CHS HEALTH SERVICES DIRECTOR TO SPEAK AT FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LIVING WITH TERRORISM AND VIOLENCE

June Conference Convenes Policy-Makers To Study Terror’s Psycho-Social Effects

VIENNA, VA. – June 8, 2004 – Jennifer Lim, a director of health services for Comprehensive Health Services (CHS), a national occupational health services company based in Vienna, Va., will speak at the First International Conference on Living with Terrorism and Violence: The Psycho-Social Effects, to be held June 28-29, in Washington, D.C. at the National Press Club.

As part of a panel, Lim will address terrorism’s impact on mental and public health providers and the new breed of occupational health issues it triggers. She and other CHS experts are available before, during and after the conference to comment on stories related to conference topics. CHS is in a unique position to see the impact terrorism is having on workers, employers, and physicians. The company set up triage units on Wall Street on September 11, 2001 and works daily addressing occupational health challenges for some of America’s largest companies and government agencies. Additionally, in the aftermath of 9/11, CHS provided counseling to companies and organizations in the financial district of Manhattan affected by the tragedy. Drawing from experience with hundreds of thousands of workers, employers and physicians, CHS can address the complete occupational health life cycle, and sees terrorism triggering new concerns in every area — from planning for potential disasters and conducting health risk assessments, to dealing with employee physical and emotional well-being in light of biological, chemical and physical hazards.

" CHS has addressed issues relating to terror’s effect, from both the perspectives of wellness and health and the perspective of environmental safety," said Lim. "We look at psychosocial elements of well-being for thousands of workers, employers and physicians every day, in our role as a leading provider of onsite and dispersed workforce health management programs. This conference will be a wonderful opportunity to exchange knowledge with other organizations that care for our citizenry in challenging times."

The conference will convene policy-makers to address how acts of terror affect the short- and long-term psychological and social consequences of living with terrorism and the role of policy-makers and the health care industry in preventing and treating terrorism reactions.The conference will draw upon the expertise of faculty from the University of Haifa, gained during Israel’s extensive experience of living with terrorism and violence, to enhance understanding of these mental health issues.

The conference will deal with policy questions including:

• How can we elevate mental health preventive intervention on the agenda of policy-makers concerned with homeland security?
• What are some of the implications of terror on the functioning of educational, child welfare and other human service delivery systems?
• How do we identify population groups at specific risk, and how do we prioritize them?

Invited national policy-makers and keynote speakers include Senator Arlen Specter (R-Penn.); Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge; Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson; Senator Bill Frist, M.D. (R-Tenn.); former President Bill Clinton; Congressman Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.); Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., Surgeon General of the United States; and the presidents of the University of Haifa and the University of Pennsylvania.

Conference sponsors include the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN), University of Haifa, Israel; the University of Pennsylvania; the American Medical Association; the American Hospital Association; the American Public Health Association; the American Psychological and Psychiatric Associations; the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and eight other health care organizations. A complete list and further information is available at http://hw.haifa.ac.il/terror_conference/.

About CHS

Founded in 1975, CHS is a leader in the design, implementation, and management of occupational health services. With in-house medical professionals, a national network of CHS certified physicians, and best practices built on decades of experience serving blue chip clients in the public and private sectors, CHS uses its unique resources to integrate services across the entire occupational health lifecycle. A founding member of the Occupational and Environmental Health Foundation, CHS also is a corporate sponsor of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) Corporate Health Achievement Award. The CHS Web site is at http://www.chsmedical.com.

# # #