WORKERS'
REHABILITATION
CENTRE
3700 Westfield Road
Saint John, N.B.
E2M 5Z4
Telephone: (506) 738-8411
Fax: (506) 738-3470

The Workers' Rehabilitation Centre (WRC) is the only rehabilitation centre in Eastern Canada dedicated exclusively to providing occupational rehabilitation services. The Centre has been treating injured workers since 1965 and its programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF International). Services are provided in both official languages.
The WRC offers the following rehabilitation programs to serve the clients:
Work Recovery
Vocational Evaluation.
 
WORK RECOVERY PROGRAM
Statement of Purpose:
The Work Recovery Program is designed to provide quality, client-centered, interdisciplinary rehabilitation to address the client's medical, physical, psychological and functional needs to facilitate an effective return to the workforce.
Our clients: Injured workers who have not responded satisfactorily to medical rehabilitation and who need intensive alternate treatment to achieve a safe and prompt return to work.
The Work Recovery Program consists of occupational rehabilitation teams which provide work hardening services according to client's job demands and specialized services for diagnostic groups and specific situations.
The treatment team for all clients consists of a physician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, nurse, psychologist or social worker and team coordinator.
The services of a dietitian, fitness/recreation officer and/or rehabilitation technician are also available, if required.

I. WORK HARDENING SERVICES
Sedentary / Light / Medium / Heavy Job Demands
The primary focus for acute injuries is treating the injury to promote recovery to meet the demands of the job. Intensive therapy designed to promote healing, increase strength, improve conditioning, reduce pain and restore function is provided to help clients achieve a prompt and safe return to work.
The primary focus for more chronic injuries is on physical and work conditioning. The client may have behavioural and/or psychosocial issues that need to be addressed.
Treatment is designed to increase tolerance to activity and work based on the client’s job demands (i.e. sedentary, light, medium or heavy), resolve psychosocial barriers, improve work habits and develop a return-to-work program.

II. SPECIALIZED SERVICES
CTD (Cumulative Trauma Disorders)
Many workers are at risk of developing cumulative trauma disorders or repetitive strain injuries by putting continuous repetitive strain on their joints, causing pain in the neck, shoulder, elbow or wrist. Our treatment team focuses on effective self-management of upper extremity CTD's including education, improvement of work setting ergonomics, pain management and use of personal/work behavior intervention.

CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome)/RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy)
Workers who develop complex regional pain syndrome or reflex sympathetic dystrophy require an individualized and specialized approach to treatment.
Work Recovery provides a specialized service which focuses on teaching the client pain and stress management techniques and increasing strength, stamina and endurance despite pain through a comprehensive treatment protocol.

MTBI (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury)
Workers who have a suspected or known brain injury are provided with cognitive rehabilitation in addition to physical and work conditioning. The primary focus is clients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries as a result of accident.

Amputee (Amp)
Workers who have an amputation of one or more digits are treated by a team specialized in amputee management. Adaptive devices and prosthetics will be explored to aid in the rehabilitation process. Partial or full amputations of upper or lower extremity(ies) are treated by the Amputee Team in collaboration with Metro Health Services.

Opioid Reduction
Workers who have a dependency on opioids and want to participate in an opioid reduction/elimination program are provided with an integrated opioid reduction plus functional restoration-cognitive behavioural program. Opioid reduction services are available to clients with a return to work goal (ORW) and clients without a return to work goal (ORWO) e.g. clients on LTD. Treatment is designed to reduce or eliminate opioid use, teach pain management strategies, educate on coping skills and maximize function through functional and/or physical conditioning activities.

Stalled Return to Work
Workers who are stalling on their return to work (RTW) program are provided with an evaluation to identify the physical, medical, functional and psychosocial barriers to progress on a RTW program and determine effective strategies to address the barriers.

Multidisciplinary Consultation
The purpose of this service is to provide consultation services including medical, psychological, physical and functional status to determine appropriate treatment recommendations.

Also available on an outpatient basis:
* Work conditioning focusing on reactivation, education and function
* Psychological counseling
* Nutritional counseling
* Occupational therapy
* Physiotherapy including services related to TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) for    the relief of pain and biofeedback treatment.
* Wheelchairs and mobility aids
* Off-site services including gradual return to work programs at the job site and home visits, as needed.
* Custom-designed group education sessions that may include any of these topics:
  > Understanding Safe Work Practices
  > Understanding Pain
  > Benefits of Exercise
  > Restful Sleep
  > Nutrition Since Your Injury
  > Transfer class
  > Stress Management and Relaxation Training
  > CTD series (ergonomics, anatomy, posture, work simplification)

VOCATIONAL EVALUATION PROGRAM
The team of health professionals in Vocational Evaluation can identify if an injured worker can return safely to the job, what level of activity can be safely performed, and the realistic options for his or her vocational future.
The team includes physiotherapists, occupational therapists, phychometrist and a psychologist who perform physical, functional and psychometric testing. Based on the client's abilities and aptitudes, they can determine his/her current capabilities and vocational options.
Standardized testing compares the client's results against national normative data, and provides a comprehensive picture of his/her abilities. Results are reliable and defensible.
Depending on the information needed, the Program can provide a single assessment or any combination, custom-designed to meet the referral source's needs. Our staff will be pleased to suggest the appropriate assessment.
Depending on the scope of testing required, a client may be at the Workers' Rehabilitation Centre for only a half day, or as much as five days. Assessment reports are completed within seven working days.

Assessment Services Include:
Job Specific Work Capacity Evaluation - determines a client's performance of the physical demands of a specific job (performed on site at the WRC)

General Work Capacity Evaluation - determines a client's general functional capabilities (performed on site at the WRC)

Job Site Evaluation - determines a client's ability to sustain performance in a specific job for the purpose of making recommendations regarding the worker, the workplace or the environment (performed at the job site).

Job Site Analysis - determines the physical and environmental demands of a specific job as documented in a detailed analysis (performed at the job site).

Ergonomic Assessment - determines the workplace modification and adaptations required to improve the client's working environment thus lessening strain on the body.

Psychological Status Assessment - determines a client's particular psychological needs through an interview (performed on site and off site).

Aptitudes Assessment - determines a client's aptitudinal skills and aptitudinal patterns (performed on site or off site).

Interest Assessment - determines a client's likes and dislikes as it relates to occupations (performed on site or off site).

Academic Assessment - determines a client's academic achievement levels in arithmetic, reading and spelling (performed on site or off site).

Personality Assessment - determines a client's behavioral characteristics (perceiving, thinking, feeling) - (performed on site or off site).

Neuropsychological Assessment - determines the correlation between cognitive functions and the physical status of the brain (performed on site at the WRC).