Their health checks out

By Kelly Yates
STAFF at Windermere Child and Family Services in Narre Warren took time out yesterday (Wednesday) from their normal activities of supporting the community to look after their own.
The workers at the Webb Street office, which provides invaluable support, education, advice, counselling and other services, were given free health checks by trained health providers.
The checks are part of WorkHealth, a Vic-torian Government initiative aimed at reducing the number of workers suffering preventable chronic diseases.
The confidential health checks take around 20 minutes and involve a short health questionnaire before having blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and waist circumference measured.
As part of the health check, the staff also received immediate feedback and advice by the health professionals based on their results.
Some workers may be advised to seek further medical advice, with some who are at a high risk getting the opportunity to participate in a lifestyle change program.
Winderemere CEO Cheryl De Zilwa said staff well-being was a high priority for Windermere.
“We are very aware of the link between healthy staff and well-being so we see the worker health checks as one of the many ways we can support our staff to identify issues early,” she said.
Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan calledin to the office this week to witness the checks,saying it was important for local businesses totake up the initiative. “This is a world first and complements the work that has already been done by Victorian businesses to make Victoria the safest place to work in Australia,” he said.
“Our government is taking action to tackle the epidemic of chronic disease which threatens our economy, our quality of life and our longevity.”
Employers with an annual payroll of less than $10 million benefit from free health checks for their workers, while employers with an annual payroll larger than $10 million will receive a $30 reimbursement towards the cost of each health check.
For details about the program visit www.workhealth.vic.gov.au or call the WorkSafe advisory service on 1800 136 089.