BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION

**HUMAN RESOURCES**

**Portland, Oregon**

**PERSONNEL LETTER NO. 792-2 DATE: September 5, 2003**

**SUBJECT:** Health Services Program

I.  **PURPOSE OF ISSUANCE**

The purpose of the Health Services Program is to establish a
comprehensive and consistent approach to providing occupational health
services for BPA employees.

II. **PURPOSE OF REVISIONS**

> To describe those services authorized under 5 USC 7901 and delete
> material that is more appropriately addressed in Personnel Letter No.
> 339-1, Medical Evaluation of Employees and Applicants. This Personnel
> Letter supersedes Personnel Letter No. 792-2, dated March 16, 1998.

**III. GUIDANCE**

**A.** BPA Manual Chapter 180, Safety and Health Program.

B.  BPA Manual Chapter 400/792B, Employee Assistance Program.

C.  Personnel Letter 293-2, Occupational Medical Records.

**C.** Personnel Letter 630-1, Leave Administration, Chapter 3, Sick
Leave.

**D.** Personnel Letter 810-1, Injury Compensation and Occupational
Disease Program.

**E.** 5 CFR 339, Medical Qualification Determinations.

**IV. COVERAGE\
\
**The health services program covers all BPA employees including
volunteer students. It does not cover contractors.

**V. POLICY\
\
**BPA considers the health, safety, and well-being of employees to be of
paramount importance in maintaining an effective, positively motivated
workforce to accomplish the BPA mission. The Health Services Program is,
therefore, designed to foster health care and awareness and ensure
employees are capable of performing the duties of their position in a
safe manner without hazard to themselves or others. All medical exams
and health related services provided to employees and managers are
coordinated by the Medical Program Manager in Personnel Services.

**VI. RELATED PROGRAMS\
\
**The Health Services Program, through the health services unit and the
Medical Program Manager, provides minor, routine and emergency medical
care, health exams required under Personnel Letter No. 339-1 in limited
circumstances, and health promotion and education. The program's
services are described in Section VIII. of this issuance. Other
programs, which are integral links to the overall BPA health and fitness
program, are as follows:

**A.** [Employee Assistance Program]{.underline}. This program provides
confidential counseling and referral services and health education to
employees and immediate family members regarding personal concerns that
are, or have the potential for, affecting the employee's performance or
conduct.

**B.** [Fitness]{.underline}. This program provides opportunities for
employees to increase physical fitness, strength, and endurance through
classes and individual training and fitness counseling, and is addressed
in Personnel Letter No. 792-4.

**C.** [BPA Safety Program]{.underline}. This program operates to
minimize human suffering and economic waste resulting from industrial
illnesses, serious injury, and property loss accidents (see BPA Manual
Chapter 180). Its focus is on providing a workplace free from, or
protected against, recognized hazards. The Safety Program and the Health
Services Program are mutually supportive.

**VII. RESPONSIBILITIES**

**A.** [Senior Vice President for Employee and Business
Resources]{.underline} has overall management responsibility.

**B.** [Vice Presidents]{.underline} have responsibility for promoting
good occupational health practices in their respective organizations.

**C.** [Manager, Personnel Services, through the Medical Program
Manager,]{.underline} is responsible for: (1) the overall administration
of BPA's health services program; (2) ensuring that managers and
supervisors are informed about the program; and (3) evaluating the
effectiveness of the Health Services Program.

**VIII. HEALTH SERVICES PROGRAM\
\
**The BPA Health Services Program provides the following services,
facilities, and personnel:

**A.** [Qualifications/Provisions of Personnel]{.underline}:

1.  [Health Unit Staff]{.underline}. Services will be provided by a
    medical doctor, and under his/her oversight, by a staff of licensed,
    registered nurses. Health units are located in Portland, Vancouver,
    Seattle, and Spokane.

2\. [Medical Facilities]{.underline}. Medical services not provided at
the health units mentioned above are provided through contractual
arrangements with community-based clinics located throughout the BPA
service area.

