Docside Clinic presents on work-related hearing loss at the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association meeting

Published: July 25, 2025

On July 2nd, Lukas Richards, MD, a resident physician from UTHealth Houston’s Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) Residency program, presented on behalf of the Docside Clinic: Connecting Docs to Docks at the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association meeting. Various organizations, including the U.S. Coast Guard and Texas Parks and Wildlife, are invited to biannual meetings held at the Port Arthur International Seafarers’ Center to inform commercial fishermen about recent legislative efforts, local regulations, best practices, and essential health and safety measures.

Richards’ discussion focused on work-related hearing loss and the dangers of working in confined spaces. Cecile Roberts, a community health worker with the Docside Clinic, joined him. Alongside the safety presentation, hearing protection was handed out to individuals in partnership with the Violence and Injury Prevention Research (VIPR) Center. The Docside Clinic also provided attendees with first aid kits, manuals, and other emergency response supplies. Fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S., with fatality rates 40 times higher than the national average. Participation in such events is an essential aspect of preventing workplace injuries.

The Docside Clinic: Connecting Docs to Docks is a biopsychosocial mobile clinic funded through the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and has had over 1,500 patient encounters since July 2021. Associate Professor Shannon Guillot-Wright, PhD,with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, and her team have developed, implemented, maintained, and tested the feasibility and effectiveness of the Docside Clinic, which is held once a month at docks along the Gulf Coast and provides access to services requested by commercial fishermen. These services include diabetes and blood pressure screenings, COVID, flu, tetanus vaccinations, dental exams, antibiotics, flu kits, first aid kits and manuals, food, personal hygiene products, sunscreen, sun hats, shirts, socks, and sweatpants. In addition to these requested services, the team offers occupational therapy, HIV/STD testing, and opioid antagonists (e.g., Narcan).