Page 8 - Work Force June 2025

8 The Work Force June 2025
BRENTWOOD — Thanks to the
efforts of CSEA members, a sexual
assault at Pilgrim Psychiatric Center
was quickly stopped in its tracks.
Pilgrim Psychiatric Center Mental
Health Therapy Aides Shaquira
Anderson, Kareem Moore and
Cordell Nix were busy with their
duties when an individual attacked a
staff member who is represented by
another union. The individual had
partially disrobed the staff member
and threw the worker to the floor.
Anderson, who was standing
nearby, immediately began to apply
her training and began pulling
the individual off of the worker.
Hearing the commotion, Moore and
Nix rushed into the room where
they found the incident occurring.
Moore and Nix joined Anderson in
restraining the individual.
In addition to restraining the
individual, Anderson, Moore and
Nix kept order among the other
individuals on the psychiatric ward,
making their efforts even more
impressive.
“He [the individual] had a really
tight grip on the worker,” said
Moore. “He’s a big, strong guy, so the
three of us had to work hard to get
him off of her.”
While the individual was being
contained, the staff memnber who
was assaulted ran out of the room
toward safety.
Due to the security cameras on
the ward, the entire incident was
recorded and reviewed by CSEA
and Pilgrim Psychiatric Center
management. It was clear that
the individual was staring at both
Anderson and the worker who was
attacked, waiting for the right time
to strike. The group concluded that
the workers handled the situation
correctly.
Anderson, Moore and Nix
credit their quick response time
with always being aware of their
surroundings.
“We work on a ward with
aggressive individuals, so we always
have our heads on a swivel,” said
Nix. “Anything can happen, at any
second. We are trained to react.”
The individual was subsequently
moved to another facility.
Our union is continuing to work
on a long-term solution to ensure
adequate staffing and safety at state
Office of Mental Health facilities.
Representatives from CSEA,
Pilgrim Psychiatric Center
management and other unions on
‘We are trained to react:’
CSEA members stop assault
campus are holding meetings to
work out an expedited and cohesive
plan to address violent attacks at the
psychiatric center that satisfies the
workers and administration.
The swift response of our union
members speaks to the importance
of investing in employees through
education and maintaining staffing
levels.
“Anything can happen, at any
moment,” said Anderson. “If we don’t
have proper staffing levels, it could
slow down our response time. We
need as many sets of eyes as we
can to spot problems and quickly
respond to them.”
Despite the gravity of the
situation, members are happy that
they were able to stop the attack
before it developed into something
much worse.
“Being a woman and standing
right next to the worker when she
was assaulted, I know it could have
been me,” said Anderson. “As shaken
up as we all were after the attack, I
know that if we had to do it all over
again, we would still want to be
there to help her.”
— Wendi Bowie
CSEA Pilgrim Psychiatric Center Local Mental Health Therapy Aides
Kareem Moore, Shaquira Anderson and Cordell Nix hold certificates of
appreciation presented to them by psychiatric center representatives.
ALBANY — CSEA members joined
other health care workers from
across the Capital Region, including
nurses, medical researchers and
direct care workers, for a forum to
share their personal stories and
voice growing concerns over the
Trump administration’s health care
policies and proposed funding cuts.
During the forum, sponsored
by the New York State AFL-CIO
and the Capital District Area
Labor Federation, union members
discussed how federal cuts are
straining health care services,
threatening jobs and jeopardizing
patient care.
Capital District DDSO Local 3rd
Vice President Zakiya Rhymer, a
direct support assistant, participated
on the forum’s panel.
“I urge federal lawmakers to look
beyond the numbers and see the
human faces behind these services,”
said Rhymer. “Medicaid cuts would
hurt people with disabilities,
people with mental illness and the
dedicated staff who support them
every day. We should invest more,
not less, in the services that allow
our communities to thrive.”
Rhymer also noted how these
cuts to funding seriously hinder the
department’s ability to recruit new
employees and retain seasoned staff.
U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-20),
a longtime advocate for working
people and quality health care, was a
featured guest at the forum. A strong
supporter of labor, Tonko listened
to front-line workers’ firsthand
accounts.
“I’m proud to stand with the
workers of our Capital Region
in fierce opposition to these
devastating cuts to earned benefits
like Medicaid and Medicare,” said
Tonko. “Today, we heard directly
from healthcare workers about how
these reckless proposals would
strip millions of Americans of a vital
lifeline – all while putting good-
paying jobs at risk and threating
the quality care our communities
rely on. I will always continue to
fight in Washington to protect these
critical programs and support the
Health care workers raise alarm over federal cuts
hardworking people who deliver
care with dignity and compassion
every day.”
— New York State AFL-CIO
U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko and Capital
District DDSO Local 3rd Vice
President Zakiya Rhymer. (Photo by
Nicholas Newcomb)