FAQ #35: October 15, 2020 — Containing Answers from October 13th
Answers to Staff Questions on Employee Health and Safety, Supplies and PPE, Patient Care, HR Policies
The following FAQs were adapted from questions submitted by VNSNY staff for the CEO Conference Calls hosted by Marki Flannery on Tuesday, October 13th.
Employee Health and Safety
Q. Good morning, I saw it was posted that flu shots will be made available at the various branch offices. Will staff working remotely be allocated time from their workday to travel to their closest location to receive a flu shot?
A: It seems that flu shots are only available during normal business hours. So, remember that you do not need to come to a VNSNY location to get flu shots. You can go to CVS, Duane Reade, Walgreens, you can go to your private MD, you can go to a mobile health site.
And all of those are offering flu shots throughout the workday, and some of those locations are even open 12 and 24 hours a day. So, there’s no reason to take time away from your workday to get a flu shot.
If you do want to report to our 220 location to get a flu shot then what I would suggest is that you submit for a desk for the day and then you can come into the 220 location, work at that location for the day, so you don’t miss any work time and you can get your flu shot while you are at the location.
Q. Will an appointment be required to come into the 42nd Street office to receive a flu shot?
A. So again, you don’t need an appointment, you should complete the screening tracking your symptoms before you come into the office.
And then again, I would encourage that if you’re coming to the office, you just submit a request to work for the day, then, unless you live immediately near the office location, because the flu shot is only available during business hours. So in order to accommodate that, you may want to submit a request to work in the office for the day.
Q. I received my flu shot two weeks ago and will send in the paperwork very soon. But every single day I receive a notice about getting a flu shot. Do I need to get an email daily? The office needs proof by December 1, isn’t that correct?
A. Our goal is to get all staff vaccinated by December 1. If we do not send out notices to staff reminding them and encouraging them to get a flu shot and send in their documentation, we’re going to be very close to December waiting to find out if people received them and didn’t send in the documentation or did not receive them at all.
We will continue to send out notices reminding staff to get a flu shot, because we would like our staff to all be vaccinated by December at the latest, but ideally as soon as possible, and to send in the documentation of having received the flu shot immediately, so that we have that on record.
Q. Good morning, thanks for the ongoing weekly calls throughout the COVID-19 crisis. It’s been a real source of comfort and information and it’s deeply appreciated. My question is if staff live in the current red zones in Brooklyn or Queens, are they allowed to visit the office for a day? Are there any VNSNY protocols for this?
A. So, I’ve looked at the spread of the red zones and they have made very large red zones, even when the focal point is only a portion of that red zone. So, what I would say is staff should complete the daily health assessments that we ask all staff to complete if they are planning to come to the office.
And as long as you’re not symptomatic then there should be no reason why you could not come to the office for the day if there is a need for you to be able to do so. Once we have our rapid COVID test ready to go, then that would be another safety that you can take that test and within 15 minutes know the result.
Supplies, Masks and PPE
Q. Can we get back the hand gel in the regions that is not the watery solution? It is too thin, and it spills over in the patient’s home.
A. Michael Bernstein, Chief Administrative Officer: Unfortunately, once the CDC issued its protocols and recommendations with respect to hand sanitizer, the gel sanitizer that we had months ago did not contain over 75% alcohol. And it is recommended by the CDC that there be at least 75% alcohol in the solution. The sanitizer we currently use is in fact 80% alcohol, so it meets the CDC guidelines.
So that is the reason that the switch was made. And it’s appropriate, we believe, that we adhere to the CDC guidelines. But I am in communication with the team and we’ll see if there’s any other solutions that we can source.
With regard to the alcohol gel, please ensure that it does not have methanol in it, which is toxic to the optic nerve and other body systems and you can look this up online.
So, Michael, I’m sure that our gel is safe for our employees. Do you have any knowledge of this?
Michael Bernstein: Two things I would say. First, we’re not using gel at the moment, but I think that the individual might be saying if we were to replace our current solution. But secondly and importantly, we’re adhering to the CDC guidelines. And while I don’t have them memorized, I’m going to assume that the CDC guidelines outline a solution that is not toxic to body systems. But we appreciate any information we can get from all sources and I will make sure to share this with the procurement team. So thank you.
Patient Care and Clinical
Q. Does VNSNY see an uptick of COVID positive patients?
A. We have not seen an increase in COVID patients referred to us. The numbers are still very stable and it’s generally patients under care. And as I mentioned, there were three additional Partners in Care staff and one VNSNY staff member, a total of four, with a positive test this week. Keep in mind that the more people get test, the more you will get a mix of results. So, we will continue to monitor those numbers.
Q. A patient’s daughter is requesting a the over-65 flu shot for her mother, who is our patient. Andria, do you know if we are able to provide flu shots for any of our patients?
A. Andria Castellanos, Chief of Provider Services: We have flu vaccines for patients, but we do not have them for patients 65 and older, which is apparently a special type of vaccine.
Marki Flannery: Okay. So then the question that came in is asking specifically about the over 65 flu shot. So we do not have that available. We do have flu vaccine available for patients but it is the regular vaccine, not the over 65 vaccine.
Andria Castellanos: I’m going to add a team to communicate out to all their providers about the availability of flu shots for patients and the process in which to give those shots, if we have availability. Just stay tuned for more information on that.
Q. I’ve been listening to your conference calls and do thank you and the others for the information during this pandemic. I would like to know if there’s an established protocol as it pertains to patients living in an escorted area. Currently, staffs are being asked to proceed to the visit, and if they think the patient lives in an escort area, the supervisor will send us a security form to be completed and forwarded to Frank in the security office. This causes staff a lot of anxiety because it means potentially being exposed to harm or danger. Is there another way in which this can be handled?
A. The way it’s being handled is to provide an escort and/or security support if the area is deemed to be in an escort area. So I’m not sure what the question is specifically asking. But perhaps Andria or Marian have additional comments to respond to this?
Andria Castellanos: So I’m going to ask someone from the team to follow up directly with this person so that we can understand what is causing this level of anxiety associated with our system. So we’ll follow up directly with this person.
HR Policies / Pay and PTO Policies
Q. I noticed since we switched to Workday, the deductions are not being forwarded on a timely manner to the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT). I have a paycheck deduction of 129.50 per pay period. The amount was deducted from the checking account on October 3 due to nonpayment during the month of August. As per NYSUT the payment was not received during the month of August, 2020. I tried to call payroll but I’m not getting the assistance I need.
A. Marian Haas, Chief Human Resources Officer. The New York State United Teachers is the UFT. And it appeared this employee has a deduction that is made from her paycheck and is to be sent to them. I have shared this request with Cindy Mercer, our Payroll Manager and she’s researching the situation. I would like – I think the best thing is for me to put this individual in touch with Cindy.
She has responded to me that she was not aware of any missing payments, but I think it’s best to both of you talk directly together to ensure the payment is made as appropriate. Thanks for the question.