Summit Healthplex Hosts "Industrial Athlete" Seminar
Published in The Times-Herald. Reprinted with permission.

Several medical practices based at The Summit Healthplex recently hosted an all-day seminar at The Warehouse in Newnan for local corporations titled, "The Industrial Athlete - A Sports Medicine Approach." Physicians from Georgia Bone & Joint and Summit Occupational Medicine joined physical therapists from Georgia Rehabilitation Center and the director of the Summit Family YMCA to review common on-the-job medical risks and injuries, ways to analyze and improve employees' work environments, and procedures for processing and tracking workers' compensation claims.

The dozens of corporate attendees, mostly human resources managers from Coweta, Fayette, Fulton, and Carroll counties, learned risk factors for injuries to their employees' knees, shoulders, hands, and backs. Presenters compared the training and performance of manufacturing and office workers to the physical preparation and game-day performance of professional athletes. Just as athletes use their bodies to make a living - strengthening the muscles they need to block, tackle and throw efficiently and safely - industrial workers can prepare for the stresses of their daily performance by exercising and learning the proper ways to move and work.

The day kicked off with a review by David LaGuardia of The Summit Healthplex about the seamless quality of medical care available from the ten medical and health-related practices there. Routine and work-related physicals, orthopaedic specialists, rehabilitation, medical imaging, emergency care, surgery, prescriptions, pain management, and fitness programs are all seamlessly available under one roof. Dr. Barry Morgan of Summit Occupational Medicine reviewed a responsible company plan for on-the-job injuries and how the practices at The Summit help companies manage workers' compensation cases. The orthopaedic physicians of Georgia Bone & Joint gave specific presentations on physical risks for workers and injury prevention strategies. Dr. Jack Powell, III, presented "The Hand at Work," Dr. Michael Cushing reviewed "The Shoulder at Work," Dr. George Ballantyne discussed "The Knee at Work," and Dr. Chad Kessler presented "The Back at Work." The sports medicine analogy carried the weight of Powell's experience working with Olympic athletes since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, as well as the experience of Cushing, Ballantyne and Kessler as collegiate athletes. In their practices, all four physicians have extensive expertise treating athletes and industrial workers of all ages and backgrounds.

After a lunch catered by Sprayberry's Barbeque, the HR managers heard from Russell Foley, Mary Dickerson, and Shane Anthony from Georgia Rehabilitation Center. Foley, a nationally renowned physical therapist and expert in both industrial and sports care, presented on "The Continuum of Care" available at GRC and The Summit. Foley reviewed the responsibilities that employment law places on companies in the workers' compensation system. He detailed the need for companies to have in place a way to select candidates able to perform the physical demands for each job. Dickerson and Anthony, also physical therapists, explained two programs offered by GRC to employers to help them evaluate employees and better manage workers' compensation cases in the event of on-the-job injuries - ErgoSteps and WorkSteps.

The day finished with a presentation entitled, "Fit for Work, Fit for Life," by Buddy Evans, executive director of the Summit Family YMCA. The Summit Y is the fastest growing YMCA in the Metro area, and Evans presented programs they offer to keep employees and their families fit and healthy. One of the most popular systems at the Y is the computerized FitLinxx program that tracks each member's exercise program, performance and improvements over time.

The Summit Healthplex is located about one mile east of I-85 on Highway 34. The Summit was established to promote the lifelong health and wellness of local residents, their families, and local workers.