Information
The New England Health Care Employees Union, District 1199 and the Connecticut Nursing Homes Training and Upgrading Fund provides educational opportunities for 1199 members from nursing homes throughout the state of Connecticut. Training Fund programs are funded by the nursing homes, which have agreed to pay 1% of their gross payroll each month into the Fund for the length of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the union.
Employees who work at least eight hours per week (some CBAs require 20 hours) at a participating facility and have completed their probationary period are eligible for most of the Fund’s programs. An employee must have worked at a participating facility for at least one year to be eligible for Tuition Reimbursement.
Current Training Fund benefits and programs include:
- Adult Basic education
- Career and College Counseling
- Computer Skills Classes
- National External Diploma Program
- Transition to College and Careers
- Tuition Assistance
- Tutoring
CARING, 1199 Nursing Home Workers Tell Their Story
1199 Nursing Home Workers Tell Their Story in New Publication
On Thursday, May 12, 2016 close to 100 1199 members, staff, friends and family joined to congratulate 1199 members who recently had their stories published in “Caring: 1199 Nursing Home Workers Tell Their Story” by Hardball Press. Fifty-three stories were published in this new collection. Themes included work, family, immigration, the Union, and more. The book is available from the Training Fund office, at www.HardBallPress.com or at www.Amazon.com
1199 Members Complete New EKG Tech Course
CAPITAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE GRADUATES
STUDENTS FROM NEW EKG TECH COURSE
Last spring Capital Community College debuted a new course, EKG (Electrocardiogram) Technician. Run through the college’s School of Workforce and Continuing Education, the 63 hour course meets two evenings a week and prepares students to be employed in hospitals, laboratories or cardiologists’ offices.
This week, graduates of the Fall 2015 EKG Technician course were recognized. All twelve are health care workers who are members of District 1199, New England Healthcare Employees Union, and were sponsored by the 1199 Training and Upgrading Fund. Each year hundreds of unionized nursing home workers make use of the Fund to take adult ed programs, attend college or receive training at their workplace. The EKG course completion rate was 92%.
EKG Technicians specialize in electrocardiogram testing of patients. By attaching electrodes to the patient’s chest, arms and legs, EKG Technicians use EKG machines to monitor the heart’s performance. Data captured by EKG Technicians assists doctors in diagnosing heart conditions. Projected job growth in this field is expected to increase by 22% over the next ten years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Health and Life Sciences Career Initiative grant (HL-SCI) funded the new EKG program at Capital. It is one of three new programs that have been paid for and developed thanks to the grant. The HL-SCI grant team worked with Ruth Krems, Capital’s Coordinator of Nurse Aide Certification, and industry partners and experts to develop the program. The EKG program was evaluated for college credit by Charter Oak State College’s CCAP (Connecticut Credit Assessment Program), and has been awarded 3 college credits.
2015 Nursing Conference
2015 Nursing Conference
“This conference opened my eyes to new ideas!”
Over 60 nurses from throughout Connecticut attended
the 3rd annual Nursing Conference on November 17, 2015 in
Cromwell, CT. The conference theme was “Nurses as Leaders”
and workshops included:
Caring for Residents with Mental Illness
Pain—Assessment/Management
Self-Care Strategies for Caregivers
2015 Training Fund Conference
Close to 200 1199 members attended the 13th Annual Training Fund Conference (formerly the CNA Conference) on Tuesday, October 13. Here are a few things that members had to say about the conference:
“I’m an 1199 member and there wasn’t anywhere I would have rather been today!”
“I attend every year and every year I learn something new!”
“I found it very inspiring.”
“This was my first year at the conference and I felt like I belong.”
“Every year this is a day I take just for myself.”
“It is exciting, educational, insightful, and enjoyable!”
Workshops this year included:
- The Skin Care Fair
- Caring for Residents with Mental Illness
- Financial Skills for Working Families
- Secrets to Living a Low Stress Life
- Get Fit!
