Partners in Care Home Health Aide Supervisors: Supporting HHAs Through the Pandemic
As COVID-19 took over our lives last spring, the world stood up and took notice of a new set of heroes—the doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who bravely battled the virus on the front lines. Fewer people, however, are aware of the tremendous efforts of another set of heroes: the nation’s dedicated home health aides (HHAs), and the equally dedicated HHA supervisors who support them.
At Partners in Care, home to 7,000 home health aides, the COVID-19 pandemic meant these supervisors had to help their HHAs deal with daily concerns around going into the community and risking exposure to the coronavirus, in addition to their normal tasks of managing their HHAs’ work status and schedule.
“When the pandemic hit, we lost a lot of aides. Many were too scared to work, and some of them got sick,” says Shama Barrett, Manager, Certified Bronx/Queens Choice Unit, who 16 Partners in Care HHA supervisors report to. “Where supervisors generally managed around 300 aides apiece before COVID-19, they might suddenly be down to 100—yet they had to continue to make sure that no patients slipped through the cracks.”
“It’s important for our HHAs to know that they’re not out there alone, that someone is looking out for them during a scary time,” says HHA supervisor Pedro Alvear. Pedro works with Vincent Flaherty, Manager of the Certified Customer Care Unit, answering calls from HHAs with questions and concerns—a role that includes helping Spanish-speaking aides navigate the maze of insurance, benefits, and worker’s comp, if needed. Caring is in his blood. “My mother was a social worker and she was constantly helping people in the community,” says Pedro. “That’s how I grew up. It’s part of my nature.”
Natalya Gefter, an HHA supervisor with the Certified Brooklyn/Manhattan/Staten Island Unit, also goes above and beyond for her dedicated team of mostly Russian-speaking aides. “Most of the aides I work with don’t speak English so I help them with everything—from W2 forms to disability and union matters,” she says. With characteristic modesty, Natalya bristles at being called a hero. “We do a good job, sure, but we couldn’t do it without huge help from all the people and departments at VNSNY, from the clerical staff to upper management,” she notes. “I believe the organization became one strong family working together as a result of the coronavirus.”
Working from home and negotiating online connectivity and technology challenges was another factor to reckon with. “Many supervisors worked through their lunches and into the evenings without a break,” says Dana Edwards, Associate Director, Private Care. he adds. “Not only did they have to do much more with much less in an unfamiliar work situation, but they had to constantly learn new protocols to pass on to their clients and HHAs.”
Akeeba Hunte, a supervisor from Dana’s team, found that many aides were panicking—understandably—in the early days. “I called them, comforted them, and made sure they knew how to protect themselves,” she says. “It’s my job to encourage them to go to work, especially at a time when our clients need help the most. My aides are very dedicated and I treat them like family, making sure they know they’re an important and valued part of the team.”
“As an asthmatic myself, I was nervous for the aides,” says Melissa Martinez, another Private Care HHA supervisor. “I was calling them to see how they were, making sure they were wearing their masks and gloves. At one point, it stopped being just a job; I wanted to be personally involved, to make sure they were okay.”
It was tough convincing frightened aides to go out into the community at first, adds Hospice HHA supervisor Hiloise Butts. “You have to put yourself in their shoes and empathize with them, letting them know you understand what they are going through,” she says. “When they understand that you care and that you’re hearing their concerns, they will often go out of their way to help you.”
The pandemic literally hit home for fellow Hospice HHA supervisor Jacqueline Beckles-Stoute, whose husband contracted the virus. “I was spending long days managing clients and aides, and taking care of my husband at the same time—he had serious symptoms and was very ill for a month,” she says. Unable to sleep for days on end, Jacqueline finally took a day off, which was enough to recharge and relax her. She hasn’t stopped working since. “I’m good at stress and at pushing myself but I knew I needed that one day,” she says.
“The supervisors are just wonderful,” praises Ivette Adorno of the Certified Hospices/Chinese Unit, who is Hiloise’s and Jacqueline’s manager. “I am in awe of their diligence and hard work during this incredibly difficult time.”
“The HHA supervisors had an awesome responsibility during the pandemic—getting their aides to go to work at a time when most were fearful to leave their homes and going into patients’ homes,” agrees Loraine Earle, Associate Director, Certified Placement Unit.
