Agencies are currently offering a wide variety of health services. Your agency chooses the services that best meet its needs. The level of services will vary from agency to agency.
Under 5 U.S.C. §7901, agencies are authorized to offer the following employee health services:
Emergency Response/First Aid
Your agency's qualified medical staff may provide first response and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for emergencies as well as assessment and initial treatment/first aid to employees who are injured, or become ill during work hours.
Administration of Treatments and Medications
If furnished by the employee and prescribed in writing by his/her personal physician, your agency's qualified medical staff may administer treatment/medication during working hours.
Physical Examinations
Your agency's qualified medical staff may administer properly authorized pre-placement and periodic physical examinations to assess an employee's health status. Based on the results of the exam and/or testing, medical staff may refer employees to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), private physicians, dentists, and other community health resources.
Environmental Health Hazards Appraisals
Your agency may appraise and report work environment health hazards to department management as an aid in preventing and controlling health risks.
Health Education
Your agency may provide health education to encourage employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle, to understand their risk for disease, and to become aware of appropriate preventive practices. For example, your agency may provide health education through health questionnaires, health risk appraisals, health fairs, newsletters, brochures, and presentations.
Health Services/ Intervention Programs
Your agency may provide health intervention programs to promote and maintain physical and mental fitness and to help prevent illness and disease. Health Services/ Intervention Programs encourage and enable employees to initiate healthy behavior changes. Your agency may offer group activities and classes, individual counseling, demonstrations, and self help materials.
Common Subject Areas for Health Education and Intervention Programs
- Smoking cessation
- Diet & Nutrition
- Cholesterol Management
- Mental health and stress management
- Hypertension control
- Substance Abuse
- HIV/AIDS prevention
- Exercise
- Back care
- Cancer prevention
- Weight control
Disease Screening Examinations and Immunizations
Specific preventive health screenings or examinations may be sponsored at the workplace to detect the presence or risk of disease. Common workplace screenings include exams for blood pressure, mammography, blood lipids, glucose, vision and hearing. Medical staff may provide employees with immunizations, such as influenza and tetanus.
Physical Fitness Programs and Facilities
Your agency may establish and operate physical fitness programs and facilities designed to promote and maintain employee health. Your agency may establish on-site fitness facilities or use the services of a private facility. Activities may be offered without special facilities.
Fitness programs include activities such as walking clubs/events, aerobic exercise classes, weight lifting instruction, stretching classes, fun runs, lectures on safe participation, and fitness assessments.
Fitness assessments are physical tests that assess an employee's level of fitness as compared to his/her peers. The fitness assessment might include a one-minute sit up and push up test, 1.5 mile run, sit-and-reach flexibility test, body fat analysis, and three-minute step test.
Public Access Defibrillation Programs
Federal agencies electing to establish a public access defibrillation program in a Federal facility must follow the guidelines contained in "Guidelines for Public Access Defibrillation Programs in Federal Facilities," a product collaboratively produced by the General Services Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services. The guidebook may be obtained through a search from www.gsa.gov, by calling 202-501-1731, or by writing the Office of Real Property (MP), General Services Administration, 1800 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20405.