WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, SportsSeminar focuses on preventing H1N1 flu at work

Seminar focuses on preventing H1N1 flu at work

by Colby Robertson

RHINELANDER (WAOW) -- We've seen the impact an outbreak of H1N1 has on school districts in our area. What if the swine flu spreads among workers in small businesses?

Preventing that was the topic of an H1N1 Business Seminar in Rhinelander. An outbreak of H1N1 is every small business' worst nightmare.

Kim Swisher, Rhinelander Area Chamber says, "It can devastate a business. You look at the Chamber of Commerce for example. We have three employees, I being one of them."

That's where this H1N1 Business Seminar comes in. Chamber employees helped organize the event as a way to educate business leaders on how the swine flu could impact the work place.

Veronika Baron is the Human Resources Director at Ripco Credit Union in Rhinelander. She came to the seminar to find out ways to prevent the virus from spreading among her co-workers.

Veronika says, "We haven't had any serious issues or a lot of people out of work, but we're trying to be proactive to try and prevent it."

Prevention is key, especially at a Credit Union where employees are constantly handling money and dealing with the public.

Veronika says, "Money obviously is one of the number one areas where diseases are transferred and the handling of money, so we're always proactive that way to begin with, but now even more so."

Hand sanitizers are placed throughout the Credit Union in hopes of preventing the spread of the virus.

But with only 36 workers, Baron says her first priority is to come up with a company pandemic plan.

Baron says, "It is scary. You hear about it and you kind of sit back and think we probably should do something and I think until you're really hit with it you don't react, so again I think people need to be proactive with this."

People from 18 different businesses attended the seminar.

The panel consisted of a physician from ministry health care, an Oneida County health expert and the Rhinelander School District nurse.

Online Reporter: Colby Robertson