March 2020: CIRCON’s Inaugural Newsletter
Welcome to CIRCON’s inaugural newsletter. If you’re reading this, it’s because you’re one of our valued clients, and in an effort to serve you better, we’ll be sending out brief but informative updates, to keep you posted on the latest news from our industry as well as the latest news from within CIRCON—and to explain how both may support and strengthen your business. We’d also like you to get to know our terrific team a little better. It’s likely you have existing relationships with our sales team, but we’re eager to introduce you to some of the behind-the-scenes talent that keeps CIRCON strong. We look forward to sharing these insights and information with each and every one of you, and are confident that it will help us serve you better.
What's News
We’re sure that you, like all of us at CIRCON, are all too familiar with the disruptions the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 illness are bringing to our lives, communities, and businesses. As a company, we remain committed to our principles: keeping our employees safe and healthy; and serving our customers with the highest standards of excellence.
We’ve already adapted to this ever-changing environment. We’re finding ways to best serve customers with fewer close-contact meetings. LinkedIn and Zoom have proven to be vital tools to keep our team in touch with their clients, and we’re happy to further adapt our business practices to suit your needs and comfort levels. Together, we can not only keep our teams safe, but help curb the spread of this virus.
We will continue to make required changes as the situation evolves, and as the CDC and local authorities revise their recommendations. Please let us know what else we can do to help you feel safe as we find new ways to work together.
Did You Know?
CIRCON operates two treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDF), one in Pasadena, Texas, and one in Hodgkins, Illinois. For clients across the country, that means we can pick up contaminated products and personal protective equipment (PPE) and safely transport and dispose of them via incineration. As you and your team navigate these uncertain times, we hope you turn to us as a trusted partner: we have the capabilities, we have the experience, we have the proven safety record.
Three Questions with Lorianna Newman
As CIRCON’s Corporate Wellness Director, Lorianna Newman spends her days thinking about ways to keep the company’s staff safe, happy, and healthy. Since stepping into the role a year and a half ago, Newman launched the Refined Wellness program to help CIRCON’s drivers, on-site workers, and office staff find their best work-life balance and physical health. Here, she offers advice on finding holistic wellness at work, and how to move forward in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis.
1. What are some ways the Refined Wellness program works to improve the health of CIRCON’s team?
Drivers specifically, because of the nature of their work and the long hours spent on the road, are a high-risk population. The Department of Transportation requires them to get a physical by a medical examiner, but the drivers don’t really see their results. So we started offering biometric screenings that check blood work, cholesterol, BMI, and we put the results in their hands, with an interpretation of potential red flags. It gives them control of their own personal path, and from there they can talk to a wellness coach like me, or their own doctors. And beyond our drivers, we provide a lot of information to our staff, we host lunch-and-learns on topics like nutrition and work-life balance—it’s about education and supplies so our staff doesn’t feel the burden of doing everything on their own
2. What kind of results have you seen, across the company, as health and wellness has become a greater focus?
We’ve seen employees lose massive amounts of weight, come out of prediabetes and into a managed glucose state, and reduce hypertension, which reduces their chances of heart attack and stroke. The program is gaining momentum, and having a positive impact on our team’s lives.
3. As the spread of coronavirus continues to alter our day-to-day lives, what steps are you recommending to keep CIRCON and its customers safe?
I’m realizing how little we talk about office hygiene: just washing your hands and cleaning surfaces are things we should be doing anyway, so we’re working to raise that awareness. And of course, I’m working to funnel the highlights of CDC and WHO recommendations to our executive team, because it helps for that information to be shared by our leaders. I think the main thing to stress, for everyone, is personal responsibility. Don’t shake hands; try a Spock wave instead! Don’t be in close quarters. Be mindful of the health of those in your life. There’s a very “me, me, me” mentality in America, and I’m hoping to see that shift. That’s what I truly hope comes out of this. Be mindful of each other.