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HHC Updates

Update for Wednesday, Jan. 2

TO ALL BELLEVUE HOSPITAL STAFF

Payday Distribution: 1/3/13 and 1/4/13

Those employees who receive a paycheck need to request permission from your Supervisor and Human Resources at the facility they are working at if they wish to pick up their paycheck at Bellevue Hospital Center, H building - South Lobby on the ground floor.

Those who receive a Direct Deposit Advice do not need pick up their advice since we are in the process of mailing them out.

This payday, Thursday, January 3, 2013, Bellevue Hospital employees may pick up their paychecks (as stated above, permission to leave early is required) after 3:00 through 7:30 PM at Bellevue Hospital Center, H Building- South Lobby on the ground floor and will resume distribution on Friday, January 4, 2013 from 7:30 AM through 5:00 PM at the same location.

Direct Deposits will be deposited into the employee's account by Friday, payday.

If you miss the pick-up: All paychecks that were not picked up will be mailed out to your address on file on the following Tuesday, after payday.

We will inform you of any changes. Please share with all staff not on GroupWise.

Happy New Year.

Update for Thursday, Dec. 20

TO ALL BELLEVUE HOSPITAL STAFF

Payday Distribution: 12/20/12 and 12/21/12

Those employees who receive a paycheck need to request permission from your Supervisor and Human Resources at the facility they are working at if they wish to pick up their paycheck at Bellevue Hospital Center, H building - South Lobby on the ground floor.

NOTE: The payroll office will not be paying out from the first floor, Payroll Department.

Those who receive a Direct Deposit Advice do not need pick up their advice since it will be mailed out in late December.

This payday, Thursday, December 20, 2012, Bellevue Hospital employees may pick up their paychecks (as stated above, permission to leave early is required) after 3:00 through 7:30 PM at Bellevue Hospital Center, H Building South Lobby on the ground floor and will resume distribution on Friday, December 21, 2012 from 7:30 AM through 5:00 PM at the same location.

Direct Deposits will be deposited into the employee’s account by Friday, payday.

If you miss the pick-up: All paychecks that were not picked up will be mailed out to your address on file on the following Wednesday, after payday.

We will inform you of any changes. Please share with all staff not on GroupWise.

Happy Holiday.

Update for Friday, Dec. 7

Please note that the deadline for applications for assistance from The Fund for HHC has been extended until December 31, 2012. Please share this information with your HHC colleagues.

Update for Tuesday, Nov. 13

The Fund for HHC has released the following information for applying for hurricane relief. You can also apply for hurricane relief from the NYSNA Disaster Relief Fund, as well. Click HERE to apply.

How to Apply for Hurricane Relief for HHC Employees

Yesterday, The Fund for HHC announced its campaign to raise money for employee Hurricane Relief. Through this campaign, The Fund will provide small, one-time monetary grants to assist HHC staff members who have been affected by the storm, and are suffering ongoing hardship.

As usual, HHC staff members are there for each other. We are pleased to report that we are already getting a strong response to our request. Donations are coming in steadily, from members of the HHC community as well as from friends and colleagues outside of HHC that want to help.

The following is the information we are requesting from those who need support. Please send it to us via e-mail to fund@nychhc.org, by fax at 646.458.3890, or by mail to The Fund for HHC, Attn: Hurricane Relief Fund, 346 Broadway, Suite 715W, New York, NY 10013.

Here’s what we need:

Title, first and last name

Permanent address

Current phone number

Cell phone number

HHC Facility and department where you are employed

Address where you are presently living

Number of family members in your household

If awarded, where money should be sent

Current need or particular hurricane hardship that you are enduring (100 words or less)

And for those of you who would still like to make a financial contribution, please click on the Donate button at thefundforhhc.org to make a credit card donation. Checks should be made payable to The Fund for HHC, Hurricane Relief and mailed to The Fund for HHC, 346 Broadway, Suite 715, New York, New York, 10013.

Please note that material goods: blankets, clothes, etc. -- should be donated to the Red Cross or other organizations that are prepared to receive and process them. Again, thank you for your concern for fellow HHC employees in need, and your cooperation at this difficult time. And to those who need our help, we are here for you.

Joe Schick, Executive Director
The Fund for HHC

Update for Wednesday, Nov 7

Paycheck Distribution

Disclaimer: This is the latest information that we have received from HHC management. To make sure that there are no misunderstandings, please confirm this information with your direct supervisor.

Bellevue’s Payroll Staff have been relocated to:
Metropolitan Hospital Center
1901 First Avenue
New York, NY 10029

Direct Deposits:
Direct Deposits will be deposited into employees’ accounts as usual.

