FAQ #50: January 27, 2020 – Containing Answers from January 26th
Answers to Staff Questions on Vaccination and HR Policies
The following FAQs were adapted from questions submitted by VNSNY staff for the CEO Conference Calls hosted by Marki Flannery on Tuesday, January 26th.
Thank you’s
Q. Thank you for these calls, I look forward to them each week.
A. The good news is the calls are going to continue. So in case anyone had a question about that I wanted to let you know that they will continue.
Q. Thank you Marki for all you’ve done and good luck.
A. So thank you very much I appreciate the kind words.
Q. So thank you very much and thank you Marki for these weekly calls they’ve proven to be valuable and informative to our clinicians and we appreciate the regular opportunity for the two-way communications. Happy trails to you and best wishes.
A. So thank you. Again thank you for these kind words. I’m going to miss everyone. It’s been one hell of a ride and the good news is the calls will continue. The team has committed to keep it going, and Dan Savitt is looking forward to partnering with the others on continuing these calls.
HR Policies / Pay and PTO Policies
Q. If someone was on a short-term disability claim that ended the day before a legal holiday, does the company pay for that holiday which would have been my first day back or would it be considered an un-paid absence?
A. Marian Haas, Chief Human Resources Officer: If your return to work was scheduled on the holiday you should receive pay for that holiday because otherwise you would have worked on that day. So if you received a different answer in this regard please send me a direct email and I will look into it for you.
Vaccination
Q. Good morning I was scheduled for the second shot on Sunday, February 14. Is this schedule still in effect or will I be contacted for rescheduling? I was very pleased with how well the team organized the vaccine I was also pleasantly surprised to see Marki in the monitor room helping out. I even asked for a snapshot with Marki. I have no side effects from the vaccine except the injection site was sore for two days. Thank you all.
A. So I’m glad that you got your vaccine. I’m pleased to be able to spend time with so many staff when I was in the waiting area following vaccination and I got to take many selfies with staff. So that was a lot of fun and I’m hoping to volunteer and be on site again as Andria needs me to be there. So in terms of the answer to the question on the second vaccine scheduled for Sunday, February 14, Andria do you want to take this question?
Andria Castellanos, Chief of Provider Services: I do anticipate that we will be running the vaccine clinic on Sunday, February 14 which is Valentine’s Day. If there is a change to your schedule or any schedule, we will be reaching out to people to let them know. So right now it’s a busy day in the clinic. I just looked at the schedule for that day and I do anticipate that we will be holding clinic that day.
Q. I would like to thank VNSNY for organizing the vaccination program for family members to get vaccinated. I was not able to schedule a vaccine anywhere for my mother who is 88 and has a lot of medical problems. I signed up for the VNSNY vaccination program on Sunday and had a call on Thursday that we can come to get a vaccine. Even though we were on standby we got the vaccine without a long wait. The whole experience was excellent great customer service everyone was so polite. Thank you thank you thank you. I’m proud to work in such a great company.
A. So you’re very welcome and I’m glad you took advantage of getting your mom vaccinated — and again the team has pulled together and tried to make this experience as pleasant as possible with minimal waits, and frankly they were extremely successful. So Andria, Tony, and all who were involved — and I know there were hundreds involved — did an outstanding job in pulling this program together. So thank you for sharing the feedback.
Andria Castellanos: I think it’s worth talking a little bit more about the Friends and Family Standby Program so there isn’t any confusion or misunderstanding. So I want to just explain the way the Moderna vaccine works is it comes in a vial, and in every vial there are 10, 11 or sometimes 12 doses of medication. We don’t know how many doses we have in every vial and at the end of the day we sometimes have leftover doses that we must use that day because once you pierce a vial and you start to draw the medicine out of it with the needle you have to use that medicine within six hours.
And so sometimes we are left with one two three, maybe up to eight or nine doses at the end of the day, so we never know. So we started this program called Friends and Family which is a standby program. And I’m going to ask David Rosales who’s also on the phone right now to talk about how that program works because we cannot offer at this point in time vaccine to all of our loved ones who are over 65. This really is a standby program. So David do you want to just describe that for a minute?
David Rosales, Chief Strategy Officer: So as Andria mentioned this Friends and Family Program is a standby program, so it is intended for doses at the end of the day. The way it works is you can submit a name and some other information of an eligible family member to be a friend or family member. To be eligible they have to be 65 years old or older, in accordance with the New York State eligibility requirements, and a resident of New York State.
