Occupational Health

Dr. Justin Maxhimer's HIV test came back yesterday, three months after he was accidentally poked by a needle while taking blood from an HIV-positive patient. It was negative. Maxhimer, a 31-year-old surgical resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital, sought immediate treatment through the hospital's occupational health office after he suffered the needle stick in March. "They were great," he said of the staff of the occupational health office. "They got me on the anti-retroviral drugs within an hour."

Concentra Medical Centers announced yesterday that it is buying most of the business health program of Mercy Medical Center, further consolidating its position as the largest occupational medicine provider in the Baltimore area.Financial terms were not disclosed.Mercy will continue its contract to provide occupational health services to the Baltimore police and fire departments. Concentra will serve Mercy's other clients, and will close small centers Mercy had in Towson and Brooklyn Park.

Dr. James P. Keogh, who exposed cases of asbestosis and lung cancer in steel and construction workers, leading to nationwide lawsuit settlements, died Monday of liver cancer at his Mount Washington home. He was 49.Dr. Keogh, who last served as associate professor of medicine and director of the University of Maryland Occupational Health Project, was a young specialist and director of the old City Hospitals' occupational and environmental health program when, during the late 1970s, he became increasingly alarmed at the high incidence of asbestosis and lung cancer in steel workers from Local 2610 whom he was examining for retirement benefits.

Free seminar to focus on `Managing Through Y2K'The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and Women's Business Institute are sponsoring a free seminar on "Managing Through Y2K" from 6 p.m. to 8: 30 p.m. Aug. 31 at Westminster Comfort Inn.Participants will learn how to deal with Year 20002 computer problems.The seminar is being held in conjunction with the Maryland Y2K Coalition.Registration is required. Information: 410-628-0380.County seminar to cover employer health programsThe Carroll County Job Service Employer Committee will present a seminar on occupational health programs at 8 a.m. Sept.

WASHINGTON -- High levels of air pollution contribute to an estimated 500 fatalities a year nationwide from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, with perhaps a dozen occurring in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, a panel of doctors contended at a news conference yesterday.SIDS claimed the lives of 3,800 babies in the United States in 1994, the year upon which the statistics are based. Its cause is largely unknown, but infants are known to face a heightened risk if they breathe cigarette smoke or sleep on their stomachs rather than on their backs.

TODAY IS YOUR first day at your new job. You're given the typical forms to fill out.You complete a questionnaire about your current state of health, including questions about family medical history and allergies. What happens to that information after you provide it? What happens if you confide in a company health professional at your workplace about a worsening ulcer, a difficult pregnancy or a chronic ailment?Most individuals assume that their personal health information will be kept confidential, but few laws exist to protect this kind of information.

Concentra Medical Centers, one of the largest physician-practice management companies focusing on NTC occupational health care, plans to bring up to 20 jobs to Howard County with the opening of its 14,000-square-foot regional headquarters and clinic in Jessup, the company announced yesterday.The new jobs, county economic officials say, are part of an estimated 5,000 new jobs expected to come to Howard this year -- with the majority of these jobs in the service and health care fields.The county has about 100,000 jobs, with its job base having grown about 5 percent each of the last three years.

The nation's largest physician-practice management company focusing on occupational health care has come to Maryland.This morning officials from Concentra Medical Centers will announce their plan to operate a total of 12 health care facilities in the state.Concentra recently bought nine local occupational health facilities, which employ 200 workers. The company will open three additional centers with 150 employees."It's the best thing for the employees, the employers and the state of Maryland, because we reduce the costs of occupational health care anywhere from 30 to 70 percent, and that makes Maryland more competitive for business," said Tom Ward, vice president for operations for the eastern region of OccuSystems Inc., Concentra's parent company.

An article in yesterday's Business section of The Sun LTC misstated the relationship between Concentra Medical Centers and CMC Occupational Health. Concentra has acquired CMC Occupational Health.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 6/14/96

As hospitals look for new sources of patients and revenue, an increasing number are turning to occupational health. Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center provides a dramatic example.In a little more than two years, Mercy has built a network of a dozen affiliated centers from Cumberland to Cambridge, the majority run by other community hospitals. And Mercy was up to 2,871 visits in December (the most recent total available), an increase of more than 400 percent from the 561 visits in December 1993.

Roger Dean Posey, a retired railroader who was director of occupational health and safety for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, died March 11 of pancreatic cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Eldersburg resident was 56. Mr. Posey, whose father was vice president of engineering for the Chessie System, was born in Ashland, Ky., and moved to Arbutus with his family in 1966. He was a 1971 graduate of Lansdowne High School and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1979.

