SHARE Member Spotlight: John Kendall, Clinical Laboratory Assistant

JOHN KENDALL

CLINICAL LABORATORY ASSISTANT & SHARE REPRESENTATIVE, MARLBOROUGH HOSPITAL, 4/29/20

I spent twenty-eight with the Southborough Fire Department and retired as a Lieutenant. As a firefighter, I wasn't afraid to go in. I had respect for the fire -- this is different. With Covid-19, I'm constantly asking myself, Is my mask on right? Am I covered up?' It's very stressful going into the room, and it's just one patient. In addition to the floors, we've been overrun by the tent. The other day, we had 128 patients in the tent.

It's not just us in the labs who are overwhelmed and worried about getting sick. It's the CNA's, the nurses, and the docs too. We don't want to carry this virus home. Nobody knows that much about it. From what I can see it's a savage virus, and I have health issues of my own. I don't want to get it. I have a grandbaby coming. The baby's due this weekend and I'm not going to be able to see her. Neither will my wife Leslie who works in ED Registration at the hospital. FaceTime isn't the same as being there. This will be our third. 

What I miss most right now is the lack of personal connection I'm used to getting with my patients. We have elderly patients who come in regularly, usually in the morning. Usually I draw them and chat with them for a few minutes. We can't do that now. We have to spend as little time as possible. You do what you have to do to get in and out safely. You can't be personal. 

It's been a tough job, but we're all in it together and I can't wait for this to be over.

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Member Spotlight: Angela Robert, MOA

Angela Robert

Medical Office Assistant, Benedict Primary Care, 5/22/20

My family and I just lost my grandmother to COVID 19 – it’s been really hard to talk about and even harder to accept. She was at Lifecare in Auburn. It was recently reported in the local news I think there were something like eighty residents that caught it and thirty staff members, so she got stuck in the middle of it, it went through the Rehab hard and fast. She was ninety-one, but staff there swore she would have lived at least a couple more years if this hadn’t happened, which is equal to an endless amount of beautiful memories that were lost with her.  We were close.  The hardest thing for me was I wasn’t able to hold her hand in her final moments.  Her bed was by the window, so every day we would visit her, before she got sick.  This Easter the Rehab was locked down, no visitors, but we were there at her window with our Easter best on showing her the love she deserves, we made her a sign and she enjoyed watching her great grandsons play in the grass. The day before she died I was only able to put my hand to the glass so if she opened her eyes she would see I was there. The toughest part is knowing that my grandmother and others are all alone with no one holding their hand during a time when no one should be alone. Another person in the clinic lost someone too, we’ve been like a family here trying to hold each other together during this sad time for the world. With the loss of my grandmother I can personally vouch that this Covid-19 virus is really real, it’s out there, it’s not fake!  Don’t take your life and health for granted.  Take the steps to protect yourself and your loved ones. 

My sons were close to her too.  Their Great Nana.  My little one doesn’t understand, he just knows she’s in heaven with God, but my older one has cried about it almost every other day.  He is eight years old and all he wanted to do since the lockdown began was to do what he did almost every week which is to hug his great Nana, he has been very sad that he did not get that last hug from her, and it breaks my heart to see him so sad.  It’s also been hard not being able to see my Mom. She’s a hugger and I’m a hugger, and we haven’t been able to hug.  This has been tough on us huggers.  

I’ve been trying to be a good teacher to my kids, so when I leave here I take off my medical hat and I put on my teacher hat.  It’s a lot, I’ve always appreciated teachers, but I have learned to appreciate them even more.  But we try to keep it fun.  Every Saturday we have science class, that’s what we call it.  One Saturday we made a volcano, another one we grew crystals, we planted some seeds, and broke open a rock just to see what’s inside. 

I’ve stayed in the clinic during this pandemic, I opted to stay here to help in anyway I can. But this job role has really changed. Pre-Covid-19, I used to be out in the hallway and rooming patients, passing others rooming their patients, but now most of my day is spent in this little room, which is a patient exam room, all by myself, talking to patients over the phone!  I’ve had to learn a completely new way to do this job.  I can’t do their blood pressure, I have to ask them to do it.  I have patients in their eighties being taught how to have a telehealth video visit with their doctor from home using a smartphone. I’m glad I’ve been able to stay here and learn how to do all this, since this is how we may continue to see a lot of our patients, at least for a while.  

A lot of these patients are really alone, so a lot of them want to talk. That means a lot to me, I’m like an ear for them.  I had a patient the other day who’s going through something awful, she’s had a hard time, and I told her when you come in, I’ll gown up, you gown up, and lets hug!  

Something that I’ll remember from this time is just being able to be there for the patients when they’re going through a vulnerable time, to be there to listen and offer support.  Every single one of them has got a story, and I love hearing them. You see their name and its just a name but then we you hear their story, its amazing.  I’ve talked to people when they first have symptoms of COVID, when they’re scared because they’re getting worse.  You can hear it on the phone, how scared they are.  And then some of them really get worse fast, some have to come into the hospital, but others stay home and fight it from there, and you can hear how sick they are.  But then you can hear them when they’re on the other side of it and getting better, and it’s like a wilted flower that just got water again, you know? 

At first the patients were skeptical of video visits, that it won’t work.  But once you start the visit you can see on their face in the video that the trust is there, and they find out we can help them even though we are not in the same room.  Some use their older children’s phones or computers, it’s nice to see their family helping them.  I had a woman in her 80’s who didn’t think she could do it and I walked her through the whole thing.  Then she was so excited that she did it, it was like she went to the moon!  They didn’t really have the opportunity to do this before, but then they’re like, hey I’m pretty good at this sort of thing! 

If it’s possible, I think our clinic has gotten even closer.  We’ve had to learn so much and adapt on the fly, and the work is flowing better now that we’ve gotten the hang of it.  Which is good because work is really starting to pick up.  We had 146 appointments the other day.  

I made a slideshow video to music for our clinic with pictures of everybody, it was my way of saying, we’re going through something tough but we’re doing it as a team – that we’re all in it together and can lean on each other.  That first video was sentimental, but now I’m making another one that’s more upbeat, that’s like, we’re going to beat this virus! 

I feel like in the last couple months I’m more aware of community and what that means. We really have pulled together to take care of each other and help those that are in need whether it be medically, emotionally, offering a hot meal, making sure that we have the protective equipment we need.  People that I have never met before that are from other UMass campuses are now smiling familiar faces (under a mask). We all look out for each other. 

Member Spotlight: Sheila Ducharme, Bed Control

Sheila Ducharme

Bed Control Specialist, 5/21/2020

Bed management is responsible for bringing all admitted patients into the University and Memorial campuses.

At this time we do not cover the Clinton, Marlboro or Leominster campuses but we do attempt, on occasion, to transfer to these hospitals when we have to help ease the numbers in our ER’s.  Our admissions come from the ERs, clinics, home, doctors’ offices, Hahnemann Campus and other hospitals that contact our nurses here in the Transfer Center, hoping to have a patient accepted to either of our hospitals.  We are a twenty-four hour operation with rotating assignments.  Among other things, one person books the University Campus, one books the Memorial Campus and the third keeps track of when patients are transferred to another campus, where they went to and to which service and Doctor the patient is now under as well as putting all direct admits into the system.  The phones never stop. 

We’ve had some changes occur with the COVID direct admits.  Most clinics and Dr offices have been working from home.  Since the onset of the coronavirus we’ve received our requests for admissions in a couple different ways.  We’ve always received faxes but lately have received many via e-mail, too.  Every patient has had to be screened before they arrived at the hospital.  The Dr and Nurses of all these areas have been very accommodating in helping to get this information to us.  It’s been difficult to tell these people when we call them with a room that they cannot have any visitors. 

