To Your Health
January, 2012 (Vol. 06, Issue 01) |
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I was employed at the zoo right after high school and continued to work there throughout my undergrad and chiropractic college years, and even another six years of weekends after graduating from Northwestern.
I was an employee of the zoo a total of 14 years. After graduation from chiropractic college in 1996, I had a number of fellow employees request adjustments while I was at the zoo.
After several months of these requests, which were toward the end of my occupational health diplomate program, I asked the head of safety and security for the zoo, Mr. Ken Weisenburger, if he would be open to having me provide on-site chiropractic care for the zoo's employees. He immediately understood the potential benefits of doing so, and with his assistance, we were able to implement an on-site chiropractic program. This was in 2002, and with me then becoming an independent contractor (as a chiropractor) with the State of Minnesota, I had to resign my position with the zoo as an employee. To my knowledge, I was and perhaps still am the first chiropractor to serve as an independent contractor for the State of Minnesota.
Describe the major occupational health services you are providing within this relationship.
The zoo's employees are divided into two groups: the physical labor portion (zookeepers, grounds crew, maintenance, etc.) and the more sedentary portion (administrative, guest services, etc.). As it turns out, an approximately equal distribution of workers has chosen to see me. The zoo supplied me with an exam / treatment room, in which I provide chiropractic care, acupuncture and rehab for any neuromusculoskeletal symptoms the workers experience. If the condition is found to be a work-related, care is billed through the state workers' compensation insurance. If not, the employee's personal insurance is billed.
What have you found to be the greatest challenges / primary obstacles you have had to overcome in marketing your professional services within this group?
As mentioned above, marketing my services with the management team was never a challenge. I think the most difficult obstacle was the fact that the zoo's employees are there first and foremost for the animals, along with raising awareness of the impact they are having on our environment and promoting conservation efforts around the world. These people are workaholics and many aren't very focused on their own health.
It was challenging to get these individuals to understand why chiropractic services would be provided on-site [because it focused] on the employees rather than the animals. It took a while to get certain individuals to understand that if a main zookeeper is out due to an injury, then a 'substitute' zookeeper who, by definition, doesn't have the same relationship with the animals, would have to do the job. Thus, the health of the animals would benefit as well from keeping as many regular staff on-site and as healthy as possible.
Having a long-standing, personal relationship with the zoo and its employees was crucial in my ability to feel comfortable in approaching them with an idea for on-site chiropractic. It also helped that a number of the zoo's employees were already successfully treated patients in my family practice very near to the zoo facility.
Do you feel that providing occupational health and ergonomics services, and assisting businesses and organizations with their health, wellness and safety programs, has a bright future for appropriately trained doctors of chiropractic?
I think the sky is the limit. I feel that the majority of employers don't fully realize the costs that are associated with injuries for their employees. I think they get the raw / up-front costs, but there are so many hidden or indirect costs they are largely unaware of. Once they are enlightened to the cost savings of on-site chiropractic care for their employees, the improvement in worker morale and the satisfaction ratings, a lot of facilities will employ appropriately trained chiropractors to fill this need.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Every community has employers that could use our on-site and other occupational health services. One of the many benefits is the fact that the overhead is exceptionally small, and both employers and employees actually want us there – many of them just don't know it yet. Another benefit is the fact that some of your time can be used doing ergonomic assessments, thus lessening the physical stresses on workers' bodies, resulting in longer employment lifetimes.
So, does your chiropractor provide chiropractic care and ergonomic assessments at your place of business? If not, you may want to pass this article on to your employer and suggest they contact your chiropractor. It's a win-win-win situation for employers, employees and your DC.
Joseph Sweere, DC, DABCO, DACBOH, FICC, is a professor in the Chiropractic Clinical Sciences Division and chairman of the Department of Occupational Health, College of Chiropractic at Northwestern Health Sciences University.