Paychecks and Direct Deposit Advices:
Paychecks and direct deposit advices will be disbursed on payday, Thursday, 11/8/12, after 3:00pm through 8:00pm, and on Friday, 11/9/12, from 8:00am through 8:00pm at Metropolitan Hospital Center from the Mental Health Building, 4th Floor, Room 4M5. Enter from the Second Avenue entrance.

Hospital Police, Facilities and Environmental (Housekeeping) staff:
The checks/advices for Hospital Police, Facilities and Environmental (Housekeeping) staff only will be distributed at Bellevue by their respective departments.

If you miss the pick-up:
All Paychecks that were not picked up will be mailed out to your address on file on Tuesday, November 13, 2012.
All Direct Deposit Advices that are not picked up will be mailed out on a quarterly basis which will be in December.

Thank you as always for your cooperation.

Update for Tuesday, Nov. 6

From HHC Management: Deployment instructions for Bellevue staff

Below is the text of an announcement from HHC management, with instructions for deployment for Bellevue staff.

Click HERE to download the announcement as a one-page .pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader required.) The text, from HHC management, follows:

Bellevue Hospital Center Deployment Message

Thank you for calling Bellevue Hospital Center. If you have received your deployment assignment from your supervisor, please report directly to your new facility’s Human Resources Department on Wednesday, November 7 at 9:00 AM. For employees that have been deployed to Harlem Hospital, please report to Lincoln Hospital first to be processed.

Bellevue employees who have NOT received their deployment assignment should report to Bellevue Hospital on Wednesday, November 7th at the following times based on your title:

REPORTING TIME TO BELLEVUE HOSPITAL FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2012

7:30AM	REGISTERED NURSES LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES
9:00AM	PATIENT CARE ASSOCIATES PATIENT CARE TECHNICIANS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES PSYCH SOCIAL HEALTH TECHNICIANS
10:00AM	CLERICAL ASSOCIATES ASST. COORDINATING MANAGERS COORDINATING MANAGERS PHARMACISTS PHARMACY TECHNICIANS DIETARY AIDES DIETITIANS
10:30 AM	FINANCE STAFF PHARMACY LABORATORY/ PATHOLOGY AFFILIATE STAFF
11:00AM	ALL OTHER TITLES OR DEPARTMENTS

PLEASE NOTE: ALL FACILITIES MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AND HOSPITAL POLICE EMPLOYEES ARE TO REPORT TO DUTY AT BELLEVUE HOSPITAL AT YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED TOUR.

Thank you.

The HHC/Mayoral Executive Council Meeting is being rescheduled due to a new storm forecast.

The meeting will be held immediately following the NYSNA Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 6:00 - 8:00 PM, at The New Yorker Hotel, 481 8th Ave. and 34th St., New York. Conference room location to be determined.
Coler Hospital: facility electrical system link to power grid was destroyed by water; power is now being provided by 8 generators and is mostly restored througout the facility; heat and hot water are provided by steam pipes connected to a power plant at Goldwater, but were turned off when the steam pipe tunnel linking Coler to Goldwater and the basement of Coler filled with water; Coler has installed a mobile boiler and is working to connect to the steam pipes and restore full heat and hot water service. Coler will remain in operation and there are currently no plans to move patients from the facility.
Payroll: All employees who receive direct deposit will be paid as usual, with no disruptions, including nurses employed at Bellevue and Coney Island. Bellevue nurses who receive paper paychecks are being instructed to pick up their checks at Metropolitan Hospital. Coney Island nurses who receive paper paychecks are being instructed to pick up their checks at Coney Island. The specific information received from HHC is the following:

Bellevue Hospital: Our tentative plans for Bellevue are as follows:
For the 1300 or so people that receive real checks, we will direct them to pick up their checks at Metropolitan.
For the check advisories we will not say anything. If staff present at Metropolitan we will have the advisories there and will distribute them. For anyone that calls we will say that they have three choices;
1. pick up the advisory at Met
2. pick up the advisory at the facility you are working at (we will send after payday)
3. we will mail the advisory
For the off cycle B1 payroll on Thursday, Nov 15, we plan on distributing the checks in the atrium at Bellevue (which is what we did last Thursday.) Most of the staff on this payroll cycle are still working at here (Facilities, Hospital Police)
Pat Slesarchik
Assistant Vice-President, Labor Relations
New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation

Coney Island Hospital: Coney will distribute paychecks from 432 Tower Building Coney Island Hospital.
Nurses should contact their hospital to confirm the above information before making travel arrangements in case there are any changes in the above instructions.
Staffing Emergency: HHC position is that a staffing emergency/crisis is still in effect, despite the fact that the actual storm ended days ago. The ongoing impact of conditions in the aftermath of the storm justifies continued crisis designation. This means that there may still be mandatory overtime and other measures implemented to maintain staffing and patient care. Please contact your local NYSNA representatives to relay any problems or issues with ongoing mandatory/involuntary overtime or other staffing issues, including shortages of RN staff on your units.

