Joint Statement from Waterbury Hospital and Connecticut Health Care Associates District 1199, NUHHCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 6, 2020
WATERBURY, Conn. – April 6, 2020 – Waterbury Hospital and Connecticut Health Care Associates District 1199, National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employers (CHCA/NUHHCE), the labor union that represents the hospital’s nursing staff and technical positions including respiratory therapists, and radiology and surgical technicians, today hailed the spirit of cooperation and collaboration that has enabled them to work effectively together to care for the community during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.
Waterbury Hospital has taken significant steps to ensure that it has sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment on hand to care for patients and keep staff safe. The hospital continues to plan for anticipated protective equipment needs, which remains a challenge for all healthcare providers as COVID-19 surges occur across the country.
Additionally, the hospital has committed to making sure employees are kept informed and up to date during the health crisis. To that end, the hospital’s leadership conducts daily town hall meetings for employees and distributes daily update memos. To further strengthen communications between them, the hospital and CHCA have agreed to hold twice-weekly update calls for as long as the outbreak persists.
“We commend the willingness of CHCA’s leadership to work with us during these difficult days,” said Lester Schindel, Waterbury Hospital’s CEO. “We both agree that the best way forward is to collaborate in pursuit of our common goal – protecting the health and safety of our patients, our employees and our community. We are united in our pride and admiration for the physicians, nurses and other staff at Waterbury Hospital who, like their fellow caregivers across the nation, demonstrate their commitment and dedication every day while caring for our patients.”
“We appreciate the effort Waterbury Hospital is making to help keep our members safe and informed,” said Dave Hannon, CHCA’s Secretary/Treasurer. “The hospital is listening to our members’ concerns and we’re happy that they’re moving in the right direction. Our goals are the same. We are all focused on making sure residents of our community receive the quality, compassionate care they need and deserve while keeping our frontline nurses and other caregivers safe.”
Waterbury Hospital is adhering to guidelines issued by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to safely and effectively identify, isolate and treat suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients and all patients in need of care.
The hospital’s emergency department and all other inpatient departments are flexing resources to support each other and to serve the community during this pandemic.
About Waterbury HEALTH
Waterbury HEALTH, which includes Waterbury Hospital, Alliance Medical Group, Cardiology Associates of Greater Waterbury, VNA Health at Home and Access Rehab Centers, Greater Waterbury Imaging Center, offers comprehensive healthcare services including primary care, emergency and acute care, and home healthcare. Serving Waterbury and 11 surrounding communities in Western Connecticut, Waterbury HEALTH is a member of Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc., a national family of hospitals and healthcare networks.
About CHCA District 1199, NUHHCE
Found in 1976, CHCA currently represents over 3000 hospital & healthcare workers, school nurses, and public health employees in Connecticut. CHCA is proudly affiliated with the National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Workers, AFSCME and the AFL-CIO.