We’ve had many floors and units added to our regular volume of beds.  All of these were made COVID-ready rooms, both med surg and ICU levels of care.  We found it impressive how quickly the hospital was able to meet our needs for negative-pressure beds.   The addition of the DCU center was also amazing. It was added to our work flow as new hospital to book to just like we do the University and Memorial Campuses now.  It certainly helped to ease the demand here at the Medical Center and supplied rooms for the homeless of the city as well. It’s unfortunate, however, just how quickly we were able to fill them but are happy to see some of those units are closing at this time.   

One of the hardest parts of the COVID experience was having to present five or six different counts daily to 5 or 6 different places.  Each requirement was asking in different way the same information, but each had to be calculated and reported differently.  A lot of these reports went to the State level and to our command center administration here at the hospital.  Reported daily were things such as COVID med-surg beds booked,  COVID ICU beds booked, available open COVID beds, confirmed COVID transfers, etc.  There are quite a few categories we need to report out.  

Through all of this, it was work as usual with a different kind of patient clientele.  The COVID numbers were very high but the surgery schedules were very low.  It became just a new type of patient to book for a different reason.  We attempted to do so as quickly as possible to keep the flow going and keep things moving in the ER.  We choose which patients go into each bed.  It all depends on waiting time for a room, the service they are being admitted to and level of care they need.  Our Transfer Center nurses work with the EICU to determine the ICU level of care placement and let us know which unit they will go to.

We expect the need for COVID beds to continue.  It will be a balancing act to have regular rooms and covid rooms available for the ERs and direct admits as our numbers for regular patients increase, once again.   Added to this will be the OR schedules.  Both campuses have very active OR schedules that were all but put on hold during the last couple of months.   We expect things to become extremely busy in the immediate future and foresee it to be a balancing act.  Certainly, very challenging to say the least but we are never bored!

Member Spotlight: Tameka McDaniel Vasquez

Tameka McDaniel Vasquez

Financial Clearance, 5/19/2020 

I personally am doing ok because we’re working from home right now.  Once we have to go back in to the office it’s a different story!  I’m actually really happy with the way my team is progressing.  Back when I started, five or six years ago, some of us wanted to work from home but it couldn’t be done because we did so much by paper and it just seemed like too much of a thing.  But nowadays everything is electronic. We’re working from home and it’s going well, really well.  From what I hear from my coworkers, a lot feel like they concentrate more, they are able to focus a lot more, they don’t have the distractions of the office, and all the getting there and back of course.  Even those who didn’t want to work from home, who didn’t think they could handle it or were intimidated by the technology – those people seem like the ones who are liking it the most now.  A few can’t wait to go back, but most are happy working from home. 

We’re doing things to make it normal-feeling, too.  At 8:30 we have a quick big team huddle, then at 8:40 our “pre” team meets up, all on the Webex.  My supervisor Christina tells us what the numbers are for the day, how much money is in the queues that we need to make sure we go get so the hospital can get paid.  We’re able to say hi to each other, hear each other’s voices, thank each other for helping out yesterday.  And we’re doing other things to keep it light and fun, like a couple of us on the employee engagement committee do Trivia Thursday.  Right now we can’t do prizes but it’s still fun – it gives us something to think about during the day.  And one thing that’s new is now we can include the teams at Health Alliance and Marlboro too, so it’s bringing us together.  We have a Sharepoint site where we post pics of our dogs, our animals, our kids, our new WFH setups and other things to share with each other during this time of isolation.  And every day at two o’clock, our supervisor sends a positive quote to keep everybody feeling good and strong – people send their favorites to her.   

What’s amazing me is I feel like we’ve really come together during this time – I feel like we’re more together now than we were when we were physically together!  I can’t really explain it – I don’t know what the science is behind that, but it’s definitely true.  Maybe because we’re isolated at home it makes us want to reach out and connect more?  I think that just goes for our team, when trouble occurs we pull together and we work more as one.  We should be able to work this well together all the time.  I mean, we are really doing good work right now, we’re like a well-oiled machine.  Work is flowing, no one is holding back, everyone is pitching in to get it done no matter what their assignment is, everyone’s just like, lets get that queue down to zero!  People are helping without even being asked.  Like I’ll get bogged down in something, go back to my list, and see someone else is already working it.  That’s awesome.  I mean, in the five years I’ve been here I’ve never seen it so smooth.  What’s even more amazing is we have a person who started brand new during this whole thing.  The team has been reaching out to her, I told her about the union, she’s getting quite a welcome, people have been helping her so much.   

For my work, we’ve been pretty steady.  I do the emergency visits, so that’s increasing as people start to come back for the non-COVID stuff.  And on the elective side they are starting to see a slight rise, but they are still steady because of work queues and referrals.   

Management has been really open, getting us what we need – I think another thing that is helping is all the extra support.  We’ve been surveying our coworkers to see what questions and issues they have about going back into the office.  Nicole, Lori and Lisa are awesome union reps, they have been helping me reach out to people to get everyone to respond so everyone is included.  We’re going to meet with management at the end of the month to address those concerns – things like circulating the air, keeping the bathrooms clean, testing people so we know we’re as safe as possible, etcetera.  We know they don’t have all the answers, but it’s good to be talking about these things.  

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There really is a lot of anxiety about us going back.  People are really worried about all the details, like about their desks, how close together people will be, the microwave, the bathrooms, the elevators, wearing masks and the overall cleanliness of the building.  That includes pretty much everyone on the team from what I can tell.  We’re wondering if it might just be easier and safer for us to stay home, since things are going so well right now.  If it ain’t broke, right?  We don’t have all the individual productivity measures that other departments like Central Scheduling have, but we could definitely figure it out.  As long as work queues get down to zero and the work is getting done, that’s good right?  Our job is making sure the money is getting in the door, and that our hospital is getting paid for all the good work we’re doing.  It’s an important job and we’re pretty serious about it.  I know two other people who recently transferred from this department, and in their new jobs they had to get redeployed to the floors – I’ll admit I’m glad we had enough work here that that didn’t have to happen to us! 

The thing I’m really going to remember about this time is the way our hospital has all come together.  The unity of the hospital, and all the people in it.  And the union too.  My coworker Nicole wasn’t ever able to make union meetings before because of her schedule, but she’s able to attend now because we have been able to do it online.  Those rep meetings on Zoom have actually been really great – seeing all those faces, hearing what else people are doing and going through.  I used to be in patient care for years, so I really appreciate the job that every one of those people is doing. 

I have heart and lung problems, myself, and pretty bad asthma, so I’ll admit I’m pretty worried for my own health.  My mother-in-law has heart problems, too, so I’m worried about her as well.  But I’m worried about the hospital and everyone’s families, everyone in harm’s way.  This isn’t a one person thing.  That’s what’s been so great, is seeing all these different groups of people coming together for the better of everyone.  That’s why I got into health care.  Seeing that companionship, that makes me happy to be a part of this organization.  This is a new thing we’re facing, and every is just doing the best they can right now. 

Member Spotlight: Dee Martin

Dee Martin

Central Scheduling, 5/19/20

You know, I’m okay, I’m thankful that I’m working from home. But I’ve got two children who are frontliners, so that’s been scary. My daughter is a cashier at Market Basket. She’s twenty-one. My son is eighteen, and is working as a grocery pickup and delivery person for Walmart. My husband works in construction. He’s a mason, so he’s in Boston, he’s everywhere, but he’s been able to be safely distant for the most part, except in the car. 

