Hard work pays dividends
As we step closer into November, I would like to extend my warmest greetings to each of you. With the arrival of a new financial year, the first month being October, marks a time of reflection, evaluation, and anticipation for the future. Throughout the last 12 months, our dedicated teams have strived tirelessly to provide our clients and their employees the highest quality care, ensuring their health, safety and well-being remain our utmost priority. With each passing day, you achieved our goals and surpassed expectations in delivering exceptional services and financial results. For this, I truly thank you!
October also holds great significance for us as we close the chapter on a successful fiscal year and embrace the opportunity to assess our accomplishments and set forth new objectives for the coming year. It is a time of celebration and planning, where we reflect on the disappointments and milestones we have achieved and pave a path together for our future.
Speaking of good work and acknowledgement, the annual leadership conference took place on 19-20 October at the Sandton Convention Centre. One of the key highlights of the conference is the Life Achiever Gala Event. Here, we celebrate outstanding accomplishments across the business and recognise remarkable individuals who significantly contributed to their field. I am pleased to announce that Life Health Solutions employees were recognised for two awards. Firstly, Ansaaf Ishmail took home a Jakes Gerwel Award, and our Finance team pipped the Quality and Coast East teams and walked away with the Life Health Solutions team ward. My congratulations to all of you – you made us all proud! The official images taken at the conference will be available soon.
In September and October, we commemorated several awareness days that hold significant importance to our mission of improving lives. One of those days was World Mental Health Day, held on 10 October. Our CEO of Southern Africa, Adam Pyle, had this to say: “This day reminds us of the importance of prioritising our mental well-being for our patients, customers, and ourselves. Our goal remains to remove the stigma surrounding mental health, foster understanding and empathy for those who are struggling, and ensure that people get the support they need when they need it. I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the amazing work that our mental health facilities and Life Health Solutions continue to do.”
On that note, here are some of the highlights from the past few weeks.
NEW BUSINESS AND CLIENT RETENTION
AECI extends its contract for integrated healthcare services
AECI Mining has extended its contract with Life Health Solutions to provide occupational healthcare, primary healthcare, chronic disease management, and injury-on-duty (IOD) management to their workforce. AECI Mining is a manufacturer and supplier of explosives, initiating systems, and blasting services for mining, quarrying, and construction. The company is a world leader in its field with operations in Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, and South America. There are 2,050 lives that will be supported by our services under this national contract, which extends to AECI’s regional offices across South Africa, including Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape. AECI is one of Life Health Solutions' longest-standing clients, as well as our largest logistics client. Our expanded reach into the logistics industry gives us the opportunity to continue building our relationship with them and introduce them to our newer services to meet their needs. A special thank you goes out to Euódia Holtzhausen, Client Relationship Manager, and the staff at the Occupational Health Clinic who are always willing to go the extra mile to assist this client.
BUSINESS UPDATES
CLIENT AND COMMUNITY EVENTS
Ratang Thuto secondary school gets a lesson on substance abuse
Life Health Solutions' Emergency Medical Services (Life EMS), together with NCE (Northen Cape Exploration (NCE) team, visited the Grade 8 pupils of Ratang Thuto secondary school, in Postmasburg (Northern Cape), to deliver a timely talk on substance abuse. The school is situated in the Boichoko location, and is a community familiar with substance abuse. The learners showed great interest in the topic because they knew other learners, family, friends, and community members who struggled with substance abuse. In an engaging discussion, the team and the Grade 8 learners discussed the negative effects of drugs like cigarettes, alcohol, mandrax, cannabis (dagga), and methamphetamine (Tik). They shared personal experiences, heartwarming stories, and more importantly, they discussed positive and practical ways that these young adults can avoid substance abuse altogether. A Q&A session was included to keep the momentum going and learners received small tokens of appreciation for their enthusiastic participation. The principal and the teachers appreciated the team's efforts in addressing the burning issue of substance abuse in the Boichoko community. As a result, the team has been invited back to Ratang Thuto to address the other grades on the same topic. For the Life EMS team, supporting communities in the Northern Cape goes beyond their contractual obligations to clients. For them, it is their passion. To Zach Bokaba (Emergency Care Technician), Lesego Phiri (Occupational Health Nurse), Lebogang Mongale (Intermediate Life Support Medic), and Vincent Vilakazi (Basic Life Support Medic), your dedication to this work is admirable; and thank you for making a significant difference to your communities every day.
To read the full story, click here
Life Health Solutions hosts Valspar Cuppa for CANSA
The Life Health Solutions regional team held a Cancer Awareness Day at Valspar on 21 September in Durban. Valspar Paint – a long-standing client of Life Health Solutions – is a renowned paint and coatings brand that is a part of the Sherwin-Williams Company. Sr Lynda Rainier, Occupational Health Nurse based in Durban, arranged for a CANSA Association guest speaker to deliver cancer health education talks. Many practical tips were covered in his/her talk, including how to detect lumps, habits to avoid that cause cancer, and how to live a healthy lifestyle. The day kicked off with health education sessions in the morning. There were separate health education sessions for men and women. Breast cancer was the topic of the women's health education talk, which included practical lessons on how to examine breast lumps. In their separate session, the men discussed various cancers of the male reproductive system. Both the men's and women's sessions had good attendance and engagement. The morning sessions were followed by a donation drive and other activities. Valspar held a cupcake drive to raise funds for CANSA. In solidarity with cancer patients, Valspar employees could also have their hair sprayed in various colours of their choosing. Prostate-specific Antigen (PSA) screenings were offered to the men. All of this was done with great enthusiasm and enjoyment. Employees could sign a t-shirt with messages of hope or in memory of someone who passed away from cancer. An on-site braai rounded off the day. Besides being eventful well supported, it was also very meaningful. The day’s event raised over R2,000 for the CANSA Association. If you would like to know how to support the CANSA association, visit https://cansa.org.za/cansas-care-support.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
#TeamSA shines at the World Athletics Championships in Latvia
On 01 October 2023, South Africa’s national team competed – and outperformed – at the World Athletics Championships in Latvia, Eastern Europe. The World Athletics Road Running Championships is an international event that takes place in varying countries around the world. Johanita Bester (Life Health Solutions’ clinic administrator) was one of the team managers that Athletics South Africa (ASA) appointed to lead the South African delegation at the 2023 championships in Latvia. International teams compete in three racing distances: the 21km race made up of an 8-person squad; the 5km race made up of a 4-person squad; and the 1.6km street mile consisting of 2 athletes. The South African team did exceptionally well. Of the 46 countries that participated, South Africa finished in 5th place, outperforming countries like France, Australia, Canada, Brazil, and the United States. For the 21km race, our men's team came 3rd with a bronze medal. The women’s team came in 4th place – just 11 seconds behind Great Britain. Overall, the teams performed well, and most achieved their personal bests. Well done to athletes and Johanita Bester and her management team who left #TeamSA to victory.
To read the full story, click here
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