OccHealthSci August 2024 Newsletter

The latest news, updates, and events from OccHealthSci

Professional Development

Total Worker Health® Alliance Courses

Total Worker Health® 101: The Basics

September 11, 2024

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Virtual workshop 

The Total Worker Health (TWH) approach brings together policies, programs and practices essential for advancing worker safety, health, and well-being. In this introductory course, participants will learn about: 

• The terms and concepts essential to the TWH approach

• The five defining TWH elements

• Effective organizational implementation strategies of a TWH approach

• Ways to develop applicable next steps

This virtual training is developed and offered by the Oregon Total Worker Health Alliance which includes Oregon OSHA, SAIF Corporation and the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, OHSU. Continuing education credit through SHRM is available upon completion of the training. Learn more and register to attend.

Total Worker Health® Awareness for Safety Committees, at the Central Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Conference

September 17, 2024

3:00 - 4:15 p.m.

In person at the Central Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Conference

Safety committees play a crucial role in identification and management of different workplace hazards. This session helps you to broaden your understanding of all types of hazards, including psychosocial and organizational hazards that are not always easy to recognize. Participants have an opportunity to learn this from the perspective of a Total Worker Health® (TWH) approach, a concept coined and supported by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Participants are also able to relate how current workplace programs and policies might (or might not) fit into the TWH approach and how this comprehensive approach can be used by safety committees to advance health, safety, and wellbeing at work more effectively. Learn more and register to attend.

University of Washington & OSHA Training Institute for Region 10

Mental Health Training for First Responder Leaders

Supervisors are well-positioned to notice changes in team members, but few know how to recognize the warning signs or how to respond appropriately. The one-hour, online Mental Health Training for First Responder Leaders, originally developed for active-duty military, has been customized to the unique needs of first responder leaders, training them with tangible skills to:

• Effectively support team members’ mental health 

• Recognize and respond to warning signs of distress in ways that are appropriate and actionable 

This training is available at no cost for first responder organizations. Email supportiveworkplaces@ohsu.edu for more information.

OccHealthSci Sponsored Programs

Oregon Healthy Workforce Center

The Oregon Healthy Workforce Center extends a call for pilot research project proposals addressing Total Worker Health®. The goal of our pilot project program is to support new and impactful research that advances the OHWC’s theme: Total worker Health intervention effectiveness, translation, and outreach to advance safe and healthy work design. Download the application package to learn more. Applications are due by the end of the day on August 31, 2024. 

Learn more about the Oregon Health Workforce Center, including interventions to improve worker health and other resources, current and past research projects, and other resources. 

Occupational Public Health Program/OR-FACE Program

The Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (OR-FACE) Program recently published its 2022 Occupational Fatalities in Oregon Annual Report. In 2022, OR-FACE recorded 56 fatal occupational incidents resulting in worker deaths. This number represents a rate of 2.68 fatalities per 100,000 employed workers in the civilian labor force in Oregon. The national worker fatality rate in 2022 was 3.7 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.

Learn more about OR-FACE (Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program), including our fatality investigations and toolbox talks, by visiting our website. To download and receive new publications including investigative reports and other OR-FACE publications, please join our mailing list.

OccHealthSci Research

Stay up to date on the latest basic, clinical, and applied research at OccHealthSci, and learn about our partnerships and community engagement at the Oregon and the Workplace blog.

Indian pennywort may serve as a therapeutic agent for cognitive decline and neurodegenerative conditions 

OccHealthSci Professor Doris Kretzschmar and colleagues recently published findings from a study of the neuroprotective effects of the herbal supplement Centella asiatica, also known as Indian pennywort. The study shows how compounds in Indian pennywort promote the growth of mouse hippocampal neurons and improve locomotion in aging Drosophila models. The research highlights Indian pennywort’s potential in enhancing cognitive function and addressing age-related neurological deficits. The findings provide support that Indian pennywort may serve as a valuable natural therapeutic agent for improving resilience against cognitive decline and neurodegenerative conditions. Read the full article.

Supportive leadership training to improve social connection 

OccHealthSci Professor Leslie Hammer and colleagues studied the impact of supportive leadership training on reducing loneliness and enhancing social connections among military personnel. The training emphasized proactive and responsive support behaviors, aiming to improve leaders' ability to foster social connections within their teams. Results suggest that enhanced supervisor support significantly reduced feelings of loneliness among service members, highlighting the importance of leadership in promoting mental well-being in high-risk occupational settings. Read the full article.

Evaluating the effectiveness of work-life check-ins designed to reduce burnout 

OccHealthSci Assistant Professor David Hurtado and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a leader-based intervention aimed at reducing burnout among primary care professionals through quarterly one-on-one check-ins. The study emphasizes the importance of the leader-employee relationship in mitigating burnout and aims to provide insights for future interventions to enhance mental health and well-being in primary care settings, especially post-pandemic. Read the full article.

Events

• September 11: Total Worker Health 101: The Basics 

• September 23-25: Northwest Human Resources Management Association Conference (OccHealthSci presenting)