I’ve been working from home for over a year, since before this all happened, so this wasn’t a hard transition. But it’s different jobs we’ve had to take on which have been a bit of a challenge.  We are doing COBs, fixing the wrong insurance, added to auth and denials files, calling insurance companies and figuring out why charges were denied.  It’s a lot more than just scheduling now.  That’s a big challenge for the thirteen of us.  We’re not familiar with the billing side, they’re asking questions that, you know, we’re not sure of the lingo, so navigating through that has required a steep learning curve. It’s a challenge because we don’t know the verbiage that they’re looking for. All of us cried for a couple days, we were really worried about messing up and losing the place a bunch of money! I reached out to a bunch of people for help, but we just kept getting the same job aide.  One coworker, she called out in the middle of the week because she was so totally stressed about it.  I reached out to my manager, who got me hooked up with a Webex that taught me how to do a bunch of this, but then I was the only one who knew about it, so I let the other people know.  I tell everyone just to keep escalating up the chain if they’re not getting a helpful answer – Zailee, she’s fantastic, she responds instantly, don’t be afraid to go to her.

I’ve been helping the schedulers get the support they need.  A lot just need reassurance, honestly.  I tell them take one day at a time, like when we didn’t have a date to come back to the office yet.  A lot of my coworkers have issues with procedures so they reach out to me for that stuff too. I like to help my fellow schedulers. A lot of them are pretty worried about how safe things will be when we have to come back, so we’ve made a list of issues to talk to management about to make sure the place is ready. Things like about the air circulation, it’s pretty dry and stale in there, it isn’t too good.  And there’s not a lot of bathroom space.  There’s also a lot of parents in our group, and there aren’t a lot of daycare options. People don’t know what they’re going to do with their kids. [NOTE: see the mass.gov childcare website or the current list of Emergency Childcare options.]

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We know the return to work after June 30th will be phased, but we don’t know who will be first in line, how they will do it. The list we compiled will help. A lot of people in my pod just had babies, one had RSV virus and so she’s worried about coming in, getting it, giving it to her child who is just getting over that.

I have to say as stressful as its been, the way at the start of this whole thing that they got everyone home that could go home was pretty impressive.  It happened so fast!  They figured out they had to do it, that it was the right thing to do, and bam, they made it happen.  It made me feel proud to work here – that they weren’t just taking care of the patients, they were taking care of the people who take care of the patients. 

Right now I’m most worried about my children and my grandchildren. I worry about my children every day. You know how it is. Unfortunately, but sort of fortunately, my oldest is laid off because she’s a bus driver. My 21 year-old is doing all the shopping for them. Her kids, my grandkids, have health problems, so if they got it I worry that they wouldn’t survive it. So we’re really praying for them every day. My son is a senior and we were really looking forward to his graduation, we’re really going to miss that.  

Member Spotlight: Brittany Hynes, Ophthalmic Technician on Redeployment

Brittany Hynes 

Ophthalmic Technician, Hahnemann Campus Eye Center/ Redeployed to Memorial Emergency Department, 5/14/20

It was quite a difference from the Eye Clinic after I got deployed to work as a PCA in the ED. I've been transporting patients who are COVID-positive to CT, Radiology, and for admission to the ICU.

It was eye-opening because once I saw this with my own eyes it was like, wow!  

Initially I had anxiety with the not-knowing. What would patients look like? Are they struggling to breathe?  It’s sad. But mostly the patients look like they're comfortable and not in pain. 

Now I'm worried about the uncertainties of what's next. The not-knowing about the day-to-day. I have two kids. I wonder about my being exposed and bringing it home.

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But the work is rewarding. I know I’m healthy, strong-willed. I do what I have to do. I want to be a good example for my girls. Some people say we are heroes. I don’t consider myself a hero. I would just love for my girls to look up to me and see how I have been making a difference.

SHARE Updates: Members Pushing for Federal Support

Hazard Pay & COVID Testing from the Federal Government

Thank you to everyone who has already contacted your Legislators to urge them to advocate for hospitals and healthcare workers. It’s not too late to make your voice heard. The HEROES Act currently aims to create support for front line workers. It has been passed by Congress, and still requires Senate approval to be enacted. The bill includes, among other things, a $200 billion fund for essential worker hazard pay, as well as an additional $75 billion for Covid-19 testing, tracing and isolation efforts.

This website makes it easy to contact your Senators with a pre-drafted message (or, you can create your own.) PLEASE NOTE: For some reason, the hospital’s default browser, Internet Explorer, does not work with that website. You can access the form using other browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, or even your smartphone. Thanks, too, to all of the SHARE members who helped us troubleshoot that glitch!

Addendum: Urge Congressional Support! (plus: More Member Spotlights)

Is the Red Button Broken?

It’s great to hear that so many of you are already reaching out to legislators to encourage federal support for front-line caregivers and for hospitals in COVID hotspots.

However! It’s also frustrating to hear that the link behind “the red button” hasn’t been working for some of you.

If that button doesn’t work on your browser, here is the direct link: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-fund-the-front-lines-now.

It’s not yet clear to us why the red button doesn’t work on every computer. The link makes contacting your Senators and Congressional delegates easy. Right now is an important time for them to hear from all of us. Thank you for your diligence, and for keeping us posted.

Member Spotlights

SHARE member Sara Gonzalez writes, “We keep moving forward. . . . I just love my team.”

Our union is growing a beautiful collection of stories from the lives of SHARE members during the COVID-19 crisis. Check out these latest additions:

• Marnie Doyle (Virtual Ambassador Program)

• Vanessa Cadime (CNA)

• Sara Gonzalez (CNA/Patient Transport)

We’re looking forward to more. Thank you —as always, and especially during these difficult times — for sticking together to keep our hospital and our union strong.

Hazard Pay and Support for our Hospitals: SHARE Members Urge Funding from Congress

  Click This red button to help keep front-line workers

— including SHARE members —

safe & secure 

*please note: the above link seems not to work with the hospital’s default browser, Internet Explorer. SHARE members are reporting success with other browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and even smartphones.

SHARE Members Urge Funding from Congress for America’s Five Economic Essentials  

Through the above link, the AFSCME website creates an email to your Congressperson, and to the two Massachusetts senators. It’s easy. You can add to the suggested email or replace it with your thoughts.  

Many SHARE members are adding these two ideas:  

• I work in healthcare, and here’s why Congress should fund hazard pay for front-line workers.  

• Safety net hospitals in COVID-19 hotspot areas like ours need funding support.  

SHARE Encourages you to do this right now!  

Congress is currently considering another stimulus package to help Americans through the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re calling the bill “CARES 2.” AFSCME (SHARE’s parent union) and the AFL-CIO (the umbrella organization for unions across the country) are pushing Congress to support five priorities in that bill.  

America’s Five Economic Essentials  

All five priorities are focused on supporting working families, and the institutions they rely on. You can read more about these priorities here. We are hearing a lot of concern from SHARE members about 2 items that are included:     

Hazard pay (or “appreciation pay”) as well as PPE for front-line workers are included in the AFL-CIO’s priority #1: “Keep Frontline Workers Safe.” All essential workers need safety protections on the job, including personal protective equipment, training, testing, anti-retaliation protections, paid sick leave and hazard pay.     

Federal Support for Hospitals: Unions are pushing support for hospitals too – many are losing significant amounts of money as they drop everything to care for COVID patients. UMass Memorial is pushing Massachusetts Senators and Congresspeople to make sure that support for hospitals focuses on safety net hospitals in COVID-19 hotspots – like UMass Memorial hospitals. 