**B.** [Evaluations/Screenings]{.underline}:

1.  [Medical Exams]{.underline}: Medical surveillance exams and
    Department of Transportation physical exams may be provided through
    the health units.

2.  [Health Screenings]{.underline}. A variety of screenings for
    individual health concerns are available, including blood pressure,
    vision testing, cancer screening, diabetes testing, and colo-rectal
    cancer screening.

> **C.** [Routine Treatment/Medications]{.underline}. The health units
> provide:

1.  Immunizations for specific diseases or other medications prescribed
    by an employee's physician, and routine medications and treatments
    for routine, acute, and intermittent health problems.

2.  Selected treatment for physician-prescribed therapy for occupational
    injuries or illnesses.

3.  Individual health education, referral, and consultation

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B.  [Health Education/Counseling]{.underline}.

    Health education focuses on health information and promotion and
    early detection of disease. It includes such elements as general
    wellness, cardiac disease prevention, nutrition, etc. Information is
    also made available on such topics as warning signs of cancer or
    other serious diseases and on promoting a health lifestyle to reduce
    the rate of disease.

    **E.** [Injury/Illness/Medical Emergency Response]{.underline}.

    1\. [Occupational Injury or Illness]{.underline}. When a medical
    staff physician is on duty, he/she will, where practical, initially
    examine and treat an ill or injured employee, determining whether a
    return to work without undue health hazard or accident risk is
    possible or not. If necessary, the employee will be taken to a local
    hospital emergency room or to the employee's personal medical
    doctor. (The health unit staff does not transport employees. Need
    for an ambulance is determined by medical staff; while other
    determinations, such as return to work, are the responsibility of
    the manager/supervisor.) Hospital, ambulance, and physician fees are
    the responsibility of the employee unless the illness or injury is
    job-connected and covered by the Office of Worker's Compensation
    Programs (OWCP) (see Personnel Letter 810-1).

    2\. [Non-Occupational Injury or Illness]{.underline}. The health
    unit medical staff will give on-the-job care to meet immediate needs
    and, if medically appropriate, to allow completion of the workday.
    The staff will give interim care if the employee needs further
    attention. Provisions for further care will be determined as for
    occupational injury and illness. Hospital, ambulance, and physician
    fees are the responsibility of the employee unless the illness or
    injury is job-connected and covered by the Office of Worker's
    Compensation Programs (OWCP). (See Personnel Letter 810-1.)

    **IX. EMPLOYEE USE OF PROGRAM**

C.  [Health Unit Areas]{.underline}.

    On an occasional basis and with the prior notification of the
    employee's manager when possible, employees may visit the health
    units during operating hours and may remain for up to 1 hour without
    charge to leave. If an employee is not able then to return to duty,
    the health unit staff refers the employee to his/her private
    physician and advises the employee to request leave. If the
    employee's condition precludes him/her from requesting leave, the
    health unit staff notifies the employee's supervisor so that
    appropriate leave may be charged.

    Excused absence will not be authorized for an employee to visit the
    health unit on a regular and recurring basis. Instead, with the
    supervisor's approval, the employee may use other paid or unpaid
    time off (e.g., accrued leave, LWOP, credit hours, flexi-time,
    etc.). Employees requiring recurring treatments or rest periods in
    the health unit will be required to provide medical documentation
    from the employee's physician to the health unit staff.

D.  [Sick Leave]{.underline}.

> Where such on site services are available, employees may be asked by
> their manager/supervisor to check in with the health unit upon
> returning to work after sick leave to ensure that the employee's
> return to work will be without undue health hazard or accident risk to
> the employee or others. Employees may seek assistance from their
> personal health care providers to obtain any required,
> administratively acceptable evidence of illness upon return from three
> consecutive workdays of sick leave.

**X. MEDICAL RECORDS\
\
**Medical records are kept for each employee who participates in the
Health Services Program. Policies and procedures dealing with
collecting, maintaining, and releasing medical information are addressed
in Personnel Letter No. 293-2.

Godfrey C. Beckett

Manager, Human Resources, Diversity, and EEO