PCH/FMC Welcomes Second Occupational Health Provider

Paris Community Hospital/Family Medical Center welcomes Sara Spesard to the hospital’s Occupational Health Clinic.

She and Tiffany Turner, family nurse practitioner and manager of the Occupational Health Clinic, function as dedicated health providers for local business partners. They work closely with area employers to provide a full range of occupational health services, including routine health and wellness services. Their goal is to provide these services locally, which will effectively lower companies’ health and safety costs.

“I really wanted to be in a small community and this is a good fit with my family,” said Spesard, a lifelong resident of Ridge Farm.

Spesard joins Turner as a provider for employee-related healthcare. She sees patients in a clinic setting both by appointment and as urgent needs arise, such as worksite injuries. With this additional staff, the Occupational Health Clinic will provide on-site and off-site employment physicals, drug screenings, pulmonary function testing, audiometric testing, breath alcohol testing, lab testing, and more. Routine healthcare will include everything from treating an ankle sprain to providing a tetanus shot.

“Sometimes we are the first stop in diagnosing other problems in a pre-employment physical, such as diabetes and high blood pressure,” Spesard said. “For some people, their pre-employment exam is the only one they’ve had in years because they previously didn’t have insurance or access to healthcare.”

Spesard has 10 years of nursing experience in the Danville, Illinois area, which includes five years as a nurse practitioner. Her background includes providing care for people of all ages at a convenient care clinic, as well as patients in a hospital critical care unit.

Spesard obtained her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Lakeview College of Nursing. She earned her master’s degree in nursing at Indiana Wesleyan University.

Spesard and her husband, Jeromy, have been married for 10 years. They have two children: Ashlyn, 9, and Madilyn, 5.