This situation has been amplified in Massachusetts: "The funding formulas that U.S. Health & Human Services has used to distribute the money – as well as the early cutoff dates the government used to assess the number of COVID-19 cases in a state – has meant that the commonwealth’s large surge in cases was not counted fully," according to the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association.

Thanks for your support, SHARE members!  

SHARE Member Spotlight: Marnie Doyle (Virtual Ambassador Program)

Marnie Doyle

Virtual Ambassador Program (Pedi Clinic), 5/11/20  

Marnie’s family visiting her Mom

Everyone’s got their personal stuff happening right now, so I’m not going to complain about it.  I’m very fortunate I was put in this position, and that I’m not sitting home.  My manager Maureen told me one Friday you don’t need to come back to clinic next week.  I was home a week and got the call.  I’m glad it happened.  I can’t complain because some people have been deployed to other shifts and tougher assignments.  So I feel very grateful and lucky, that’s how I look at it. 

As virtual ambassadors, our job is to call into patients’ rooms every day to see how they are doing, whether they need anything, and just connect with them, help them feel less isolated.  It’s a new program, and it’s a really great program.  I love it actually.  I was there for the first day – we trained in groups of six over the course of a day, then got started the next day.  We are divided into two rooms in the basement of the ACC building. 

We come in in the morning and get an assignment, dividing up the floors between us.  We piloted with just a few floors but now we’re calling everybody we can, basically – some patients can’t talk, obviously, and some of these new units don’t have room phones.  They have this whole system for us, Cipher, that makes it easy for us to see our notes from the previous day.  Most people are really, super appreciative.  A few say please don’t bother me again, and that’s ok, you’ll always get those.  We ask them if their cell phones are working, how they’re doing connecting with loved ones, whether they need anything, how they’re doing – we just try to have a human conversation really. 

I’m enjoying being the patient’s advocate, helping them get what they need.  I love that role.  They try to set things up such that we can call the same people every day, so we really develop a rapport – certain people even ask for you when someone else calls!  

I’d say most conversations are about 5 to 10 minutes long.  My longest was with this 94 year-old woman last week, she was teaching me all about World War II, we were on the phone 45 minutes.  Those are my favorite conversations – the ones where you can tell the person is just looking for some company.  It’s lonely here in the hospital, and I love that I can help people feel less alone, particularly the elderly.  Those are the ones that mean the most, because my mother is going through all of this too, and my family is going through it with her.   

Marnie and her friend Lisa

My Mom was at the Beaumont, so she was affected when they moved everyone out to make it a COVID facility.  She has dementia, so that was really hard.  She was moved, and it actually turned out fine, but then last week she tested positive.  She needs me right now.  If someone doesn’t have someone to advocate for them they can get lost in the system.  So making sure these patients don’t get lost really matters to me. 

There are so many people out there not working so I feel lucky that I can be, and that what I’m doing feels like it matters to people.  I know it’s not patient care but at the same time it sort of is, you know?  This older guy said to me the other day after we talked “you made my day”, and I just started crying, and then he started crying.  I love connecting with people like that.  You talk to a lot of people here who are homeless, who have nowhere to go, who have a really tough life outside of here.  Helping them feel better, that’s huge.  Like I say, the little things are the big things.  

We’ve got three SHARE members here, I think, the rest are nurses.  We’ve really gelled, and feel proud of the program.  One room asks the other whether they need anything so we can all get out of here at the end of the day.  I expect I’ll be here a little while, which is okay with me. 

Who am I most worried about?  I’m most worried about my mom.  I’ve got a phone call with the director of the place she’s at this afternoon.  You worry about everything.  You worry about bringing something home, too, to your family.  Everything.  Everything.    

My best friend of 25 years killed herself last year – this past Tuesday was the one-year anniversary.  She was a friend I grew up with and a nurse on 5 East for 20 years.  That has been a really hard thing to deal with and go and do my job every day.   

SHARE Member Spotlight: Vanessa Cadime (CNA)

Vanessa Cadime

CNA, Marlborough Hospital / Granger 1 & 2, 5/7/20

“We do our best to lighten the load for each other . . .”

I’m doing ok. I am hanging in there alongside the rest of my co-workers. Despite the major changes and added difficulties due to this world-wide crisis, I believe it’s important to stay calm and optimistic as we are all in this together! 

Ever since the crisis began, many things have changed around the workplace. For starters, we were so used to seeing visitors coming to visit their loved ones, bringing them meals or dropping off extra clothes. Now those patients who have sadly contracted the virus have to rely on FaceTime to see and hear from their family members. Oftentimes, it’s not the best circumstances, especially if they experiencing more severe symptoms, as nobody can really predict outcomes. We have been doing our best to console and comfort both patients and families during these unprecedented times. I had a patient not too long ago who was considered CMO (comfort measures only) — not COVID-19 related, but it was known he did not have much time left. A few other nurses and I surrounded his bedside, keeping a close watch while trying to comfort him as much as possible. We had the family on the phone and held it to his ear. Even though he could no longer speak, I know hearing their voices made it that much more special and reassuring for him. They spoke about all their great memories and how much they loved him. It was truly an emotional experience. We were all basically in tears! While trying to fight as long as he could, I believe he was able to pass in peace hearing the loving words of his family!  

With the current circumstances we face nowadays at work, it’s easy to feel more nervous or frustrated with heavier workloads. But I’m truly amazed at the incredible support and teamwork we’ve established within our department. We are so quick to help one another, despite being short-staffed or having tougher assignments. We do our best to lighten the load for each other. That truly says a lot about our devotion as healthcare professionals to make sure everyone is doing ok, whether it be our patients or co-workers! We call one another to check up on those who unfortunately tested positive. As I said before, we are all in this together and it couldn’t be more true!  I’m grateful and proud to work alongside some truly special people! #GrangerStrong, as we like to say! 

For me personally, I can’t help but wonder about the time I came down with flu-like symptoms back in February (just before the announcement on the news of this novel coronavirus). Was I possibly already exposed to the virus? I contemplated this because, at the time, I had just finished working four consecutive shifts at work. By the following morning, I knew something was off and I didn’t feel like myself. It took me by surprise, as I’m generally healthy and rarely catch colds. I had a lot of the typical symptoms: a fever that spiked to 103F, general weakness with body aches, the chills, and a lingering cough that turned into what almost felt like bronchitis as it became painful to cough at times. Even more convincing was when my flu swab came back negative. My symptoms lasted almost two weeks until I started feeling some relief, as I stayed home and tried to rest up as much as possible. I would be curious to know. I would like, at some point, to be tested for antibodies.  

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Since the pandemic, the dynamics of day-to-day life have changed dramatically. Social distancing and stay-at-home advisories have become the new normal. Businesses, restaurants, gyms, hair and nail salons that we are so accustomed to have been closed for months now. More home-cooked meals, daily improvised home workouts, Zoom meetings with friends and family, and the constant cleaning of surfaces and hand washing have never been more prevalent.  

Like everyone else, I’m most concerned about my parents and my 93-year-old grandmother. We’ve all been taking necessary precautions to ensure everyone is staying safe by wearing a mask and using gloves if there is a need to get out to buy groceries or get gas. I’ve had to adjust to more phone calls over personal visits as I’m trying to keep my distance as much as possible for the sake of their health while I’m still at work. 2020 has been a roller coaster of a year to say the least. I just hope and pray that this crisis ends sooner than later.  

SHARE Member Spotlight: Sara Gonzalez (CNA & Patient Transporter)

Sara Gonzalez

CNA and Patient Transporter, Marlborough Hospital / Surgical Day Care, 5/7/20

“The nurse behind me is Alison Belanger my girl.”

