Fred Cologna’s hand hasn’t fully recovered yet.
The 63-year-old man often found his right hand felt stiff or even paralyzed when he worked with small tools, and two years ago he underwent surgery to help with his carpal tunnel syndrome.
Cologna immigrated to Canada from Italy in 1965 and went to work as a welder soon after. He found a job at AbitibiBowater until he suffered a heart attack in 2004.
Following a triple bypass on his heart and surgery to his hand three years later, Cologna concluded that a lifetime of hard work as a welder had finally left its mark.
"I had problems with carpal tunnel syndrome so I had surgery on my right hand and it didn’t turn out like it was suppose to," Cologna said. "I tried to claim it through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board but they denied it."
With no other place to go, Cologna said he turned to the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc. for help.
The occupational health clinic, which officially opened in Thunder Bay in June, aims to help with health and safety issues at the workplace.
Cologna said he needed their help to file a claim that connected the carpal tunnel in his right hand to the work he did while at AbitibiBowater. He said his WSIB claim shouldn’t have been denied.
"The OHCOW has been great," he said. "It’s been very helpful. I came to this office and they provided me with a doctor and he realized that it was a WSIB claim and through him I’m going to go through WSIB and see what is happening with my claim."
Donna Campbell, executive director of OHCOW, said their location on Cedar Street was part of a pilot project to have a permanent clinic in the city instead of clients travelling to Sudbury. With just a few months into its first year, Campbell said things are going great and they are on track with their targeted goal.
With 30 individual clients so far, Campbell said she expect OHCOW to become even busier as residents return to work. She said the most common kind of workplace injury was repetitive strain in the back or hands.
"There was a great need in Thunder Bay to have its own clinic," Campbell said. "There were a lot of issues that workers and employers wanted us to work with them on. So the community wrote letters of support and asked for a clinic to be established here."
Campbell said they fly in four occupational doctors from Toronto to oversee their clinics. The next step would to find a doctor in Thunder Bay, she said.
"There are very few occupational physicians in the north," she said. "That’s why we are bring doctors from the south. Our doctors are from Toronto and come here approximately four days a month. As we get busier they will be brought in more."
However, while there are doctors at OHCOW, the facility isn’t a walk in clinic, she said.
"If you have an injury or a disease you feel is from the workplace then you can come here and see the doctor," she said.
Funding for the occupational health clinic falls under the Ministry of Labour and WSIB, she said and added the operational budget was about $250,000 for the year.
The 63-year-old man often found his right hand felt stiff or even paralyzed when he worked with small tools, and two years ago he underwent surgery to help with his carpal tunnel syndrome.
Cologna immigrated to Canada from Italy in 1965 and went to work as a welder soon after. He found a job at AbitibiBowater until he suffered a heart attack in 2004.
Following a triple bypass on his heart and surgery to his hand three years later, Cologna concluded that a lifetime of hard work as a welder had finally left its mark.
"I had problems with carpal tunnel syndrome so I had surgery on my right hand and it didn’t turn out like it was suppose to," Cologna said. "I tried to claim it through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board but they denied it."
With no other place to go, Cologna said he turned to the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc. for help.
The occupational health clinic, which officially opened in Thunder Bay in June, aims to help with health and safety issues at the workplace.
Cologna said he needed their help to file a claim that connected the carpal tunnel in his right hand to the work he did while at AbitibiBowater. He said his WSIB claim shouldn’t have been denied.
"The OHCOW has been great," he said. "It’s been very helpful. I came to this office and they provided me with a doctor and he realized that it was a WSIB claim and through him I’m going to go through WSIB and see what is happening with my claim."
Donna Campbell, executive director of OHCOW, said their location on Cedar Street was part of a pilot project to have a permanent clinic in the city instead of clients travelling to Sudbury. With just a few months into its first year, Campbell said things are going great and they are on track with their targeted goal.
With 30 individual clients so far, Campbell said she expect OHCOW to become even busier as residents return to work. She said the most common kind of workplace injury was repetitive strain in the back or hands.
"There was a great need in Thunder Bay to have its own clinic," Campbell said. "There were a lot of issues that workers and employers wanted us to work with them on. So the community wrote letters of support and asked for a clinic to be established here."
Campbell said they fly in four occupational doctors from Toronto to oversee their clinics. The next step would to find a doctor in Thunder Bay, she said.
"There are very few occupational physicians in the north," she said. "That’s why we are bring doctors from the south. Our doctors are from Toronto and come here approximately four days a month. As we get busier they will be brought in more."
However, while there are doctors at OHCOW, the facility isn’t a walk in clinic, she said.
"If you have an injury or a disease you feel is from the workplace then you can come here and see the doctor," she said.
Funding for the occupational health clinic falls under the Ministry of Labour and WSIB, she said and added the operational budget was about $250,000 for the year.
