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June 8, Northern California LOC Meeting Minutes

Colleagues

Thank you all for participating in a most interesting meeting and discussion of issues involving occupational health in California.  18 people attended representing many areas of Public Health in California.

The meeting began with brief introductions by those present. There was a wide range of issues raised and many fruitful discussions. We cannot cover everything so here are some highlights.

Peter gave a short introduction of the meeting in Los Angeles held on May 18th at UCLA attended by 16 people.  He mentioned that the focus of the meeting was twofold:

  1. How to leverage the forthcoming meeting to promote  a California agenda;
  2. A discussion of panels that could be developed by those of us in California interested in the meeting.

Our meeting in NC then began with a discussion of the theme of the forthcoming conference in 2013 “Total Worker Health.”  The two components were mentioned – Health Promotion and Health Protection and inquiry was made about the relationship between the two. Also how best to integrate these two approaches to the workplace, issues of the limitation of each approach when operationalized alone and the benefit of multiple approaches initiated simultaneously.  There was a general consensus that organization change that complemented interventions aimed at the individual (e.g., behavioral) were more effective (though this was not documented in our discussion).

Bob Harrison continued with a brief discussion of a newly funded program from the CDC to Viridian Health Management which was  Awarded $8 Million over 3 years for a National Wellness Program to focus on innovative new approaches to worksite wellness that help employers improve the health of employees and families while reducing health care costs. Focus is on evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at 3 behavioral outcomes – obesity, physical activity and nutrition. Viridian is collaborating with Martin Cherniak and others at  CPH-NEW (Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace) http://www.uml.edu/Research/centers/CPH-NEW/  It was suggested that we act to insure the participation of  CPH-NEW and Viridian Health Management in the conference.  

Info on Viridian: Viridian is recognized as a national leader committed to changing employee health behaviors through targeted, interactive, outcomes-based health improvement programs and services. Viridian’s health improvement programs creatively maximize employee engagement and drive sustainable behavior change, resulting in measurable risk reduction and health care cost savings.   Health care cost management is a key objective of the Viridian wellness model.

It was mentioned that the new Obama health legislation aka ACA (Affordable Care Act) may provide financial incentives for individuals in initiate life style and behavioral changes to promote individual health.

Discussion shifted to best ways to obtain views of different groups about changes at the workplace and how this impacted on health.  Work intensification, long work hours, decreased sleep time, sleep deprivation were mentioned (as among the critical issues facing working people today at the workplace). How best to get views about these issues from labor, public health, corporations, and other stakeholders. Mentioned also was the importance of finding good companies with good stories of improving working and health conditions. Alcoa was mentioned by several people. Unequal power relations at the workplace between management and labor (workers) and the importance of collective bargaining as a leveler were mentioned. Several participants mentioned the importance of a living wage, and others wage theft as issues facing working people that should get conference attention. Several worker related campaigns related to these issues were mentioned – Los Angeles car wash worker campaign,  and the janitors and building cleaners new contract and whether representatives of these organizations could speak, port drivers. Also mention of the NY domestic workers rights bill recently passed in 2011. Also suggested was offering stipends for students to attend the conference, as one way to broaden the audience. 

Some items mentioned:

Film by Haskell Wexler on Hours of Work, also videos on http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/

Whoneedssleep.weebly.com/ – video on sleep deprivation

Pathway to Justice

Importance of panels reflecting varying views of stakeholders

Critical issue for change at workplace – government can’t force necessary change beyond current regulation, laws. Mentioned that SC LOC wanted a panel on legislation, regulation from an international perspective. What can we learn from other countries. Can we have healthy workplaces without international standards for wages, workplace safety and health?

There was a general consensus that we wanted to grow a statewide effort to improve occupational health in California.  Meeting participants supported working on the conference as one means. There was little support for the idea (at this time) of a drafting a white paper.

Possible conference panels suggested included:

  1. by Kevin ….  – A panel on occupations unique to California – film industry, Silicon Valley, Agriculture . Unclear one panel on each or all on one panel (will depend on interest in organizing and available speakers)
  2. By Niklas Krause – low wage workers (Niklas offered to help organize this, Julia volunteered to present)
  3. Organizational vs individual change at the workplace, the strengths/weaknesses of the Total Worker Health concept
  4. Kaiser’s approach to workers – Labor-management partnership
  5. Obesity – what are the causes/ what are the cures. Possible two panels – varying views on each (or one on contributing factors, one on interventions).  Peter Schnall offered to work on this.
  6. Work hours as a theme – long hours, intensification, sleep deprivation – health outcomes. Multiple perspectives.  Must workers sacrifice so that businesses are “more competitive”
  7. by many – Health care industry – possibly including San Francisco General rebuild.
  8. Drivers – Barbara Burgel indicated that June Fisher and Niklas Krause might be interested in a panel.  This might be an example of the combinations of health issues (e.g. sleep loss, obesity (and sleep apnea), depression/anxiety, safety, work hours, job strain, smoking).

Deadline for panel abstracts will be October 1.

Best wishes,

Peter and Julia

P.S. new relevant materials can also be found at:  

1. CDC Healthy Worksite newsletter: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=vahaadcab&v=001xESrKcN5fLQtFS2NcPSdma19t8HhikmzTEaPR71PCx2AEZTx0768YORPVLs6a_-yjhpXwFz_fflpn2H7aUhTp9XHXSIf3uZ8efLdorsDm-RCEaWKIlIiamiuj5rXI2GiMPyTPygdElt6PDP5WIi5hg%3D%3D

2. CDPH OHB update on CA worker health:    http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohsep/Pages/indicators.aspx

 

 

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