I work as a transporter, mainly for the OR. Now that there are fewer surgeries, I’m transporting patients for emergent surgeries and COVID patients, to and from radiology, to inpatient, wherever the transportation is needed.I am mentally and emotionally overwhelmed, and on an emotional roller-coaster. I get up every day, pray, work, drive home, cry, pray, get up the next day, dust it off, and keep moving. I’m grateful though. I’d rather come to work and help where help is needed than go home and wish I could help. It’s overwhelming for all of us, and we’re walking on eggshells because you never know. You aren’t safe anywhere, even though we take precautions.

Everyone I work with is amazing. We’re all ready to throw down with everybody. That’s what we’re called to do, especially in crazy time like this. Some of the staff have been here forever. It doesn’t take long to know we’re all family. I’m the new guy on the floor. The staff are awesome to me. They don’t make me feel less-than because I’m the transport girl. We’re family. Whatever they need me to do, if I can take pressure off of someone else, I'm going to do it. I'm hands-on. I'm ready and willing all the time. I'm not just a transporter.

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I try to talk to the COVID patients and give them words of encouragement. They can’t be in physical contact with their families, so I try to do what I can to encourage them, give them hope. Sometimes, I ask them how they’re doing and I can see it in their faces. They’re restless and shrugging their shoulders like, ‘How do you think I’m doing?’ I wish I could take away their pain. I wish I could heal them. We’re doing the best we can. Their bodies are fighting. We have to leave the rest of the work up to God.  The other day, I was talking to a patient, telling him I hoped he got better soon, and twenty minutes later they’re calling code blue. Anything can happen and it’s so overwhelming.

I get up every morning and thank God for a new day. I woke up. God knows who didn’t get to wake up. Every morning, I ask God to guide and protect me and all of my co-workers, all of the staff who’ve tested positive, ‘Please don’t let anything bad happen to them.’  I know we aren’t supposed to talk about our religious beliefs, but God fills my heart with peace. I listen to worship music on the way to work to get my head in a positive mood. Let’s do this again. We were built for this. Victory is around the corner. The whole world is in chaos and panic, but someone has to encourage people. Faith over fear. This is just another obstacle. We’re moving forward and I’ll be able to testify someday.

I worry about my grand kids though. I have a deep bond with them and they don’t understand why I can’t be with them. I have my heart in my hands. I don't want to bring anything home to my family. I have three teenagers and I worry. I went into a room yesterday and the patient didn’t want to go to her test. She was ripping off her mask and I’m melting in my suit. We’re taking our precautions but we’re also endangering ourselves. But, this is what I signed up for. We keep moving forward. No turning back. If everyone got scared and stayed home, who would be here for the patients?

But most of all, I just love my team.

“My son Jeramiah, my quarentenior, decorated the hats . . .

it keeps him busy away from thinking of how COVID 19 took his prom away and maybe even walking the stage for graduation . . .

but better to be safe than sorry, God is still good!!”

SHARE Member Spotlight: Ayodeji Dee Adeyinka, Mental Health Counselor

Ayodeji Dee Adeyinka

Mental Health Counselor + SHARE Executive Board Member, Marlborough Hospital / 3W, 5/6/20

Tracy, Ayodeji, and Tabitha: Marlborough Hospital Mental Health Counselors

My background is in the military, preparing citizen-soldiers for war and helping to ease the fears of deployed family members about them going to the war-front. I thought I knew heroes. Our staff at Marlborough Hospital seem like regular people you see coming in, day in and day out. I’ll tell my grandchildren about this someday, about people who kept standing tall every day.

What scared everyone was when we learned we were going to be a COVID unit. Metaphorically, our huddles are like the trenches. At the hospital, we have to be flexible because day to day we get different information. Our people are dynamic. We have excellent staff. As staff, we say things. There was a lot of fear at first. Some workers contacted the union through me or by contacting the organizer. We’re lucky the union got involved. We all spoke to our manager at length about our fear and the SHARE organizer was able to listen in on our staff meeting with management. Now, we have a plan. I feel like we’re lucky that management listens. Nothing is set in stone. I tell my director that we are the front-line. In the military, the front-line wins the war. The objectives are being carried out by us. We have to be flexible. Management may have a great strategy down on paper but we execute the strategy and we should be able to re-tool as we go.

In the mental health field, it's unpredictable. The patients can turn on you in a minute. Because of mental impairment, you have to continuously set limits. Even when a patient is in your face, it’s about that calm you bring. This COVID really solidified what I always felt, that these are special group of people to be in a locked-up unit with. They come in, day in and day out, and selflessly give. It's remarkable.  

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I am fortunate to be in the union which has an advocacy role and an oversight role. Advocacy for our peers and also to ensure that we're doing things well. As we become a COVID unit, it’s important that we have project-management. We need to set targets and have accountability. We need to have the opportunity to practice through simulations so that by the time you’re actually doing it you have it down to a science. In the military, the way you practice is the way you win wars—more victory, less death. Keep simulations simple and stupid. Let it become second nature. Always focus on continuous improvement. Nothing is static in nature. We have to check-in with ourselves periodically and ask, What are we doing well? What can we improve?

The motto of the Hospital is We're All Caregivers, from the janitor down to the CEO, the mental health counselor to the nurse. We’re all caregivers and we can all make a difference. I love America.

It’s remarkable what we've been doing. We have some of the best attention to detail, so we aren't going to spread this. I always say, you have to have patience. You have to love the job. For those whom much has been given, much is expected. You have to bring that compassion to bear. People who do well here are people who have that compassion. It’s a thankless job. All the sudden, a patient can lunge at you. We have to redirect. Patients may call us names, but we don’t take it personally. We look at the person, at their individuality. We brush off the names and the patients usually come back a day later to apologize. It takes a special person. You learn it. We have a lot of anxious situations. We have to stay calm to see things clearly. I’m grateful for every experience I go through. I try to look at the big picture of why I’m here.

I tell people who feel scared and don’t want to come to work that we have a union that cares about us. We have advocacy. We have people listening. Our managers listen and are continuously trying to get better. It’s participatory. We have leaders that are flexible. As we become a COVID unit, we know our leaders will be listening to us. If they don't, we have an advocate on our side that brings it forward to ensure our safety. The union can point out when we’ve tried protocols that aren’t working and can support us to try something new. 

As far as my personal life goes, as an empty-nester, it’s really hard to not see my grandchildren. We have two three-year-old twins we haven’t seen since this started. My wife is a nurse and we have to be careful. I want to see them. It's been a month and a half. They’re two towns over, but we’re seeing them on FaceTime. It’s painful--that's the toughest part. I hope we get through this. I miss normalcy. I miss church. I miss singing at choir. I miss having a beer and talking with the guys and just talking about the day.

SHARE Blog Roundup: Free Bachelors Degree, Member Spotlights, and What's Next

 Admin Pay & Labor Pool Extended through May 16th 

While many SHARE members are providing unprecedented patient care during the current COVID-19 surge, we have an eye on the future, and what’s coming next. In case you missed it, UMMMC leadership announced during its most recent town hall meeting that the current arrangement for Admin Pay and Labor Pool Redeployment will be extended through May 16th.  

UMass Memorial Re-Opening Plan 

The hospital is also working to develop its plan for re-opening services. This process will unfold and evolve as the COVID crisis de-escalates. We expect to learn more about that timeline in the coming week. SHARE members should not plan to report to work until they receive direction through their department managers to do so. If you work in an ambulatory area that announces plans to re-open before May 16th, please let your SHARE organizer or the SHARE office know, so that we can keep close tabs on this first wave of re-openings. 

