The 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds (TEF) are now offering onsite English language classes for Speakers of Other Languages at nursing homes and agencies, including for Home Health Aides (HHAs) at Reliance Home Senior Services in Massapequa, New York. These classes, which begin on March 3 and have more than 30 participants, will use a TEF textbook specifically designed to help HHAs acquire the language skills they need to perform their jobs effectively. The course includes access to a language-learning cellphone app for home study that TEF developed in partnership with Cell-Ed, a mobile-learning company. Students will also learn to use the video-conferencing service Zoom for any online classes in the future.
In addition, as New York State requires healthcare workers to obtain Continuing Education (CE) Units for a growing number of professions, TEF offers Fund-Sponsored Seminars (FSS) in collaboration with the Union and participating employers. Recent seminars have included “Heart Disease: Carotid Arteries” and “Telehealth and Telemedicine: A Healthcare Transformation,” as well as pandemic-related topics such as “COVID-19 Resilience and Well-being” and “Cardiovascular Disease in the Time of COVID-19.” Upcoming seminars related to the ongoing pandemic include “COVID-19: The Inflammation Link and the Role of Nutrition” and “COVID-19: Navigating Shifting Roles of Social Workers in Relation to Nurse Case Managers,” while other planned topics will focus on allergies, infectious diseases, and medication error prevention and patient safety. Healthcare workers who were unable to keep up with their certifications due to the COVID-19 pandemic can recertify in “Advanced Cardiac Life Support” and “Pediatric Advanced Life Support.” For more information, visit the
FSS web page, email
Institute@1199Funds.org or call (212) 894-4390.