Saint Francis Medical Center holds health summit for area business professionals

Avid cyclist and hiker Joe Quatrochi never thought he would hear those three dreadful words -- "you have cancer."

Diagnosed with testicular cancer in April 2000, Quatrochi was cured of the disease shortly after his third course of chemotherapy.

"When I look back at what I went through, life lessons come to mind, one being self-responsibility," said Quatrochi, a professor of human performance and sport at Metropolitan State College of Denver. "We have the power to change our own behavior. The idea is to prevent problems before they start."

Quatrochi was a keynote speaker for the inaugural Saint Francis Medical Center Business Health Summit.

Seventy-eight people from 55 businesses attended the all-day summit at Saint Francis Conference Center in Cape Girardeau. The seminar featured keynote speakers and breakout sessions about topics such as disability management, behavioral issues in the workplace and establishment of a wellness program.

Among the presenters during the breakout sessions was Dennis J. Straubinger, who discussed common mistakes employers make in developing drug-testing policies. An occupational medicine physician at Saint Francis Medical Center, Straubinger's suggestions included that companies comply with federal standards and document everything. According to Straubinger, the top 10 mistakes made by employers included not having a complete written policy, deviating from federal standards and undocumented education of supervisors.

For her part, Sandy Duncan discussed incentives for improving participation in employee wellness programs. The operations manager of Fitness Plus in Cape Girardeau, Duncan shared how incentives implemented at Saint Francis Medical Center has prompted about 700 employees to join its wellness program.

Those incentives include cash, merchandise such as gift cards, movie tickets, sports tickets and extra vacation days. She suggested companies participating in wellness programs offer prizes for the person who has lost the most weight or walked the most miles as well as the individual who attended the most wellness classes or turned in their mileage log of distance walked every week.

Jason Bandermann, business referral services manager at Saint Francis Medical Center, said the summit will be held on an annual basis.

"This exceeded all my expectations," Bandermann said. "The summit was a networking opportunity for the participants as well as a time for us to get to know them. We are looking forward to offering this valuable summit again for the business community."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137

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