	September 2009

Pandemic Planning
Made Easy

To reduce the impact of the novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) pandemic on your operations, employees, customers and the general public, it is important for all businesses and organizations to begin essential planning. Planning begins with understanding how you will stay up to date with changing information without becoming overwhelmed. BarnesCare physicians along with infection control professionals from BJC HealthCare can help your organization and employees stay informed and stay healthy.
Learn more >

Fact or Myth? Pandemic Flu
Separate fact from fiction about pandemic flu.
Read more >

Influenza Pandemics of the 20th Century
Three serious influenza pandemics killed millions of people.
Learn more >

BMI: Know Your Number, Know Your Risk
Overweight and obese people are at increased risk for disease and illness.
Open poster >

Weigh Rite Takes Aim at Employee Weight Loss
Workplace programs targeting obesity are becoming more popular with cost-conscious employers.
Learn more >

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Pandemicsignforarticle

Pandemic Planning Made Easy

To reduce the impact of the novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) pandemic on your operations, employees, customers and the general public, it is important for all businesses and organizations to begin essential planning. Starting with understanding how you will stay up to date with changing information without becoming overwhelmed. BarnesCare physicians and infection control professionals from BJC HealthCare can help your organization and employees stay informed and healthy.

E-Mail Updates
As an employer, you have an important role in protecting employee health and safety, and limiting the impact of an influenza pandemic. BarnesCare helps you stay informed with the latest developments from reliable sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal, stae and local resources. Subscribe now to receive novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) e-mail updates.

Workplace Posters
All employers should implement good hygiene and infection control practices. Our free workplace posters are informative and help reinforce infection prevention behaviors.

H1N1 Webinar Series
Key information and helpful tools will help organizational leaders understand, prepare and react to the threat of a flu pandemic. Eight weekly topics -- facilitated by Scott C. Jones, DO, MPH, FAOCOPM, BarnesCare medical director -- will be presented. Format includes Q&A, up-to-date H1N1 information, as well as preventive measures for the workplace. Scheduled topics include:

Seasonal and H1N1 flu
Flu prevention
Pandemic flu planning
Signs and symptoms of colds, seasonal flu and H1N1
Workplace issues
Update on vaccines and medications
Travel during a pandemic
Best practices and review

Topics are subject to change based on shifting conditions. Enrollment is limited to 20 per session. Each one-hour session will be 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Central Standard Time, Wednesdays, begining September 16, 2009. Cost is $299 for all eight sessions or $99 for individual sessions. Subscribe now to receive the H1N1 webinar series or contact a BJC corporate health consultant for more information at 314.727.0078.

Provider In-Service
Clear any confusion you or your employees have about seasonal and H1N1 influenza (swine flu) with an on-site program. A BarnesCare physician, nurse practitioner or registered nurse is available to educate and train management and employees in proper hand hygiene, cough etiquette and social distancing techniques. We can address specific questions and concerns related to your specific work environment. For more information e-mail us or contact a BJC corporate health consultant at 314.727.0078.

Infection Prevention Consultation
Our team of professionals use a best practice framework, the "hierarchy of controls" to deal with workplace hazards. The hierarchy of controls prioritizes intervention strategies based the best way to control hazards is to systematically remove them from the workplace, rather than relying on employees to reduce their exposure. In the setting of a pandemic, this hierarchy should be used in concert with current public health recommendations. Other measures include:

Engineering controls
Administrative controls
Work practices
Personal protective equipment

There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of control measure when considering the ease of implementation, effectiveness and cost. BarnesCare will help you determine which combination of control methods is best for your work environment. For more information e-mail us or contact a BJC corporate health consultant at 314.727.0078.

Vaccine
An H1N1 vaccine is currently in production and may be ready for the public later this fall. The H1N1 vaccine is not intended to replace the seasonal flu vaccine -- it is intended to be used alongside the seasonal flu vaccine.

BarnesCare will provide seasonal flu shots at each clinic location and on-site. To arrange for on-site services, call 314.727.0078, e-mail BarnesCare or complete the on-site flu shot request form.