Dr. Justin Maxhimer's HIV test came back yesterday, three months after he was accidentally poked by a needle while taking blood from an HIV-positive patient. It was negative. Maxhimer, a 31-year-old surgical resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital, sought immediate treatment through the hospital's occupational health office after he suffered the needle stick in March. "They were great," he said of the staff of the occupational health office. "They got me on the anti-retroviral drugs within an hour."

Representatives of several city labor unions criticized the contracted health services provided by Mercy Medical Center to public workers yesterday. They complained of cases in which police officers, firefighters and other employees are being forced to work despite suffering from health problems and job-related injuries. In other cases, employees who want to return to work are not being allowed to return to their jobs, the union leaders said during a City Council hearing. "There's so much distrust among my membership," said Rick Schluderberg, president of the Baltimore Fire Fighters Local 734, which has about 1,300 members.

Laurance Rockefeller, 94, a conservationist, philanthropist and leading figure in the field of venture capital, died in his sleep yesterday in New York City. The cause was pulmonary fibrosis, a spokesman said. Mr. Rockefeller -- the fourth of six children of John D. Rockefeller Jr. -- was No. 377 on this year's Forbes magazine list of 587 billionaires, with $1.5 billion. But he was perhaps best known for his environmental work: He served under five presidents in several capacities related to conservation and the outdoors.

ROCKVILLE -- A portion of a partially constructed parking garage in a commercial area collapsed yesterday afternoon, killing two workers and critically injuring a third, authorities said. A fourth worker was missing, and authorities last night were using canine units to search the wreckage. "We're still hopeful" the missing worker will be found alive, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire Department. Early last night, the dogs picked up a scent, and rescue teams were bringing in heat and sound detectors in an effort to pinpoint the location, Piringer said.

Employees in the Howard County Clerk of the Circuit Court's office are not getting enough fresh air to breathe, state occupational health inspectors have concluded. A report from Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH), which was recently sent to Clerk of the Circuit Court Margaret D. Rappaport, says that carbon dioxide levels in her offices in Howard's Circuit courthouse are higher than they should be. It also notes other factors that might affect the air quality in the historic, 19th-century building - including dead pigeons decomposing on the roof near cooling fans and "mold growth" in the building.

Job fair expected to draw nearly 100 businesses, agencies Close to 100 businesses and government agencies are expected to take part in a job fair Thursday afternoon at Glen Burnie Mall. The free event offers opportunities for people seeking entry-level jobs and for those in the work force, and seminars to brush up on job-application skills. Interviewing techniques will be the subject of a program at 11:30 a.m. - half an hour before the fair formally opens - and a program on improving resumes will be offered at 1:30 p.m. The fair ends at 4 p.m. Among the employers registered to participate are Arundel Mills, the mall that is scheduled to open in November, retail businesses, banks, Verizon Wireless, hotels, temporary employment agencies, and police and prison agencies.

Free seminar to focus on `Managing Through Y2K'The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and Women's Business Institute are sponsoring a free seminar on "Managing Through Y2K" from 6 p.m. to 8: 30 p.m. Aug. 31 at Westminster Comfort Inn.Participants will learn how to deal with Year 20002 computer problems.The seminar is being held in conjunction with the Maryland Y2K Coalition.Registration is required. Information: 410-628-0380.County seminar to cover employer health programsThe Carroll County Job Service Employer Committee will present a seminar on occupational health programs at 8 a.m. Sept.

Dr. James P. Keogh, who exposed cases of asbestosis and lung cancer in steel and construction workers, leading to nationwide lawsuit settlements, died Monday of liver cancer at his Mount Washington home. He was 49.Dr. Keogh, who last served as associate professor of medicine and director of the University of Maryland Occupational Health Project, was a young specialist and director of the old City Hospitals' occupational and environmental health program when, during the late 1970s, he became increasingly alarmed at the high incidence of asbestosis and lung cancer in steel workers from Local 2610 whom he was examining for retirement benefits.

Concentra Medical Centers announced yesterday that it is buying most of the business health program of Mercy Medical Center, further consolidating its position as the largest occupational medicine provider in the Baltimore area.Financial terms were not disclosed.Mercy will continue its contract to provide occupational health services to the Baltimore police and fire departments. Concentra will serve Mercy's other clients, and will close small centers Mercy had in Towson and Brooklyn Park.