Although much of the plan is still being developed, SHARE and hospital management agree that caregiver safety is a top priority. SHARE has been assured that the overarching plan will be managed centrally by hospital leadership, with close attention to public health guidelines, including physical distancing, personal protective equipment, continued work-from-home arrangements, and other measures to mitigate exposure risk. 

SHARE Member Spotlight 

Work is different now. This week, the SHARE Blog profiles the experience of six more members: 

• Joshua, Mental Health Associate 

• Rich, Radiology Technologist 

• John, Clinical Laboratory Assistant 

• Jason, Administrative Tech 

• Annette, Specialty A/R Coordinator 

• Cathy, Financial Counselor 

New Blog Highlights: Free College & Pushing Congress to Support the Front Lines 

Note also that the SHARE blog points to a limited-time offer to enroll in a FREE online bachelor’s degree program, and describes the current union push for economic essentials to support American workers. 

Thank You 

We’re keeping ahead of COVID-19 with inspired teamwork, appropriate PPE, and compassionate care for the surge of COVID-positive patients. It hasn’t been easy. And there’s much more to do. As always, you’re taking care of yourselves, your families, and Central Massachusetts, and keeping our hospital running strong in the process. Thank you.   

Check out this week’s Spotlights to hear firsthand how SHARE members, including the Financial Counselors at 306 Belmont Street, have been dealing with the COVID surge.

SHARE Member Spotlights: Joshua (PTRC), Rich (UMMMC Diagnostic Radiololgy), and John (Marlborough Clinical Labs)

SHARE members in roughly 180 hospital job titles keep our hospital running strong during COVID-19 surge. Three more SHARE members describe their experience here . . .

Joshua Resch

Mental Health Associate, PTRC (Psychiatric Treatment Center), 4/29/20

Note: PTRC transitioned to an all COVID-positive unit several weeks ago, after a number of patients came down with COVID-19 and were transferred to University for medical treatment. 

A lot of us understand the field of inpatient psychiatry, but now the whole game is changed. It’s no longer just about the patient and their condition, whether they are manic, or whatever. We still try to reach out to the patient, talk with them about what they care about, encourage them, talk them down if they are elevated. Now all our interactions come with another thread: We are much more guarded, like if the patient is angry, we take a few steps back to see where the situation goes. It’s a new way of thinking, to find an approach that helps the patient but also protects ourselves and the patient from the disease. 

Unfortunately, it was like guerilla warfare when COVID spread in our department. One day you’d talk to a patient or a co-worker, and the next day they were sick, or you were taking the patient to the ED. We watched our patients dwindle down to just 2. It was remarkable, and I’m so curious: What is it about these 2 patients that they didn’t get sick? And 4 or 5 of the staff didn’t get sick – we were the last people standing.  

Who knows, maybe we did get sick and we were asymptomatic. We aren’t allowed to get tested unless we have symptoms, so it’s confusing. 

A lot of my co-workers come from other countries, and their parents live with them. They are very worried about bringing the virus home and getting them sick. 

Some nurses and I volunteer to observe our co-workers taking off and putting on their PPE. It seems ridiculous to say, “Nope, you did that wrong, you have to wash your hands and do it again.” But it’s important. 

We are really making sure we have each other’s back. If someone needs to go to the bathroom, you know it’s going to be a 15 minute process. 

I think now my co-workers and I are finding ways of creating some humor, we rag on each other more than usual. We’re all still scared, but the humor helps. Hazard pay would help too! 

Who are those masked men? They’re the heroes who serve as Mental Health Associates at the PTRC

RICH LEUFSTEDT

DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY TECHNOLOGIST & SHARE Rep, UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, 4/27/20 

At University, we’re a Level-One Trauma Center. We can see anything, and we usually do. Now, things blur together, and I lose track of the days. It’s chest X-Ray after chest X-Ray after chest X-Ray all day long. We’re almost entirely seeing presumed-positive COVID patients. With all of the infection control procedures, those scans that usually take five minutes now take twenty. It’s a grind. 

I really appreciate that other Technologists are coming in to help the Diagnostic Techs, like the people from Mammography who are working as Radiology Assistants right now. We can really use more relief. There’s no admin leave for the X-Ray Techs. Even if we’re out sick with non-COVID symptoms, it’s impossible to have a restful day because Employee Health has to follow up our symptoms. We feel burnt out. 

I worry about the back load that’s coming, too – where are the patients that we usually scan? What's happening that we don’t know about? 

Coming home at the end of the day it’s a scary routine to try to leave all the germs outside my home and get cleaned up. I do this job because I want to help. But would I have gone into this career twenty years ago if I had known that I’d be on the front lines like this one day, with these odds of bringing home a potentially deadly disease to my family? 

I have faith. Every morning I see the sunrise and think, “We’ve got this.” But still, It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  

Do you recognize this song leader from past SHARE rallies even in his PPE? He rocks the ukelele, but he also helps saves lives on the front line.

John Kendall

Clinical Laboratory Assistant & SHARE Representative, Marlborough Hospital, 4/29/20

I spent twenty-eight with the Southborough Fire Department and retired as a Lieutenant. As a firefighter, I wasn't afraid to go in. I had respect for the fire -- this is different. With Covid-19, I'm constantly asking myself, Is my mask on right? Am I covered up?' It's very stressful going into the room, and it's just one patient. In addition to the floors, we've been overrun by the tent. The other day, we had 128 patients in the tent.

It's not just us in the labs who are overwhelmed and worried about getting sick. It's the CNA's, the nurses, and the docs too. We don't want to carry this virus home. Nobody knows that much about it. From what I can see it's a savage virus, and I have health issues of my own. I don't want to get it. I have a grandbaby coming. The baby's due this weekend and I'm not going to be able to see her. Neither will my wife Leslie who works in ED Registration at the hospital. FaceTime isn't the same as being there. This will be our third. 

What I miss most right now is the lack of personal connection I'm used to getting with my patients. We have elderly patients who come in regularly, usually in the morning. Usually I draw them and chat with them for a few minutes. We can't do that now. We have to spend as little time as possible. You do what you have to do to get in and out safely. You can't be personal. 

It's been a tough job, but we're all in it together and I can't wait for this to be over.

Monika, John, and Katianny at Marlborough Hospital

For a Limited Time: Free Online Bachelor's Degree Program

Free Bachelor's Degree Completion Program

In response to the current economic and health uncertainty, AFSCME, for a limited time, is offering this normally low-cost benefit completely for free! All students who begin or continue their academic program with the Summer term are eligible for a last-dollar scholarship, which allows students to complete their degree (through graduation) with no out-of-pocket cost for tuition, fees, or e-books. So, don't delay - enroll in the summer term today.

You must enroll by May 18, 2020 to take advantage of this free opportunity. Learn more:

• general overview

• participant interest form

Unions Push for America’s Five Economic Essentials

SHARE’s parent union, AFSCME, along with the whole AFL-CIO, sent a letter to leaders of Congress to push for funding for the front line in the COVID-19 crisis. “America’s Five Economic Essentials” prioritizes the needs of working families over corporations.  

The main ideas are important for SHARE members, for Massachusetts, and across the country: 

1. Protecting front-line workers by providing increased access to PPE, testing, paid sick leave, hazard pay, etc. 

1. Keeping America Healthy by expanding access to health insurance, and providing financial support for hospitals 

1. Keeping workers employed and protecting pensions 

1. Providing state and local government funding to support schools and the postal service 

1. Hiring people to build infrastructure 

In the coming days, AFSCME is sending an email to all members asking us to write our members of Congress urging them to support the Five Essentials.  

