Healthcare Works

Healthcare Works can support your organizations pre-existing wellness program or we can work with your management to implement a customized program that meets your needs.  Our primary goal is to improve personal wellness by bringing potentially life-saving corporate health screenings to the workplace.  We provide highly skilled nurses to conduct an array of preventive healthcare screenings in the privacy of an office or conference room setting. 
The screenings we do are off of a simple pin prick.  Five minutes later the person leaves their one on one meeting with our trained professional with all of their vital statistics and plenty of information about whether there is a need for additional steps.  If the results aren't as favorable as they had hoped, they will be armed with plenty of data to bring to their physician for further consultation.  We merely provide the screening and results but don't advise on treatment options (if necessary) because that is the role of their physician.  Our goal is to provide a means to increase awareness and prevention.
Our onsite health screenings consist of the following.
•Onsite Screening
•Cholesterol Screening (TC-TRG)
•Carotid Artery Ultrasound Screening
•Blood Pressure Screening (BP)
•Diabetes Screening (GLU-A1C)
•Hemoglobin A1C Screening
•Pulmonary Function Screening
•Cardiovascular Screening
•Liver Enzymes (ALT-AST)
•Hearing Education

Onsite Screening:
Health fairs are a great way to get employees thinking about their health. They are also an excellent way to show you are committed, as their employer, to offering them the necessary tools to keep them healthy.
In order to maximize the value of any screenings you choose to offer employees, VSA/HFA includes educational handouts and counseling by our qualified health professionals at no extra charge. Employees are given handouts which are used during brief one-on-one counseling sessions immediately following the screening. You may also choose to offer optional telephone or email follow-up within two weeks after the screening to allow them an opportunity to further discuss their results and ask questions they might not have been comfortable with or thought of at the time of screening. Aggregate reports are also available upon request.

Cholesterol screening:
High cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for coronary heart disease. It is recommended that all adults age 20 and older have a fasting lipoprotein profile done at least once every 5 years. The test includes total cholesterol (TC), HDL (good cholesterol), LDL (bad cholesterol), TC/HDL ratio, and triglyceride measurements.
The most common cholesterol test administered in a health fair type setting includes TC and HDL readings, and is often combined with glucose (blood sugar) testing for diabetes.
Other blood tests that may be done using an onsite screening system are hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) and C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is a predictor of cardiovascular disease risk like cholesterol, while HbA1C and glucose are used for diabetes screening. Fasting is generally recommended for glucose testing, though not mandatory in a health fair setting.
Carotid Artery Ultrasound Screening
An important risk factor for stroke is the narrowing of the carotid artery, which supplies the majority of blood flow to the brain. People with carotid artery disease are at a higher risk of stroke. Carotid artery disease is characterized by carotid stenosis, or narrowing of the carotid artery. This narrowing is generally made up of a substance called plaque which accumulates inside the artery decreasing its diameter. The danger with this accumulation of plaque is that over time pieces can break off, travel up toward the brain, and lodge in a smaller branch of the artery causing a stroke.
Many people who experience a TIA are found during screening to have carotid artery disease. Ultrasound is currently the best available screening study used for identifying carotid artery narrowing. The test is non-invasive, painless and uses sound waves to image the arteries in order to assess the degree of narrowing.

Blood Pressure Screening:
Blood pressure is determined by measuring the force of flowing blood against the artery walls. It is represented by two numbers. The top number is the systolic pressure; when the heart is contracting to pump blood throughout the body. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure; when the heart is resting between pumps.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, may be considered a "silent killer" because it has no outward signs or symptoms but can be fatal. Uncontrolled, it can lead to multiple life-threatening conditions including heart attacks and strokes. Hypertension may be controlled through diet, exercise, and medication.
Diabetes Screening:
Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When a person has diabetes, the body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in the blood.
Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations.
Pulmonary Function Screening:
Pulmonary function testing is used in diagnosing and managing individuals with a variety of lung and/or heart diseases. However, we use it for screening purposes only, which can allow us to identify those at risk of certain conditions and who need to seek further evaluation.
It also provides an opportunity to educate and counsel individuals on lung health. Healthcare Works uses it to motivate individuals to stop smoking, decrease exposure to pollutants, exercise, and manage existing lung conditions such as asthma or allergies.
Pulmonary function screening involves taking a deep breath and blowing it hard and fast through a tube in a spirometer - a small, hand-held device connected to a laptop computer. The breath is analyzed and four numbers are interpreted. An individual's test results are compared to research-established norms based on certain factors including age, gender, height, and smoking history.
Hemoglobin A1C Screening:
A1C, also known as glycated hemoglobin or glycosylated hemoglobin, indicates a person's blood sugar control over the last 2-3 months. A1C is formed when glucose in the blood binds irreversibly to hemoglobin to form a stable glycated hemoglobin complex.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends A1C as the best test to determine if a person's blood sugar is under control over time.
Cardiovascular Screening:
C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker found in the blood, is a predictor of cardiovascular disease. This test can be done onsite with instant results
Liver Enzymes (ALT-AST):
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) are enzymes located in liver cells that leak out into circulating blood when liver cells are injured.
ALT and AST are found in other cells in the body, but their concentration is highest in liver cells. ALT and AST are also found in heart, skeletal muscle, and red blood cells. Statins, as well as certain non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics or anti-seizure medications can cause elevated liver enzymes. These enzymes are often monitored in patients who are taking these medications.
This screening is a simple way for you to learn if your ALT/AST liver enzyme levels are in the desirable range, suggest possible liver damage, or suggest possible severe liver damage. You will want to share your results with your physician
Hearing Education:
Hearing Awareness is an interactive education session which addresses induced hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is the most common cause of hearing deficit. Over time, continuous exposure to loud sounds will affect an individual's ability to hear normal conversation in a room with background noise. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has established sound level/duration guidelines that illustrate the amount of time an individual can be exposed to a particular volume (dB) before permanent hearing damage occurs.