The Show Goes On with WorkCare Event Medical Services Behind the Scenes 

For every TV sports broadcast, major concert, festival, or convention, dozens – sometimes hundreds – of crew members are working behind the scenes to deliver a seamless experience for the audience and event sponsors.

Each event venue presents unique occupational health and safety management challenges. Sprains and strains are a common complaint among production workers with strenuous jobs. Demanding travel schedules, stress, fatigue, cultural and dietary variability, and environmental conditions like extreme temperatures can be tipping points.

According to an Impact of Injury study released in 2024, 79% of stage and screen production crew members who responded to a survey said they were injured while working. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics  reports there were 1.5 OSHA-recordable cases per 100 full-time workers in film and TV production industries (NAICS 512 – Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries) in 2024. Of those, 0.4 cases of days away from work per 100 FTEs. 

How WorkCare Event Medical Services Delivers Value

On-site care delivers measurable value. While the show must go on, it cannot be at the expense of employee health and safety. 

Organizations retain WorkCare’s Event Medical Services (EMS) team to deploy occupational health nurses and other clinicians at on-site locations to provide first aid, emergency response, triage, and other time-of-need interventions. Similar to athletes, event cast and crew members with non-emergency medical complaints often opt to follow WorkCare’s first-aid guidance to help shorten their time on the sidelines and get safely back in the game.

Supportive first aid-level care like ice, elevation, and non-prescription anti-inflammatory medication is cost-effective because it helps improve health outcomes and employee morale while reducing lost time, workers’ compensation claim rates, and OSHA-recordable incidents. On-site nurses are often among the first to respond to a work-related medical emergency or need for mental health services. They also refer employees for advanced medical care when they detect potentially life-threatening, underlying diseases. 

“We treat many minor conditions so crew members can continue working instead of having to be replaced,” said Sheilah Rabii, RN, a crew nurse. “While we respond to serious incidents, our nurses’ greatest impact is in the day-to-day conversations we have with crew members who are away from home.

“Many people who travel for their professions do not have time to establish a relationship with a primary care or mental health provider. Nurses can bridge this gap. Through active listening, education, and encouragement, we assist with wellness and prevention, and we can guide crew members through the healthcare maze to get the evaluations and treatments they need to become their healthiest selves.”

Testimonials Tell the Story

EMS Director Debbie Stiller said clients and employees frequently praise WorkCare nurses for their professional on-site presence. Stiller describes it this way: “The true essence of Event Medical Services is the exemplary level of care provided by WorkCare clinicians and the outstanding, collaborative teamwork we integrate with our clients. Senior executives,managers, and frontline employees all express their gratitude for our services.”

Client accolades for the EMS team include:

·       “Can’t thank you enough for the care you provide for our crew.”

·       “Your services are invaluable.” 

·       “We cannot imagine our operations running without you.”  

In one recent incident, a WorkCare nurse is credited with saving an employee’s life. The client writes: 

“There is not a better tribute to a healthcare worker. We are truly blessed to have your keen eye, great counsel, nurturing care, and compassion at the ready on our productions. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” 

The WorkCare nurse replies: 

“I’m blessed to be associated with the [client] team and will continue to work diligently caring for the crew to the best of my ability.”

More Success Stories

Here are some additional success stories shared by WorkCare on-site nurses that illustrate the value of an on-site clinical presence:

• Our nurse collaborated with a construction crew medic to assess the condition of a worker with a severe headache and other symptoms. The employee was reluctant to seek medical care, but the nurse and medic persuaded him to go to a hospital. After being diagnosed with a serious heart condition, the crew member thanked the team for convincing him to go to the ER, staying with him, and saving his life. 
• In two separate incidents involving vehicle accidents, a WorkCare nurse responded to the scene, stayed with the injured worker, helped expediate care, and communicated with work supervisors and family members. 
• WorkCare was told it “saved the day” when a nurse contacted a WorkCare physician to obtain medication for an announcer with laryngitis so he could go on the air.
• A nurse noticed a dark, irregular spot on a crew member’s face. She instructed him to send a photo of it to his personal provider. The spot was cancerous (melanoma,) requiring immediate treatment.
• A nurse suspected a heart problem when a crew member complained of elbow pain. The employee later underwent stent implant surgery. Another employee with an elbow complaint – a fracture – led to the discovery of bone cancer and subsequent treatment.

How Clients Benefit from WorkCare’s Holistic Approach 

While the WorkCare team excels at rapid on-site response, it offers so much more to its event clients.

“We go far beyond basic first aid to offer a full spectrum of proactive medical support, which distinguishes our service and protects event continuity for our clients,” Stiller said. “Our tailored approach is designed to prevent small issues from becoming major disruptions, keeping key personnel on-site and production on track.”

Client benefits include:

• Concierge care: Personalized care for talent and executives, delivering discretion and prompt attention.
• Production continuity: Ongoing services to reduce downtime and the need to travel to offsite facilities, keeping scheduled on track.
• Chronic disease management: Support for employees with chronic medical conditions whose travel schedules make it difficult for them to manage their health.
• Seamless EH+S integration: Services integrated with clients’ environmental, health, and safety programs for comprehensive coverage.
• Patient advocacy: Advocating on behalf of employees with serious injuries or illnesses to help ensure the best possible outcome, including return-to-work consultations.
• Emergency response: Customized emergency response and action plans for holistic preparedness.
• Infectious disease prevention: Recommendations to reduce infectious disease exposure risk and manage outbreaks.
• Mental health and traumatic incident debriefing: Timely behavioral health intervention and debriefing following high-impact events.

Does Your Organization Need On-site Event Support?

WorkCare’s versatile Event Medical Services team is here to help with scalable, cost-effective staffing options. Our occupational health clinicians are on stand-by to travel and remain on-site as long as they are needed. Contact us today to learn more. 

WorkCare Crew Nurse Sheilah Rabii, RN