As healthcare workers, we know how important it is to watch our weight, eat right and get regular exercise. 1199SEIU Benefit Funds fitness coach Foluke Arthurton created a workout for three fitness levels – Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced – so be sure to choose the level that’s right for you. Remember to wear comfortable clothing and give yourself plenty of space. Keep a bottle of water and a small towel close by while exercising.
After closing its doors in March 2020, the Future of America Learning Center (FALC) hit the ground running with a remote curriculum and distance learning events that included a virtual version of its annual Science Fair. Over the summer, FALC celebrated 53 Universal Pre-K graduates at online ceremonies in which students sang songs and shared their dreams for the future.
In the fall, FALC reopened for in-person learning with a thorough safety protocol in place. With physical distancing and lessons about wearing masks and hand-washing, our staff worked hard to put safety first for FALC instructors, students and their families.
In honor of Multicultural Awareness Month in October, FALC projects focused on themes of community, family, culture and heritage. At a time when social issues involving race and culture became front-page news, students learned about racial equity and the role community leaders play to bring about change.
Moving beyond the community, students and their families learned about their personal backgrounds with “All About Me, My Family and My Heritage” projects that traced their individual history using maps. Children learned about cultures different from their own during activities that explored multicultural attire, food, games and traditional dance. The learning unit culminated in Thanksgiving celebrations that showcased different cultural traditions and ways that families connect during the holiday season.
Our youth programs have helped thousands of students reach their academic goals and explore their career interests, and have given them a behind-the-scenes look at a variety of jobs in the healthcare industry. But what do you do when face-to-face learning is not an option? Go online!
Last summer, 223 teens participated in the WorkForce 2000 (WF2) summer professional development program. Students logged into Zoom for interactive sessions that focused on college prep and remote coursework assistance. Twenty students participated in WF2’s Pre-RN Program, which allows students to explore careers in nursing, with a curriculum geared toward students’ acceptance into nursing school. The Pre-RN students stepped up to revamp their final projects on midwifery to accommodate virtual programming due to the pandemic.
The Youth Mentoring Program (YMP) also launched a four-week remote learning experience during the summer. Instead of an in-person internship at the hospital or nursing home where their parents work, YMP students dived into a virtual development program that taught them about financial literacy and time management, along with skills to help them build resumes and professional portfolios of work. The course ran in conjunction with WF2, and a combined 250 teens collaborated during the joint venture.
Between the two programs, students created 17 live videos, which included interviews with first responders (as public service announcements about their COVID-19 experiences), along with relevant information and tips for virus prevention.
The programs held a virtual closing ceremony on July 30 to showcase finished projects and to award certificates to participants. Bridging the two programs helped students feel more connected in the world of virtual learning, while ensuring they continued to receive professional development skills to support their plans for the future.
Even as all in-person activities were canceled last spring due to COVID-19, the Child Care Funds (CCF) and Child Care Corporation (CCC) continued to deliver remote programming and essential services. When financial and child-care needs grew during the pandemic, we were able to provide emergency child-care financial relief to both members and non-members.
In partnership with our donors—the JPB Foundation, Segal Family Foundation, Element Capital, PAC, Robin Hood Foundation and Mastercard Impact Fund—the CCF and CCC assisted more than 7,500 members and other healthcare workers with emergency child-care financial relief in the amount of $3.5 million.
The Child Care Resource and Referral Services (CCR&R) team also helped members without child care find alternative providers throughout the five boroughs and Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties. Within the first seven months of the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,300 1199SEIU members received referrals, affording them much-needed peace of mind and support as they worked on the frontlines. Many of our members were adversely affected by program cancellations and summer day camp closures, and our staff provided 4,000 stipends in lieu of approved benefits to support their child-care needs, totaling nearly $7 million.
To measure the effectiveness of the Funds’ COVID-19 response, our Assessment and Compliance Department administered a survey to more than 24,000 healthcare workers.
| Some of the significant findings include: |
|---|
| 73 percent of healthcare workers used the financial assistance to pay for babysitting and in-home care. |
| 70 percent indicated that the child-care emergency financial relief enabled them to maintain a consistent work schedule. |
| 65 percent said they remain uncomfortable sending their children to outside care and prefer informal child-care options. |
| 65 percent of healthcare workers’ children are participating in remote learning. |
In addition, we learned that many families are spending $250 a week or more on child care or are facing financial hardship caused by unpaid leave from work, caring for children forced to stay home due to program and school closures.
At the start of the new year, the Funds had a waiting list of more than 1,000 healthcare workers in need of support. We anticipate the pandemic will continue to impact the child-care and financial needs of our essential workers, and we remain committed to providing support when and where it’s needed most.
More than two decades ago, Linda Askew made a life-changing career decision when she moved from the transportation industry to healthcare—and she hasn’t looked back. A Senior Clerk at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, Linda knows she made the right move all those years ago.
Of course, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, Linda’s job changed in ways she couldn’t have imagined. In addition to printing labels to draw blood and processing forms to refill patients’ medications, she began scheduling telehealth visits—and even found herself having to learn how to help patients install an app on their phone so they could access care from home. And throughout the pandemic, she didn’t miss a single day of work. “I look at patients like my family,” Linda said. “They’re here because something is wrong, so I’m here to help them, especially when things get rough.”
My family is healthier because of the care we get. We are able to do it all with wonderful physicians, thanks to my benefits. They’re a blessing.
Senior Clerk
Montefiore Medical Center
A mother of three and happily married to husband Tony for over 44 years, Linda has had to grapple with some health issues of her own. Years ago, she learned from her doctor that she had high blood pressure and was prediabetic. Her doctor prescribed medication for her condition—all covered by her Benefit Fund—and advised her to make some lifestyle changes. “I decided to take my condition seriously,” Linda said. Although she loved cooking with flavorful but high-sodium southernstyle seasonings and snacking on salted pumpkin seeds, she cut them from her diet. For exercise, she began walking 45 minutes home from work, which has also helped relieve stress—especially important during the pandemic. “I put on my headphones, turn on my gospel music for inspiration and just start walking,” she explained. “By the time I’m home, I feel calm and energized.”
Over the years, Linda has made good use of all of her Funds benefits. She used her training benefits to go back to school to become a Patient Care Technician, and her child-care benefits allowed her youngest son, Quinton, to attend three years of summer camp, where he made friends he’s still in touch with 18 years later.
Even though she’s eligible to retire, Linda is not ready to do so just yet. But she is planning to speak to a Pension Counselor to learn about her options for when the time is right, so she can spend quality time with her grandchildren. “My family is healthier because of the care we get,” she said. “We are able to do it all with wonderful physicians, thanks to my benefits. They’re a blessing.”
Dr. Dunn answers your questions and updates you on what you need to know about the vaccines, including their safety and effectiveness and possible side effects. He also shares his personal experience after receiving his second dose of the vaccine last month.
In this webinar, you will learn about the pension options available to you, how to apply for your pension and whether you are eligible to receive retiree health coverage through the Greater New York Benefit Fund.
In this webinar, you will learn about the pension options available to you, how to apply for your pension and whether you are eligible to receive retiree health coverage through the National Benefit Fund.
Getting ready for retirement involves more than money matters—moving on from working life also has emotional and social effects that can make the transition challenging. This webinar explores aspects of retirement you might not have considered, and how to best approach the changes and adjustments that come with this major life event.