- Write the Workplace: Creative Writing
2015 GRADUATION
Hundreds of family, friends, co-workers, and Union leaders came together at the 2015 Training Fund graduation on Tuesday, June 16 to congratulate the 45 1199NE members who graduated in the course of 2014-2015. Members earned their high school diplomas, certificates, Associate’s Degrees, Bachelor’s Degrees, and Master’s Degrees with the help of the Training Fund. Speakers at this year’s graduation included:
Linford James, High School Diploma, Maple View Manor, Rocky Hill
Lurline Mullings, Long-term Care Certificate Program, Saint Mary Home, West Hartford
Dorothy Warner, Long-term Care Certificate Program, Chelsea Place, Hartford
Ian Fraser, Associate’s Degree-Nursing, Silver Springs Care Center, Meriden
Antoinette Osei-Bonsu, Bachelor’s Degree-Accounting, Fresh River Healthcare, East Windsor
Tanya Beckford, Bachelor’s Degree-Human Services, Newington Rapid Recovery Rehab Center
“With Our Loving Hands”
1199NE members Sharon Benjamin and Advira Linton had their stories published in “With Our Loving Hands.” On December 11, 2014, 1199NE members, family, and friends came together to celebrate the recent publication of “With Our Loving Hands” by Hardball Press. Fifty 1199 nursing home members had their stories published in this collection. The book is available at www.hardballpress.com or www.amazon.com
“In this book nursing home workers who care for the elderly and infirm tell their stories. These essential caregivers are too often ignored or disrespected. Yet their stories show us how their challenging work is so often motivated by love. Family members and friends who are admitted for long term care and perhaps, for the last stage of life, are comforted by these courageous workers whose loving hands hold them in their long, lonely night.”
Tim Sheard, Editor, Hard Ball Press.
2014 Nursing Conference
Over 80 nurses from throughout Connecticut attended the Training Fund’s 3rd Annual Nursing conference on Wednesday, November 19, 2014. The conference theme was “Nurses as Leaders” and workshops included:
- Being a coaching Leader
- Nursing Assessment 101
- Critical Thinking and Time Management
- How to Write the Perfect Nursing Notes
Comments from conference participants included:
- “It touched every issue that I deal with on a daily basis. Thank you!”
- “I got to hear what’s happening in the field, and it gave me some incentive to think about what my next move will be.”
- “It was very informative. The subjects directly related to my job.”
- “The workshops drew my attention to little things that are sometimes neglected, but make a lot of difference in the lives of our residents.”
2014 CNA Conference
Close to 200 1199 members attended the Training Fund’s 12th Annual CNA Conference on October 15, 2015 in Cromwell, CT. The theme of the conference was “Taking Care of Yourself to Care for Others” and workshop topics included:
- Change Made Easy
- The Energized CNA
- Get Fit!
- The Changing Face of Healthcare Industry Jobs
- Spanish for the Healthcare Worker
- Behavior Challenges: Caring for Residents with Mental Illness
Comments from members who attended included:
- “The information was awesome and eye opening!”
- “I really look forward to this conference every year…it gives me a day off from the stress of every day life.”
- “It gave me insight on how to deal with mentally challenged residents.”
- “This conference makes me think positively about life and work!”
2014 Graduation
On June 17, 2014 over 200 members, staff, family and friends attended the Training Fund’s annual graduation recognition ceremony. Close to 60 members graduated this year with degrees and certificates including High School Diploma, Certifications, Associate’s Degrees, Bachelor’s Degrees, and Master’s Degrees.
Naomi Vassell
“
This has been a journey, from getting my high school diploma to almost finishing my Associate’s Degree with the help of the Training Fund.”, Naomi states. Naomi Vassell, who will receive her Associate’s Degree in General Studies in May 2014 from Capital Community College, will continue on at Capital to pursue an Associate’s Degree in Social Services.
“I like school. I get anxious, with butterflies, but the challenges and accomplishments make me feel high! Even if I don’t get a job in my field, I will have the satisfaction of knowing I accomplished so much—a whole wealth of knowledge.”
Naomi, a CNA who started working at Chelsea Place in 1994, first saw a poster about the Training Fund in the employee lunch room. She didn’t have her driver’s license at that time, so she took a bus to get to class. She is a long time 1199 member and has used the Training Fund for her high school diploma, “bridging” to college, tuition reimbursement, college tutoring and Spanish for the Healthcare worker. Naomi finds the teachers she has had at the Training Fund and college, patient and willing to help.
She is a person who aspires to be a role model in encouraging others to use the Training Fund. She wants her co-workers to know that the Training Fund “(I)s there for them to use. She speaks of persistence when reflecting on her efforts—referencing Langston Hughes who spoke of “toiling when others were sleeping.” “If you don’t use the Fund, the management will take it away. And for those that think they’re too old—they’re not!”