Spotlight on Your Funds
April 2021
The Benefit Fund Vaccinates 500 Members and Retirees in Six Days, More to Follow 

Your 1199SEIU employees and members are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at record rates as the Union and Benefit Fund continue to educate them and answer their questions about the vaccines. According to the Union’s most recent poll, 1199SEIU members’ hesitancy about being vaccinated is declining steadily. In January, the Benefit Fund made a special outreach to help 2,300 Home Care members get vaccinated. Most recently, the Fund received a 500-dose supply of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the state, and Worksite Wellness nurses at Funds Headquarters contributed to the overall vaccination effort by administering shots to members and retirees. After distributing the initial 500 doses and compiling a waiting list, the Fund received an additional supply of vaccines and have expanded the invitation to be vaccinated to Union and Funds staff.

In partnership with the Union and the Training and Employment Funds, the Benefit Fund has hosted more than 30 “Get the Facts” Tele-Town Halls and webinars with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Van H. Dunn. To date, the joint information campaign has helped educate nearly 25,000 members, including 17,000 retired members who participated in Tele-Town Halls designed especially for them. There have also been 29,000 page views for COVID-19 resources on the Funds’ website.
 
The Union and Benefit Fund’s robust campaign was showcased in a recent New York Magazine article, which highlighted the joint effort to address members’ concerns about the vaccines and demonstrated the leadership role 1199SEIU members have assumed in supporting vaccination within the healthcare industry. Educational efforts continue. 
 
For updated information and resources about the COVID-19 vaccines, please visit www.1199SEIUFunds.org/vaccines
Training and Employment Funds Offer Foundational Programs
This spring, more than 1,500 students have enrolled in 128 classes in the 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds’ (TEF) foundational programs, which provide your 1199SEIU employees and members with the academic and communication skills they need to advance in their healthcare careers. Programs include those for members whose education has been interrupted and who want to complete high school or enroll in college. The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses are for those who need to improve their English skills or who want to obtain U.S. citizenship. TEF also offers Digital Literacy to prepare members for online learning and Spanish language classes to enhance their workplace skills. Due to the ongoing pandemic, all programs are delivered remotely via Zoom, and TEF will offer Zoom workshops over the summer for students taking classes in the fall. In order to place members at the appropriate level, TEF requires that prospective participants take a placement test for each program. For more information, your employees and members may call (844) 833-1199. 
Meet Our Featured Member

Linda has always relied on her 1199SEIU Funds to help keep her and her family healthy—never more so than throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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1199SEIU Funds News is a monthly email produced by the 1199SEIU Funds. Copyright 2021.
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