“At the beginning, transportation was one of the biggest issues—aides were afraid of taking the train. Because so many commute from other boroughs, Manhattan, usually the easiest borough to staff, suddenly became the toughest one,” says placement supervisor Peta-Gaye Simpson, who staffs new and returning cases across all five boroughs. Things have calmed down as aides start returning to work, but there continue to be challenges, she notes. “Many of the HHAs have kids, and since there’s no school and no daycare, it can be hard for them to find a way to work.”
For Princess Bryan-Colley, an HHA supervisor with the Certified Brooklyn/Manhattan/Staten Island Choice Unit, the toll was an emotional one. “I lost a few clients and one aide, so it was a very difficult and challenging time for me,” she says. To help her cope, she sought support from social workers and from her manager. “That was important to keeping me going, especially since I had to offer support to my clients and aides. I had to be an empathetic counselor and a listener, checking on them and being there for them.”
Princess was also there for her manager, Shawn Bailey-Eddy. “I got to a point where I was pretty depressed myself, and Princess told me ‘Shawn, we’re going to get through this, we’re going to make it,’” says Shawn. “She was so supportive, and I felt so uplifted. I’m her manager, but this time she really turned it around!”
Luisa Alba, a supervisor on Shama Barrett’s team, says patients were her primary challenge. “They were scared too, and many wanted proof that the aides weren’t infected. I had to reassure them that I would never send them an aide who was sick,” she says. “It’s important to talk to them in a nice way, to let them know that you feel what they’re feeling.” Luisa adds that she never had a staffing problem. “I couldn’t be more proud or appreciative of my aides, who really backed me up,” she says. “My manager even sometimes wondered why she never heard from me!”
Tonika John, a supervisor with the Certified CHHA Manhattan Choice unit, says that the toughest part about working from home was not having the unity of the team around her. “In the office, we sit close together. When you get overwhelmed it’s nice to just walk over to someone who can comfort you and calm you down,” she says. “It was hard adjusting to being home at first, but we covered our cases and came out successful. I even have to admit that I love working from home now!”
“The HHA supervisors have all done a terrific job over the past few months,” says Tonika’s manager, Shellieta Fowling. “As New Yorkers, we’ve been through many emergencies, but this has been the most frightening and stressful for all of us. They cried together. They supported each other. But most of all, they never gave up hope.”
“Our HHA program wouldn’t be the success it has been during the pandemic without all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes,” adds Rosa Marcus, Associate Director, Certified Services, Partners in Care. “When you sit back and look at everything the HHA supervisors have accomplished, it’s something to be extremely proud of.”
Saluting all our Partners in Care HHA supervisors!
| Akeeba Hunte | Faye O’Brien | Melanie Larose |
| Akua Ntiamoah | Gary Kong | Melissa Martinez |
| Alicia Holliman | Gavin Hope | Monica Colon |
| Angel Bermudez | Georgiana Morgan | Nancy Ramirez |
| Anna Savinskaya | Gregory Henry | Natalya Gefter |
| Anthony Rodgers | Hillary Peart | Nicole Rowe |
| Aziza Tikue | Hiloise Butts | Niya Ferdinand |
| Barbara Rollins | Irene Huang | Patricia Rodriguez |
| Betty Dalrymple | Jacqueline Beckles | Pedro Alvear |
| Beverly Ward | Jennifer Lau | Peta-Gaye Simpson |
| Blair Gibbs | Jennifer Luciano | Princess Bryan- Colley |
| Blanca Escalante | Joan Hamilton | Richard Chow |
| Christel Dowridge | Jorene Peters | Sally Flores |
| Christina Tejada | Josephine Smith | Sally Kirton |
| Cindy Garcia | Julia Nansikombi | Samantha Nicholas |
| Cindy Segarra | Karmelia Marcus | Sandy Ho |
| Claudia Morrison | Kelly Triumph | Sarah Austin |
| Colene Holder | Kettra Johnson | Stella Etuk |
| Colletia Blair | Keysha Reid | Sumayah Woodson |
| Dalis De La Espada | Laura Burris | Susan D’cruze |
| Debra Barnes | Lucy Peng | Tanisha Duncan |
| Deloris Collins | Luisa Alba | Tonika John |
| Denise Noble | Lyubov Kuksinskaya | Vileesha Alford |
| Donna Langlais | Malverne Herald-Younge | Vivian Wu |
| Elizabeth Acosta | Marcia Roberts-Smith | Wendy Zeng |
| Elizabeth Alvarez | Marie Sicot | Xiomara Alvarez |
| Erika Arroyo | Mary Lau | Zalina Gafar |
| Erin Swinton | Maureena Lauchner |
