21 Jul 2010

Initiatives for health and welfare

A number of companies in the US periodically offer voluntary on-site health fairs for employees during work hours.

Registered nurses and other clinical professionals are on hand to conduct basic screenings such as blood pressure, bone density, blood sugar, cholesterol and body fat measurements and provide on-the-spot education, literature and gifts to promote awareness of available programs.

In fact, employee Julian Perez, who works in PEMKO Ventura’s packaging department, credits a blood pressure and cholesterol screening at one such health fair with saving his life. He was immediately admitted to the hospital and underwent emergency triple bypass surgery.

Offering and partially subsidizing Weight Watchers programs on site and providing healthier options in vending machines and on cafeteria menus all help boost the motivation to lose weight. Smoking cessation programs are also part of the division’s overall wellness programs.