To learn more now, you can read the full letter below. Keep your eyes peeled for an email from AFSCME! 

SHARE Member Spotlights: Jason (Marlborough ED), Annette (UMMMC Hospital Billing), and Cathy (UMMMC Financial Counseling)

The surge is now. Many SHARE members are dealing firsthand to make sure patients get the best care during what we hope will be the peak of the COVID-19 cases here in Central Mass. Our hospital would not be the same without each one of us. Below, we check in with members from two more sites in our hospital network . . .

Jason Trenkle

Administrative Tech & SHARE Executive Board Member, Marlborough Emergency Department, 4/29/20

We were in a really good place at the start of this. We were able to get a lot of people trained and up to speed and everyone was very flexible. I'm sure we all experienced the same machine gun fire of new protocols that kept coming at us. We'd be told one thing, then five seconds later we'd be told something else. That seemed to get people together quickly. I'm proud of how we've been able to handle this so far. 

The honeymoon period of over-staffing, over-training and lots of info has slowed, though, as patient-load has kicked up. People are ever so-slightly clipped, trying to get a lot done and trying to stay focused. Anytime I've had a negative experience though, I can look back on it and understand where it was coming from. Sometimes, I pass people in the hall and am surprised when they seem frustrated with me out of nowhere. Then I remember that they're up to their necks in work, too, and maybe I was being a little too cheery for that moment. Now, I'm trying to be more focused and read the situation better. People are strained and I know it's not personal when we get short with each other. 

Other times, I've felt helpless. The other day, everything was slow and we were all pretty relaxed until noon came and patients started pouring in on both ends. All the sudden, we were intubating two people at once, and we didn't have everything we needed. People were really frustrated, so I tried to focus on what was needed two steps down and make it easier for the staff. I try to focus the best I can, despite the tension. 

One of the most memorable moments so far is one of the first intubations I was present for. I was outside the door being a gofer and testing all of our new techniques. It was stressful trying to get an old baby monitor with a grainy image to work properly to help people outside the room interact with people inside the room. It's a hard wooden door, there are tons of PPE and hoods, It's hard to communicate through all of that, but we're trying to limit exposure as much as possible. During that first intubation of a COVID-19 patient, it was like, 'OK, this is happening. Ready. Set. Go.' People jumped into it, muttering to themselves all the steps, trying to get it right. And I'm trying to get everyone to doff and don everything properly. The docs are so practiced but sometimes they forget. I try to take care of all if it, but it's hard not to be on edge just to do very simple things. I'm trying to be as efficient as possible but I realize sometimes that I'm taking longer because I'm rushing. I tell myself, 'Just take a breath and see a couple steps ahead. I need to do this, so I can do that.'

The hardest part is that you're never really ready for it. Maybe that's just the ER. We go from zero to one hundred. The day will start off slow and then lunch hits and there's six more patients than when I left half an hour ago. It can turn on a dime and you need to be able to perform at your peak and get everything done and then all the sudden 3 o'clock comes. I don't feel done, but, I've got to go home. I've got to get outta here. The next shift is here. Then I'm heading home and trying to come down, but it's not always that easy. My husband works 9a-5p and lives off of the news. He turns it on as soon as he gets home. It's always stories from other hospitals where it's just dire. When there are touching stories, I try not to weep like a baby. I try to take myself out of the moment for a while. I just look out the window and focus on my breathing. I'm trying to be strong for my family and not put too much on them. I'm trying to be strong for my husband, so that he's not too stressed out. Sometimes it's hard. After four days on, I really get tired and my defenses fall. I feel guilty about that though. So many people are working many more hours than that. I know of a nurse who was hired to work in New York City for 80+ hours a week. It makes me feel silly to say I'm burned out and emotionally pushed. I guess there are a lot of mountains and valleys. I find comfort in being able to go to work and focus on the here and now. But, when I go home I worry about the global scale of this. I worry about the implications, not just financially, but what its going to do to our culture. I worry about all kinds of things that could morph from this. I'm ready to get back to my normal life. I also feel guilty for wanting that, but I want to play soccer with my friends. I want to be able to play pick-up games at the park.

I feel grateful for my mornings though. I get in it's 6:45 a.m. when the town hasn't really woken up yet. There usually aren't that many patients and we all get a moment to commiserate about the day before over a cup of coffee. For a moment, it feels normal. Even through the rest of the shift feels totally bonkers and the outside world feels completely different. It feels like our jobs haven't changed, there's just a ton of new protocol. It feels still and it's nice. I'm grateful that even though the world has changed that that part of the day is totally the same.

ANNETTE MACHUNSKY

SPECIALTY A/R COORDINATOR & SHARE Representative, 306 BELMONT ST, 4/28/20 

When this all started, most of the rest of my co-workers got sent to work from home for social distancing. Our department of over thirty people shrank to two of us in the department in our building. Only Mary and I kept working here on-site. I focused on the attorney letters. 

Eventually, Mary went to work from home, too, and I was left to myself. The whole team was back home generating paperwork, and checking-in with me to see what was happening with their work. I had to handle all the physical stuff for the department, printing things out.  

It was hard. Printers were broken. I worked with that. I spent all day walking from one end of the building to the other and back. I did miles of steps.  

I’m a hard worker. I take real pride in what I do. So when my manager asked why things weren’t getting done, I needed windshield wipers to handle the tears. “It’s just printing,” she said. But it wasn’t. I can do most anything, and I know it. I definitely didn’t want to seem weak. 

But I’m very vocal. My manager came back into the building to work at it, too, and so did my supervisor. Even the three of us barely made a dent. It takes a village.  

Now things are turned around. Seeing I.S. come in was amazing. Angela has taken over the work I was originally doing. Anna and Katie came back into the department for a couple of days to help catch up. Buffie and I are still working at it together. In the end, probably twenty full boxes of paper got printed. The scanning team -- Tyler and Jaycie – they’ve been doing all of their own work, and then some.  

Our Director made a good point: the payors are now pushing out deadlines, but we haven’t missed a beat, and we’re catching up to make sure that our hospital gets paid every penny for the care we give. We need it to survive. Everybody’s working together to bring the money in. It was great to hear Eric Dickson thank the finance team in the Townhall meeting last week. 

I want to give every person a shout out. There’s no “I” in “team.” My favorite thing is all of the positivity. Valerie works in Pre-Billing, and her humor gets me through the day. There aren’t many of us here on-site, but the team lines are blurring. We’re like a family. I don’t feel alone. Everyone is helping everyone else. I’m never going to be a nail that you’re going to hammer down, but being in SHARE helps me be up front. Being a SHARE Rep gives me more ways to help others.

Holding down the fort in Hospital Billing; Tyler, Angela, Annette, Buffie, Jaycie, and Valerie,

Cathy Conway

Financial Counselor, 306 Belmont St, 4/28/20

Several weeks ago, Financial Counselors, department leadership and SHARE organizers joined on a WebEx to discuss next steps for determining who would work from home and who would continue to work on site in order to make sure that patients were signing up for health insurance through the pandemic. It was the second time in several weeks that management had pulled the staff together to explain what was going on and to present the staff with choices about where they wanted to work. 

"We've always been essential. But this time, it felt different. By giving us a choice, they were saying us, 'You're essential, but how do you feel?'‘“Cathy's worked at UMass for twenty-seven years, and the conversations the department's had during the pandemic have made her feel more valued than ever.

"Management jumped through hoops in order to get us the equipment to work from home and operate the call center from home. They went out on a limb for us. Mass Health has worked with us, too. We have more flexibility in how we process paperwork. That helps us to do our jobs. We have to make sure the patents are comfortable, and that their bills are paid, but we have to make sure the hospital is being paid, too."

