Heroes saving heroes: St. Catherine Hospital's Occupational Health Department screens firefighters for risk factors.

Jim O'Donnell took a hard look at his fellow employees of the East Chicago Fire Department. He thought of the difficult hours these dedicated men and women work when battling blazes, saving lives, and keeping the department running. It was high time to get healthy, he thought, applying some of their unconditional heroism to themselves.

A life-long advocate of health and well being, O'Donnell, assistant chief of personnel and the department's fitness coordinator, set out to motivate his staff to lead healthier lifestyles.

St. Catherine Hospital's Occupational Health Department worked with the East Chicago Fire Department over several months to develop a program that would screen all employees for disease risk factors. The program included a physical exam, vision screen, hearing test, pulmonary function test, EKG, blood work, urinalysis, hemoccult, chest X-ray, stress test, PSA and digital rectal exam for men, and a breast exam and mammogram for women.

"We didn't just test them and send them on their way," says Lynette Dobrowolski, occupational health sales coordinator for St. Catherine Hospital. "We're here with them for the duration, for as long as it takes to get them healthier."

Of the 95 firefighters and civilian employees who went through the first phase of the program, everyone had at least one risk factor for heart disease. As a result, they've been offered additional counseling and programming, such as smoking cessation programs and nutritional counseling. With grant monies, fitness equipment was purchased for the fire stations.

"This has had a huge impact at the stations. Everyone is geared up for health and fitness:' O'Donnell says. "When the program was introduced, I think some were skeptical. But once the first group went...