The BarnesCare seasonal flu shot program is for adults 18 or older. All scheduled on-site dates are subject to change or cancellation based on vaccine availability and CDC distribution guidelines.

FactorMythPandemicFlu

Fact or Myth? Pandemic Flu

Pandemic flu refers to a worldwide outbreak of influenza among people when a new strain of the virus emerges, for which there is little or no immunity. There are concerns that the novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) pandemic could cause considerable impact on the global economy; therefore, there has been an increase of information from the media and state and federal government on the subject.

Let's clear up some misconceptions about pandemic flu to help you learn more, plan appropriately and protect yourself against this serious health threat.

Myth: Seasonal flu and H1N1 are the same thing.

Fact:Seasonal flu can cause serious illness and even death, and it poses a risk for people with weak immune systems.

Seasonal flu is usually not severe in most people because they are already partly protected by having had a similar flu virus before. H1N1 is a new form of flu virus which spreads easily from person to person because young people have no immunity and adults and the elderly may have only partial immunity. H1N1 symptoms can be more severe versions of seasonal flu symptoms in young people since they do not have partial immunity. and may include symptoms not usually seen with the flu, such as diarrhea or fluid-filled lungs.

Myth: A seasonal flu shot will protect against H1N1.

Fact: Flu vaccinations are a safe and effective way to ward off seasonal flu, the kind that occurs each year.

Current vaccines for seasonal flu will not protect against the H1N1, because pandemic flu viruses are new and it takes many months to develop a specific vaccine. Once the virus makes itself known, scientists can begin creating a matching vaccine, but this takes months.

Myth: You can get pandemic flu from animals.

Fact: Contact with animals is normally not a concern for human flu infection in the United States; however, animals can be a source of germs in general.

People who own or work with animals should always take basic safety precautions to stop the spread of germs, such as hand-washing and keeping pets out of areas where food is prepared. There are currently no indications that pork (swine) or pork products pose any threat of catching the H1N1.

Myth: You cannot protect yourself against pandemic flu.

Fact: While state and local governments and many other organizations are working hard to prepare for pandemic flu, you must also be responsible for your own safety.

There are simple steps that you can take to help protect yourself against the spread of flu, whether seasonal or pandemic:

Practice good hand-washing technique
Practice proper coughing and sneezing etiquette
Follow social distancing practices
Clean and disinfect countertops, sinks, doorknobs, tables and telephones
Encourage these practices in the workplace through policies and education
Stay home when you are sick

BMIscale

Weigh Rite Takes Aim at Employee Weight Loss

Workplace programs targeting obesity are becoming more popular with cost conscious employers. A recent study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine reported that lost productivity and increased health-related absenteeism for obese workers compared with all other workers. The study's results support research that has indicated that a weight loss of even ten percent can yield substantial health and economic benefits.

BarnesCare and BJC WellAware Fitness Center have developed a new on-site program to help employers and their employees live and work healthier. Weigh Rite is a 10-wek comprehensive weight management program that focuses on the three pillars of weight loss: physical activity, proper nutrition and behavior modification.

With Weigh Rite each participant will:

Identify personal nutritional and physical activity goals
Learn how their personal eating habits effect their health
Develop a personalized nutritional plan
Recognize the importance portion control while eating out
Become skilled at reading and understanding food labels
Gain knowledge of healthy meal planning and shopping techniques
Be taught safe and effective exercises for their individual fitness level

Weigh Rite is taught by a rgistered detitian and is tailored to both the host company's mission and the needs of the individual participants. Each class focuses on a different health and fitness topic and providesparticipants easy-to-assimilate information that makes an immediate impact in their health and well-being.

Weigh Rite is affordable, convenient and produces immediate results. "This is a powerful program because even modest weight loss could result in hundreds of dollars of improved productivity costs per worker each year," says Nancy Trail, RD, LD, MEd of the BJC WellAware Fitness Center. Trail is the lead Weight Rite facilitator. She holds certifications in adult and child/adolescent weight management by the Commission on Dietetic Registration and in group exercise by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.

For more information on how you can get a Weigh Rite program started at your organization e-mail us or call a BJC corporate health consultant at 314.747.5859.