Reid helps Workhorse renew its emphasis on employees’ well-being

The symptoms were minor, seemingly unconnected, and easily dismissed.

Stacy Burk-Chesterfield had experienced migraines for years without being able to pinpoint a reason for them. She also had noticed some hair loss, and her hands and feet were often cold.

The Human Resources Manager at the Workhorse facility in Union City, Indiana, wasn't able to solve the puzzle because she was missing a few pieces. But a health fair conducted by Reid Health at Workforce finally fixed that.

Later that afternoon, Burk-Chesterfield received the results of blood draws taken at the fair. She noticed some of the levels were outside the normal range, so she started researching potential causes.

"It all started to come together. Many of the ailments I've struggled with over the past 5-10 years that to me were just part of the aging process, were all symptoms of this one thing," she said.

"I ended up going to my primary care provider, and she said, 'You're not 100 percent right, but this leads us in a better direction.'"

Turns out, the symptoms Burk-Chesterfield had been experiencing were the result of an iron deficiency, a condition easily treated with an over-the-counter solution.

"It was a very simple fix," she said. "The thing that was most interesting to me was I had blood work done earlier in the year, but that was just testing for a specific issue I had gone to the doctor for. The fact that the testing offered by Reid is so vast and covers so many different things was very helpful. It took all those pieces to come together to solve the puzzle.

"I'm looking forward to next year to see how my scores look."

Burk-Chesterfield wasn't the only Workhorse employee to get life-changing news that day. Another discovered their blood pressure was at an alarming level while a third person was helped to see the seriousness of their diabetes.

"I hope people did like I did and took their results to their primary care provider," Burk-Chesterfield said. "Next year, that's the thing I'm going to push with them. Take it one step further."

"It was a very simple fix. The thing that was most interesting to me was I had blood work done earlier in the year, but that was just testing for a specific issue I had gone to the doctor for. The fact that the testing offered by Reid is so vast and covers so many different things was very helpful. It took all those pieces to come together to solve the puzzle." -- Stacy Burk-Chesterfield, Human Resources Manager, Workhorse

The health fair was the first such event Workhorse had organized for its employees, the result of a renewed focus on the well-being of the company's team members.

"One of the things we wanted to do was make wellness a priority and bringing a health fair to our employees is a way to ensure they have an opportunity that they might not otherwise take.

"There's a renewed effort within organizations to look at your people as more than just contributors to the bottom line. We want to take care of the whole employee, from healthcare to childcare and work/home life balance. It helps with your retention. It helps with your morale. The more we can do to show we care about them as an individual, it drives the bottom line. They know they're important to us."

Burk-Chesterfield reached out to Craig Towns, Reid Health's Director of Employer Solutions, to discuss setting up a health fair.

On the day of the event, Workhorse employees were able to have their blood drawn for screenings, get their annual flu shot, meet with representatives from various Reid primary and specialty care offices, and more.

"The Reid team was excellent that day," Burk-Chesterfield said. "The professionalism, the enthusiasm, the excitement when they talked about the services. They were brief, but they were thorough and just made the whole atmosphere for the day enjoyable. I'll be happy for them to come and do this again."

If you're interested in having Reid Health work with your organization, contact Towns at Craig.Towns@ReidHealth.org or (765) 983-3446.