Bringing Healthcare Onsite? Here’s What You Need to Know
Whether you run a school, oversee a manufacturing plant, or manage a construction company or retail operation, you can add health and wellness services to your facilities so workers can conveniently access care and you can reduce downtime on the job.
As an industrial supplier that also caters to medical equipment needs, Global Industrial is here to help you find the products you need to create and operate a dedicated clinical space.
Benefits of Onsite Clinics
One-third of U.S. organizations with 5,000 or more employees provide medical care on or near their worksite—a share that’s grown by nine percentage points since 2012, according to a 2018 survey by employee benefits management company Mercer and the National Association of Worksite Health Centers (NAWHC).
Why? In past decades, a single nurse or doctor was available on the jobsite or elsewhere in the facility to treat minor illnesses or injuries that arose on the job. Today, however, employers have expanded their capacity to offer onsite clinics with primary care services, allowing their workers to gain better access to routine preventive care and to minimize downtime.
Companies stand to save money by enhancing healthcare access. The 2018 NAWHC survey found that for every $1 invested in a clinic, more than half of employers saved at least $1.50.
A 2015 NAWHC survey also points to the potential for cost savings, finding that employers with onsite clinics reported a 64% reduction in medical care costs and a 70% reduction in employee time lost. The financial benefits far outweigh the cost of setting up a clinic.
Outfitting an Onsite Clinic
Having the proper equipment and supplies to provide care is critical for onsite clinics. Global Industrial can provide you with all of the tools, materials, and furnishings to create a space that is dedicated to supporting employees’ wellness.
Create Storage
Just as you would in your company’s administrative office, keep patient forms organized and all your supplies at the ready.
- Wall-mounted file holders allow office staff and medical practitioners easy access to charts and lab results.
- Look to stackable medical storage shelves and cabinets constructed of heavy-duty steel for high-volume files.
- If your clinic has an in-house lab to draw blood or administer vaccines and other temperature-sensitive medicines, choose from a variety of medical refrigerators for cold storage.
- Lockable storage cabinets help secure medications and confidential information. Some options include digital card readers to help control access.
- Integrating medical carts into exam rooms and common areas allows for portability of diagnostic tools and first-aid care.
Furnish It
Outfit your onsite medical operation with all the trappings of a traditional medical clinic, whether your clinic is set up in a conference room, a series of cubicles, or a larger space within the facility.
- Adjustable-height mobile computer workstations give providers the flexibility to move freely around the clinic and chart patients.
- Fold-downor wall-mount desks may be more optimal for a small clinic, whereas a physician’s assistant or nurse may require a full-size desk in their office or cubicle.
- Privacy screens can help cordon off triage areas, vaccination or flu shot clinics, and other onsite treatment areas.
- Chairs may be used in treatment rooms and waiting areas. Sturdy options with antimicrobial upholstery make for easy sanitization and protects the integrity of your office furniture between patients. Add stools to exam rooms or lab areas.
- If space allows, outfit your patient room with an exam table. Both versatile and durable, these tables can help clinic staff more easily provide hands-on care while treating or diagnosing a patient.
Provide Personal Protective Equipment
Just as many high risk trades require specific PPE to protect the employee, it’s also critical to protect clinic staff and workers seeking care.
- Keep disposable procedural face masks on hand for patients and onsite staff. High-quality, medical-grade masks are critical, particularly in small, indoor spaces.
- Isolation gowns offer full-body protection for doctors, physician’s assistants, and nurses who come into contact with bodily fluids or communicable diseases.
- The key to reducing transmission is offering layers of protection. In addition to masks, gowns, and other coverings, face shields and splash resistant, indirect vented goggles provide protection from saliva, blood, and germs.
Equip Treatment Spaces
An onsite medical professional can easily address a sprained ankle, cut finger, or pounding headache with the right diagnostic tools and first-aid treatments on hand.
- Stock your clinic with otoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, thermometers, stethoscopes, and blood pressure cuffs for routine exams and patient monitoring.
- Sharps containers provide a safe way to dispose of needles and syringes.
- Position steel trash cans in common areas and treatment spaces.
- Is your clinic CPR-ready? Choose from a range of supplies such as defibrillators, CPR voice assists, and resuscitation instructions.
- Bandages, wound dressings, clotting agents, aspirin, ointments, cotton-tip applicators, burn cream, and scissors are all critical for first-aid care.
- Keep ice packs, heating pads, sore muscle rubs, bandages, and tape for sprains, strains, and cramps readily available.
- Scales can help healthcare professionals start a conversation and counsel employees on health and wellness practices.
- Hand weights, foam rollers, exercise bands, and soft tissue pivot systems equip providers to offer physical therapy onsite.
As a supplier of medical products, Global Industrial helps employers and onsite clinicians easily and effectively address and treat minor illnesses and injuries, while offering preventive care.
Our more than 70 years in operation ensures you access to diagnostic tools, first-aid items, and medical office furnishings to get your onsite clinic up and running while saving you money and increasing productivity in the long run. Learn more about how Global Industrial can supply your business with onsite healthcare solutions.
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The information contained in this article is for informational, educational, and promotional purposes only and is based on information available as of the initial date of publication. It is the reader’s responsibility to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, rules, codes and regulations. If there is any question or doubt in regard to any element contained in this article, please consult a licensed professional. Under no circumstances will Global Industrial be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on this article.