May 27, 2020:
THE REOPENING: Let’s Do This SAFELY
Over Memorial Day weekend we saw the images from across the state and nation of people gathering publicly — many without masks, social distancing, and other precautions. In SEIU-UHW, we stand with our fellow healthcare workers across the country in calling on all our communities to reopen safely. The U.S. has now surpassed 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, and we’re still seeing too many infections firsthand in our facilities. We know that getting reckless and careless now could easily lead to a widespread resurgence.
Let’s all do our part to ensure a safe reopening. As our facilities resume non-urgent procedures, use this labor-management checklist to protect ourselves, our patients, and our communities during this return to more regular operations.
Our Protests Make National News
Healthcare workers protest hospital understaffing and insufficient personal protective equipment last week outside Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif. NPR – May 26, 2020
This new National Public Radio investigation exposes how the Trump administration refused to implement federal regulations in 2017 to protect caregivers and patients across the country from pandemics like COVID-19. The piece shows our fellow SEIU-UHW members at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center protesting last week against understaffing and insufficient personal protective equipment — the very problems that stronger federal regulations could have prevented.
Important Benefits & Resources Available
The Resilience Toolkit is still open to all of us. These modules and materials show us techniques to understand and manage stress in a healthy way. Click here to access.
Our Community Wellness Zoom Session happens this Saturday, May 30 from 10:30 to 11:30 AM. This family-friendly event will guide us through fitness and yoga exercises that support our physical, mental, and emotional health. Click here to sign up. Once you do, you will receive an email reminder with a link to the Zoom session.
SEIU-UHW members are eligible for numerous other benefits and resources — including childcare, temporary housing, financial support, and lots more. Click here to learn more and find out how to apply.
Kaiser members are eligible for a variety of benefits that we negotiated for us and our families early in the pandemic: temporary lodging, up to $300 a week in childcare stipends, 80 additional hours of administrative leave, and more. Check out this spirited new video featuring two of our fellow SEIU-UHW members laying out the Kaiser benefits available to us and showing us exactly how to apply online.