If you are having pay or WOP status issues related to your inability to make it to work during or after the storm, contact your local representatives for assistance. It is our position that nurses who were unable to report to work during the storm will be allowed to use emergency annual, personal or compensatory time to be paid. HHC has stated that nurses would not be in WOP status and would be able to take emergency leave time. Sick leave usage may also be used, but will require documentation according to HHC. Nurses who worked during the storm and were mandated to perform involuntary overtime or were directed to stay on the premises at the end of their regularly scheduled shifts should treat such time as work time and should be paid in full, including overtime rate pay. If you have any questions or problems, please contact your local representatives.

Update for Sunday, Nov. 4

We will provide regular updates about the status of HHC facilities.

Disclaimer: This is the latest information that we have received from HHC management. To make sure that there are no misunderstandings, please confirm this information with your direct supervisor.

As of 2:00 PM on Sunday, Coler Hospital on Roosevelt Island remains in operation. Crews are working on getting the hospital back on full electric power and to restore heat, hot water, and elevator service. The hospital is now operating on generator power, and mobile water boilers are being installed to provide heat and hot water.
Some Coler patients were moved to Goldwater Hospital, which suffered minimal damage in the storm and is fully operational. No further patient transfer is expected at this time.
A heavy duty mobile generator has arrived at Coler. Some Coler nurses say the generator was supposed to power the headquarters for the NYC Marathon. NYSNA wrote an open letter to the Mayor asking him to postpone the marathon, and put those resources to work restoring our healthcare facilities.

UPDATE For Friday, Nov. 2

We will provide regular updates about the status of Bellevue Hospital and Coney Island Hospital, and the work nurses are doing to restore service there as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: This is the latest information that we have received from HHC management. To make sure that there are no misunderstandings, please confirm this information with your direct supervisor.

All nurses should report to work at your hospital at your regularly assigned shift and sign in, unless otherwise instructed. You will be paid for your normal shift if you report to work.
For Bellevue nurses only: Unless you have been in contact with your immediate supervisor, all staff are required to call the employee hotline at 212.562.2800, four hours prior to your shift. There will be a pre-recorded message for daily directives. If you choose to provide your employer with your personal email, the message on the employee hotline will be emailed to you 4 hours prior to your tour - to provide your e-mail to HHC, complete the form in the Bellevue main lobby. Remember to check your spam and junk folders in case the message is routed there.
If you are unable to report to your shift, you will be marked as taking Unscheduled Annual Leave.
HHC administration is taking staffing requests from other HHC facilities.Staff with the needed competencies may be re-deployed to other HHC hospitals.
For nurses who are re-deployed, management has informed us that they will be making arrangement to provide transportation to and from Bellevue. Talk to your supervisor for the exact details.
If you were unable to report to work on Monday or Tuesday, mark yourself as “49,” the code for Unscheduled Annual Leave.
If you use sick leave, hospital administration will require you to provide documentation like a doctor's note.
HHC is in the process of setting up an information hotline for staff.
If you need emergency assistance from the federal government, you can apply for assistance here http://www.fema.gov/apply-assistance or by calling 800.621.3362.
If you or someone you is a renter in New York City, and your rental housing is currently unusable, you may qualify for rental protection from the NYC Department of Housing Preservation. Contact them for more information at 212.863.6020.

Update for Wednesday, Oct 31

The backup generator at Bellevue Hospital has failed, and the hospital is being evacuated temporarily. We will provide updated information as it becomes available, here on the NYSNA website.

According to hospital management, nurses scheduled to work tonight (October 31) should report to the hospital to assist with the evacuation, unless otherwise instructed.

At a meeting today, hospital management relayed the following information:

Three medical units will be open in sister HHC hospitals, two in Metropolitan and one in Harlem. Psychiatric units will be opened in Elmhurst and Kings County. Bellevue nurses will be redeployed to cover these units.
All Bellevue agency staff will be canceled.
The remaining Bellevue RN staff will be offered opportunities to work on these units or take annual leave.
The city is setting up a contact number for follow-up information.
Some patients were discharged and transferred to Northshore Manhasset, Columbia Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, and potentially Lenox Hill Hospital. No Bellevue RN will follow these transfers. These patients have been officially accepted by the receiving hospital.

No one knows how long the closure will last. In the meeting, management stated the temporary closure could last for two weeks.

With the evacuation of NYU Langone and Downtown Medical Center on Monday night, healthcare access below 57th Street is very limited. The only hospital still operating in this area is Beth Israel, on 17th St., which is operating with limited service on a generator.

NYSNA nurses are on the front lines of recovering from this storm, and all of New York appreciates the extraordinary work you are doing.

We will provide updated information as it becomes available.

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The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.