Cathy is one of the staff who chose to work onsite, which her co-workers are really grateful for so that those of them who are immuno-compromised can continue to work from home a bit longer. 

"Am I afraid? Not really. We do as much through the phones as we can. We still go into patient's rooms. We have to wear masks and wash our hands but we still have to help people get health insurance."

For Cathy, another thing that's felt special is that, "The whole hospital system has pulled together. Everyone's passing out masks, snacks and water. They have two surge-nurses coming around and asking us if we want coffee or tea! Can you imagine? That may be no big deal to some people, but I think it's wonderful. It may be just a little tiny thing, but it feels like we're sticking together. It feels like we're unified. We are proud to be part of this organization!"

Superheroes/Financial Counselors Mabelle Villegas, Sandra Dasilva, and Cathy Conway

We Are In this Together, an Open Letter to SHARE Members

Dear SHARE Member, 

You are not alone. That remains as true as ever. We’re all in a homegrown union with over 3,000 SHARE members. Together, we’ve spent more than 20 years cultivating a culture of caring.  

Things now are hard. And we’re here to support each other. If you need help, please reach out. If you see that someone else needs help, reach out. As a union, we lean on each other, assess situations together, brainstorm solutions and escalate problems when we get stuck. 

We may not know for sure what’s coming tomorrow, but we do know how to move forward together. Here’s how to do that: 

Take Care of Yourself First.   

When you’re on a plane, the flight crew advises to first take the oxygen mask for yourself before you help anyone else. That same principle is true now. SHARE members come to work in healthcare because we want to help others. However, you can’t care for your family, your community, your patients, and each other unless you have your basic needs met first.  

Ask for Help.  

If you’re struggling and need someone to talk to -- whether it’s about stress, finances, PPE, or something else -- we are here. Nowadays, SHARE organizers spend much of our time on the phones and in email talking with members about how things are going. That helps us know how to advocate for system improvements in our daily conversations with hospital leaders. It also helps us connect members who may be able to help one another, and with other helpful resources. 

Please keep these contact numbers handy: 

• SHARE: (508) 929-4020 (or, see the complete list of SHARE Organizer contacts) 

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): (800) 322-5327 

• Employee Health: (508) 793-6400 

• UMass Memorial Caregiver Support Line: (508) 334-HELP 

You can also find many resources and perks for caregivers on the SHARE website: #gettinghelp 

Speak Up.   

Around the SHARE office, we talk about each of us having an “internal smoke alarm.” You may not know the source of the smoke -- it could just be that someone in the other room is burning the popcorn again. But it could be more serious. If your internal smoke alarm is sounding, please know you have a network around you, including trusted friends, your co-workers, your manager, Human Resources, the elected SHARE Rep in your area, and the SHARE staff organizers.  

Your voice matters. Speaking up can be scary, and it can sometimes be hard to figure out what to say and who to say it to. We’re here to help. Things in our hospital need to move fast, but they need to move thoughtfully, too.  

Take Care of Each Other.   

In many ways, confronting the current challenges will be unifying. However, those same stresses can also make it hard to get along. We may snap at each other, shut down, or show other signs of distress. Let’s be sure to reduce our collective stress by assuming each other’s best intentions. Sometimes, the best thing will be to offer to help. Or to simply provide a kind gesture.    

Pause and Breathe. 

Taking a moment to find something happening right now that you appreciate or that inspires you is a powerful and effective coping tool. Together, our hospital is turning out story after story of bravery, compassion, and teamwork. Hospital processes that have been caught up in gridlock for as long as some of us can remember have kicked into gear, sometimes overnight. Our community is coming together in resourceful ways to move forward in this critical time.  

Know that you are not alone.  

If you need help, reach out. If you see someone who needs help, reach out. We are in this together. 

Sincerely, 

The SHARE Organizing Staff 

p.s., The SHARE blog has added new posts this week, including:

• The above-mentioned post with new resources, perks, and deals for caregivers, 

• Hazard Pay in the news, 

• A fresh roundup of other news stories you might have overlooked, and  

• Advice for safely handling the germ-carrying device that goes with you everywhere: your mobile phone. 

In Recent News

There’s a lot to keep up with in the news nowadays. Here’s a summary roundup of recent news stories that are particularly pertinent to SHARE members . . . 

Donations to the Ease Fund 

Kudos to CEO Eric Dickson for committing his full income to the Ease Fund. MassLive reports: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Eric Dickson, the CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care, and Dr. Cathy Jones, Dicksons’ wife and a UMass Memorial physician, are donating all of their paychecks to the health care system’s employee assistance fund.” Other hospital leaders, including Chief Administrative Officer Doug Brown, have made similar pledges. 

The Ease Fund is administered and distributed by the Employee Assistance Program to provide aid. The fund is one of their many ways to help employees of UMass Memorial through financial hardship, The EAP website also provides many other COVID-19 related resources.  

Locals Focus on Global Problems 

We’re excited to recognize the work that’s being done in our back yard toward the prevention and treatment of coronavirus. M2D2, a collaboration involving UMass Medical School and UMass Lowell, has shifted much of its focus to potential vaccines, testing research, and medical device design related to COVID-19, according to the UMass Lowell News. 

Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports that UMass Memorial is one of three hospitals in Massachusetts to receive approval to launch the first US clinical trial of a Japanese flu drug that could be used to treat COVID-19. 

Some Good Financial News at UMass Memorial 

In this recent interview on the Greater Boston television show, UMass Memorial CEO describes our preparedness for COVID-19 here in Central Mass.  

UMass Memorial has had some good fortune and been forward thinking in its approach to keeping its employees paid for the time being. In a recent town-hall meeting, hospital leaders described how last year’s sale of its pharmacy management joint ventures has provided liquid assets to help our hospital respond to the crisis. The funds had not yet been re-invested in the stock market (phew!). The investments in much-needed equipment and facility upgrades will still need to come from somewhere, but that cash-on-hand helps our hospital to be somewhat more nimble than it might otherwise have been.  

In other fortunate financial news, the Telegram reports that “Mapfre Insurance. . . announced a donation of $2.3 million across five Massachusetts-based organizations – including UMass Memorial Health Care and Harrington HealthCare. The insurance company has committed $38 million worldwide to medical providers and communities.” 

COVID-19 and the Financial Health of Hospitals 

The broader news across US hospitals is more grim. The Guardian reports that the United States for-profit healthcare sector has cut thousands of jobs in the wake of the coronavirus. 

Becker’s Hospital Review recently pointed to another disturbing cost-cutting measure, writing that “Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, which operates 65 hospitals across the U.S., is postponing match payments to employees' 401(k) savings plans to direct more resources toward hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.”  

Although SHARE was encouraged to see the precedent set as AFSCME Council 93 and Governor Baker came to an agreement about hazard pay for some of their union’s hospital members, we also note this report in Becker’s that Boston-based Partners Healthcare has announced that it will not make hazard pay available to frontline staff. 

To Be Continued. . .  

SHARE will continue to keep its eye on trends, as we keep our focus on the day-to-day life of our own hospital. Right now, this especially includes UMass Memorial’s Labor Pool program. This redeployment system has been another major factor in the hospital’s ability to keep employees on the books. Although the Labor Pool is proving to be a complicated process to implement, and continues to evolve, it’s helping to maintain jobs . . . and to provide help to those areas where the workloads are increasing, where patients and the SHARE members who care for them most need the help.  

As always, thank you for the work you do to keep our hospital, our community, and our union running strong.