Newswise — Leaders from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) will urge Congress to bolster and expand programs that promote prevention and improve the health of the Nation's workforce during a special Capitol Hill briefing on Monday, June 1. ACOEM's Healthy Workforce Now forum will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time in the Capitol Visitors Center Room 217 " Congressional Meeting Room South.
ACOEM President Pamela Hymel, MD, MPH, will lead the discussion on ACOEM's 7-point advocacy plan. Dr. Hymel and Ron Loeppke, MD, MPH, a member of ACOEM's Board of Directors, will present findings of recent groundbreaking ACOEM research on the impact of workplace health and productivity on the Nation's economy.
The briefing is the latest effort in ACOEM's Healthy Workforce Now initiative, which it launched last fall. Combining vigorous advocacy with policy makers, research on workforce health and wellness, and outreach and partnership with employers and employer organizations, the initiative seeks significant changes in federal policy designed to support health promotion and health protection and to create a healthier workforce.
ACOEM's advocacy agenda calls for health promotion and disease prevention programs to be required in employer-provided health plans. The agenda also calls for the implementation of workforce health initiatives within federal agencies, and numerous other worker health-improvement incentives.
Studies indicate that the overall health of the American workforce is on the decline, with a dramatic rise in recent years of chronic disease across all age groups. At the same time, the aging of the baby boomers " the so called "silver tsunami" " is changing the profile of the workplace and putting additional pressure on America's overburdened and underfunded health care system.
"The balance between healthy workers, who are economic net contributors, and those dependent on government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, is undergoing a radical shift," said Dr. Hymel. "If a downward health trend continues in the workforce, the Nation will be unable to meet its obligations to its long-term health care programs. We must find a way to bolster and improve the health and productivity of our national workforce."
"We are excited about this opportunity to take our message directly to Congress," Dr. Hymel said. "We believe that health and wellness in the workplace is a vital part of overall health care reform and that action from the federal government is essential to make it happen."
"The Nation's occupational medicine physicians, who serve as an essential health care bridge between employers and employees, can provide a much-needed resource in moving a workforce health action plan forward," she added.
As a part of its initiative, ACOEM convened last fall the first ever national Workforce Health and Productivity Summit. To read consensus statements and recommendations from the Summit, and to learn more about ACOEM's 7-point advocacy plan and its Healthy Workforce Now initiative, visit the ACOEM web site at www.acoem.org.
About ACOEMThe American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) represents nearly 5,000 physicians specializing in occupational and environmental medicine. Founded in 1916, ACOEM is the Nation's largest medical society dedicated to promoting the health of workers through preventive medicine, clinical care, disability management, research, and education. For more information, visit www.acoem.org.
About Pamela HymelPamela Hymel, MD, MPH, FACOEM, is senior director of Integrated Health and medical director at Cisco Systems. Dr. Hymel is board certified in both internal medicine and occupational medicine and is an ACOEM Fellow. She was elected president of ACOEM in 2009. Dr. Hymel has authored or co-authored a number of studies and research papers on disability management and health and productivity management, and is a frequent speaker nationally on these subjects.
About Ron LoeppkeRon Loeppke, MD, MPH, FACOEM, is executive vice president of Health and Productivity Strategy at Alere, Inc. He is board certified in general preventive medicine and public health, and is fellowship trained in occupational medicine. Dr. Loeppke is a member of ACOEM's Board of Directors. He is also chairman of the Board of Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) and serves on the Board of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO). Dr. Loeppke has authored numerous articles and book chapters on health and productivity and occupational health.
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