, but we can start at the basic level and work to help people.

Host: I would imagine there are companies interested in taking better care of workers health-wise, but they just need more guidance from an expert like you, right?

Kyle Sommers: I appreciate that, but yes, absolutely, everybody needs guidance. And sometimes you just don't know all of what a community offers until you hear about it.

Host: A couple of other things, occupational healthcare seems to be kind of a unique niche. How did you end up working in it?

Kyle Sommers: So with wanting to advance my education, I stepped into primary care and it happened at that time to be one of those internal contracts where an employer was partnering primary and occupational. So, I will be honest that I just fell into a unique spot and I appreciated the value and the relationships that I was making so I continued to move forward in that direction.

Host: And what would you say is the key to an employer providing better occupational healthcare for its staff?

Kyle Sommers: I fall back on a quote that I heard a while ago that says medicine adds days to life, but occupational medicine adds life to your days. And if you can get employees that feel that you're invested in them, they're invested in you, and it creates a great working cycle.

Host: Yeah, really just the perfect win-win. In summary, how does an occupational health partnership with Woodlawn Hospital first occur? If a business is interested, what's the first step?

Kyle Sommers: They can reach out and give a call over to Woodlawn Health. They can ask for the Occupational Health Department, and it starts a conversation with our staff here inquiring in regards to their basic needs. And we move forward from there.

Host: Sounds quick and easy. Well, folks, we trust you're now more familiar with occupational healthcare. Kyle Sommers, very interesting indeed. Thanks so much again.

Kyle Sommers: Thank you.

Host: And for more information, please visit woodlawnhospital.org/staff/occupational-health. Now, if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social media. I'm Joey Wahler. And thanks again for listening to Woodlawn Health Doc Talk.