Learn why you need certain vitamins and minerals and the foods you can eat to get the recommended daily amount. This webinar also offers a cooking demonstration and a self-care workshop to help you learn how to protect your health and well-being, especially when you’re stressed.
Not everyone has a chance to help the people in their hometown stay healthy, but that’s what Heidi Espinal does every day when she goes to work as a registered nurse (RN) in the intensive care unit at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. “Growing up, I saw so many sick people in my community have trouble finding good care,” Heidi explained. “I really wanted to be a part of improving that.”
Heidi started her career as a medical assistant with Boriken Neighborhood Health Center, where she first became an 1199SEIU member. She used her training benefits to get tutoring that helped her pass her college entrance exam, which led her to become an RN. Now, at St. Barnabas, Heidi makes sure her patients get the best care they can—which is especially important in the COVID-19 pandemic. And while they had many success stories, Heidi and her team also saw many patients pass away from the disease. “Every time we sat down to lunch, we would cry,” she recalled.
My benefits helped me so much, I don’t know how I would have been able to deal with everything without them.
Registered Nurse
St. Barnabas Hospital
That’s why Heidi is grateful that her benefits include coverage for mental health visits. After starting weekly video therapy sessions just before the pandemic began, she continues to rely on them. “My benefits helped me so much, I don’t know how I would have been able to deal with everything without them,” she said. “They cover the full cost of my sessions, so that was one less thing to stress about. We even lost six co-workers—it was so difficult. But it helped me so much to know I could speak with an unbiased professional when I felt bad.”
Heidi is proud that she was one of the first people to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it became available last December. “I took it to help others,” she said, “to decrease the risk that I could spread the disease to my mom, my daughter, Angelina, or my neighbors.” In fact, she hopes getting vaccinated might have sent a message to people in her community who are skeptical of the vaccines: ”Because I have a medical background and I trust the science behind the vaccine, maybe they will feel comfortable to do so, too.”
Heidi continues to do all she can for those in her neighborhood. She plans to register for the Funds’ COVID-19 and nutrition webinars on the Benefits Channel to learn more about those subjects. She’s also preparing to become certified as a critical care nurse, again using her training benefits to help cover the cost of her classes and exam. “Hopefully, I’ll learn more about my patients, so I can provide better-quality care for them,” she explained. “It’s stressful, but I’m so happy to do the work I do. It helps me feel connected to the people in the community where I was born and raised.”
At the Benefit Funds, supporting your health and well-being is our top priority, and answering your questions about the vaccines is an important part of that mission. This webinar will help you stay up to date on the latest information.
Getting a flu shot is the most effective way to prevent yourself and others from becoming sick. If your employer offers the vaccine at your worksite, get it as soon as possible. If not, your Benefit Fund covers the shot—just make an appointment with your physician or visit a participating pharmacy. For more information, view the above Healthy Living Spotlight video, where the Funds’ Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Van Dunn, explains why getting the shot is so important for healthcare workers, who are at increased risk of catching the flu and spreading it to others.
Dr. Dunn oversees the 1199SEIU Benefit Funds’ clinical, care management and analytics functions, and is responsible for pursuing health and wellness initiatives and value-based strategies.
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Dr. Pernell and Dr. Salas-Lopez discuss the COVID-19 vaccine and pregnancy.
Dr. Pernell and Dr. Salas-Lopez discuss PPE usage and the COVID-19.
Dr. Pernell and Dr. Salas-Lopez discuss reaching community immunity through the COVID-19 vaccine.
