The Benefit Funds will soon issue their 2022 member calendar, showcasing the positive affirmations and words of encouragement from 1199SEIU members who have served on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The calendar also includes important contact information and overviews of the services and programs the Funds offer. In addition to Trustees and delegates, the Benefit Funds are mailing the calendar to members who attended wellness webinars in 2021 or participated in online wellness programs. Your 1199SEIU employees and members may request a copy of the calendar by emailing the Member Services Department at [email protected].

The open enrollment period for your 1199SEIU employees and members to sign up their spouses for the Greater New York Benefit Fund health plan runs from January 1 through January 31, for coverage beginning March 1, 2022. To enroll a spouse, members must submit a completed Spouse Coverage and Payroll Deduction Authorization Form to their employer by February 1, authorizing premium deductions from their paycheck. Your 1199SEIU employees and members and their dependent children up to age 26 are still eligible for coverage, with no premium, whether or not their spouse is enrolled. Members may call the Member Services Department at (646) 473-9200 with any questions.

On November 16, the 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds (TEF) celebrated the seventh annual National Apprenticeship Week, which took place from November 15 to November 21. The event commemorated successful collaborations among TEF, the Union, the Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP) and participating employers in the creation of registered healthcare apprenticeships. More than 40 people, including labor-management partners, apprentices and graduates, attended the event. Speakers included Angela Hanks, Acting Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, United States Department of Labor; Adria Powell, CEO, Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA); Daniel Bustillo, Executive Director, H-CAP; Bernadette Braddy, Director, Strategy and Innovation, TEF; Maria Castaneda, Secretary-Treasurer, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East; Kim Alleyne, apprentice at CHCA; Dawn Johnson, apprentice at ArchCare Senior Life at Carmel Richmond; and Iris Smith, apprentice at Premier Home Health Care Services.

Since launching its first apprenticeship program in November 2016, TEF has registered apprenticeships with the U.S. Department of Labor and state departments of labor in New York, Massachusetts and Maryland for Medical/Hospital Coder, Community Health Worker, Certified Nurse Aide, Patient Care Technician, Home Health Aide, Central Sterile Processing Technician, Licensed Practical Nurse and Care Transition Specialist. To date, more than 375 apprentices have taken part in the program, which allows participants to combine classroom education with practical skills, helping to create a reliable supply of qualified employees. For more information on TEF’s apprenticeship programs, contact [email protected].

The 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation's (CCC) annual Care for Kids Gala, which honors individuals and organizations whose work demonstrates a commitment to children and families, will be held virtually on Wednesday, December 8, at 6:00 pm. Priscilla Sims Brown, President and CEO of Amalgamated Bank, will chair this year’s event, the theme of which is “Child Care Strong: Strengthening Working Families.” George Gresham, President of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, and Marc Z. Kramer, President of the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes of New York, will serve as honorary chairs. This year’s honorees are Dave A. Chokshi, MD, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Henry R. Muñoz III, former DNC Finance chair and co-founder of SOMOS US; Sheena Tannis, Registered Nurse at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center; and Tim Wentworth, Chief Executive Officer of EverNorth. You can purchase tickets and make sponsorship donations up to the day of the gala and/or purchase digital advertisements by December 1 via PayPal. To pay by check, please download the Sponsorship Form. After you have purchased tickets, you will be emailed a link to view the gala online.

Since 2006, the Care for Kids Gala has raised funds to support CCC programs and honored those individuals and organizations whose work demonstrates a commitment to children and families. For three decades, the CCC and Child Care Funds have provided more than 300,000 children of 1199SEIU members and the community at large with access to early-childhood education, summer day and sleep-away camps, internships, mentoring, college scholarships and other programs. For more information about the Care for Kids Gala, please email [email protected].

The 1199SEIU Greater New York Education Fund strengthens the healthcare delivery system by offering 1199SEIU members training and education programs designed to help improve patient outcomes and provide quality care. Please share these opportunities with employees and members at your facility.

The schedule is also available on our calendar.

Saturday, December 4

8:45 am to 4:30 pm

This six-hour interprofessional symposium will focus on the significance and role of carotid arteries; risk factors for and diagnosis of carotid artery disease; and treatments for carotid artery disease, including cardiac rehabilitation, diet and alternative therapies.

For more information, visit the Institute for Continuing Education’s web page, call (212) 894-4390 or email [email protected].