An email will be going out later today — the weekly vaccinate VNSNY email — that will include that link. It was also emailed out about a week ago, and will come out again later today. You can enter the information, and we randomize all of the participants into a lottery of sorts and everyone gets a number, and then when someone’s number comes up we will call and typically provide about 24–hour’s notice that the individual is eligible to come into the office around 3:30 in the afternoon on standby status.
We can’t guarantee that there will be enough doses at the end of the day for them to receive the vaccine, but if not, they’ll be able to come in subsequent afternoons in case there are doses available those days. So that’s how it works.
Q. I will be receiving my second schedule dose of the Moderna vaccine in two weeks at VNSNY. Due to the current shortage of available vaccines in New York how can I and others be sure we will receive our second dosage in a timely manner?
A. So we have been assured by the state and by the commissioner of health for the city that the second doses have been set aside so that people who have received the first dose will be able to receive the second dose.
Now I know that there have been petitions by mayors who try to get those second doses released and made available but that has not happened. So unless something changes, which I don’t believe it will, the second doses will be provided for staff who have received their first dose. And it should be on the date that was scheduled unless we reach out to you to modify the dates in any way. Anything further on that from anyone on the call that you’d like to add?
Andria Castellanos: The only thing I would add Marki is that the city knows exactly how many first doses we gave and when we gave them because it is a reporting requirement, and every day we reconcile our numbers to make sure that our city has received our information accurately. And so that’s how they know how many doses we would need in a week for second doses. So there is a system around the city knowing what we need and when we need it. And I think Marki you said that if there is any delay in us receiving vaccine for second doses, we will let people know and we will reschedule accordingly.
Q. I wanted to find out if there’ll be more opportunities for the standby program for VNSNY Friends and Family?
A. So as David just mentioned a link is going to be sent out with the vaccinate VNSNY email so that people can register and then you’ll be notified if you’re able to come in on standby status. Again the people who are friends and family must be over the age of 65 to be eligible for the Friends and Family Program.
Q. My name is Jennifer. I’d like to thank a nurse by the name of Kathy of VNSNY — she helped me through on Friday. I was nervous and scared, and she sat with me. She was a gem.
A. So this is one of our home health aides, and I’m glad Jennifer that you are taking the time to thank Kathy who helped you this past Friday. And that’s what we’re all here for — for each other. So I’m glad that she was a support for you.
Q. When the person’s number comes up is that a guarantee to come to 42nd Street between 4:00 and 6:00 to receive the vaccine?
A. So it is a guarantee to come to 42nd Street to be on standby. Remember we only can give vaccine if we have leftover doses. But we generally have some leftover doses each day. Now we are asking more people to come in than what we may have available. So it’s not a guarantee that if you get told to come in you will get a dose today — but if you come in today and you don’t get a dose today, we’re going to ask you to come back on our next scheduled day and hopefully within a number of days you should be able to receive the vaccine.
David Rosales: Let me just add one thing. When a person is called because their number has come up to go on standby status, they’ll be given a time to arrive — so it’s not a time window. We usually have been generally asking folks to arrive around 3:00 or 3:30, but they’ll be asked to arrive at a certain time.
Q. Thank you Marki for all you’ve done at VNSNY. And the question is my parents have been staying with me for the past couple of months during COVID however they are residents of New Jersey. Would they be eligible for the Friends and Family Program?
A. And I believe David you said that you must be a resident of New York State. Am I correct with that?
David Rosales: Yes, that’s correct. According to the New York State eligibility requirements, the individual has to be a resident of New York State.
Marki Flannery: Okay. So I know that there are programs in New Jersey. If you have not already been doing research, look to see what’s available in New Jersey to be able to get them vaccinated.
Andria Castellanos: I know people are really trying to get their loved ones vaccine who are over 65, and maybe I can offer a tip — it doesn’t work 100% of the time, but — providers are notified on Sunday how much vaccine they’re getting and they typically post the schedules for the week on Sundays. And so if you’re trying to get a loved one an appointment in New York City, it may be worth focusing your efforts on Sundays to get appointments. And sometimes they actually post the new schedules at 12:01 am. It’s just a clue that – I think David told me this and it’s worked for a number of people that I know. So try that as well.