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The WorkCenter provides occupational health and safety services to businesses throughout northcentral Pennsylvania.
With five locations in the UPMC network, the WorkCenter establishes employee and workplace health programs specific to a business or industry and offers a range of services and assessments for hiring employees, treatment of injured workers, and other employer needs.
Occupational health and its services have become increasingly in demand.
"People are becoming more aware of the value of their employees," Chandra Spring DeWald, employer outreach/occupational health coordinator, said. "The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is evolving with the times."
It's all part of keeping workers healthy, safe, and productive.
"We are the longest continuous Occupational Health facility in northcentral Pennsylvania," DeWald said. "We are able to maintain a personal relationship with all our clients."
The WorkCenter's client base totals more than 1,500 employers
The personal touch, DeWald feels, has helped the WorkCenter grow.
The range of occupational health services include assessment and care of musculoskeletal injuries, lacerations, and eye injuries.
Employees with serious injuries are to first be seen in the emergency department with possible follow-up care at the WorkCenter.
"The majority of what we do is drug testing," she said.
A large focus on the need for government-mandated alcohol and drug testing for employees of various industries came following a 1987 train accident that claimed the lives of 19 people. A subsequent investigation revealed that two engineers had been under the influence of drugs.
"That was a wakeup call for the nation," DeWald said.
The following year, the first WorkCenter was established at Muncy Valley Hospital. The WorkCenter at Divine Providence was established several years later.
The Divine Providence clinic is situated in the hospital's main building, occupying rooms formerly housing Sports Medicine and has six exam rooms.
The WorkCenter includes Workers' Compensation injury management for diagnosis, treatment, and management of injured workers.
Trained health care professionals work with employees with the goal of helping them return to work safely. The care is based on standards of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and compliant with the state Department of Labor and Industry.
The WorkCenter's trained professionals can screen for health conditions to assess a potential worker's ability to perform a job and avoid workplace injuries.
Worker physicals can be done pre-employment, yearly, or to assess an employee's ability to return to work.
Audiometric testing performed at the WorkCenter monitors hearing acuity of an employee. The testing is required by OSHA for anyone worker exposed to 85 or greater decibels of noise in the workplace.
A series of tests known as respiratory clearance evaluate the pulmonary status of employees who are in workplaces contaminated by harmful dusts or vapors. The testing includes spirometry breathing, fit testing for determining the seal between the respirator's face piece and employee's face, and blood tests.
The WorkCenter's mobile unit can come to employers to perform on-site testing for substance abuse, medical surveillance, and employee physicals.
Education is also a big part of the WorkCenter's mission.
"We help companies navigate rules under OSHA," DeWald said. "I spend a lot of my time talking to employers."
DeWald noted that six Department of Transportation agencies make use of UPMC's WorkCenters. They are: the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safey Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier and Safety Administration, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
In addition to Divine Providence and Muncy Valley, UPMC WorkCenters are in Wellsboro, Lock Haven, and Coudersport.