Shelby Baptist Medical Center has launched a new occupational medicine program to educate the business community about workplace injury prevention.

The program provides medical surveillance and assistance to employees whose work conditions pose identified risks, said Dana Lynn Daniel, a registered physical therapist and manager of occupational medicine at SBMC.

Daniel said the program also offers free workforce screenings to companies like Carmeuse Lime, La Farge, Chemical Lime and Alabama Power. From the screenings, companies can determine employees’ health needs.

For example, if 80 percent of a workforce has high blood pressure and 20 percent has diabetes, then SBMC would coordinate an initiative to lower both percentages. Daniel said identifying potential problems in their early stages prevents unnecessary health risks.

“We want to reduce the number of injuries, and make sure the workers come home safe to their families, which increases productivity and increases profits for businesses,” said Daniel, a 1989 graduate of Thompson High School. “We want to help these companies save money, especially during these economic times.”

Daniel said the program is an addition to SBMC’s physical therapy and speech therapy services. Occupational therapy services include hand rehabilitation, burn care and scar management, and stroke, head injury and spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

SBMC also offers specialized worker’s compensation services, which include functional capacity evaluations, impairment ratings, job site analysis, onsite consultation services, ergonomic training and safety training.

Daniel said the program is the first of its kind in Shelby County, and patients don’t have to travel far for care. SBMC also offers physical therapy services at the Pelham and Greystone YMCA.

“We’re right here in your backdoor,” Daniel said.

For more information, call 620-8887.