From left, St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center Secure Care Treatment Aides Sally Barse, John O’Shea, and Crystal Schack stand outside of one of the repurposed COVID booths on the center’s campus.
OGDENSBURG — When secure care treatment aides (SCTAs) at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center/Secure Treatment & Rehabilitation Center (SLPC/STARC) take individuals outside for programming during the winter months, temperatures are regularly below freezing and often in the single digits.
With the center directly on the St. Lawrence River, high winds off the river pose an added risk, lowering real-feel temperatures in the negatives.
CSEA St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center Local members are working with management to address these concerns and establish safety protocols to offer protection from the cold. Some creative and temporary fixes have been made, but members are eagerly awaiting capital project funding to find more permanent and effective solutions.
Repurposing the COVID booths
During the COVID-19 pandemic, wooden booths were built and used for CSEA members and other workers to undergo health screenings before entering the facility.
These booths are only about 4’ x 4’ with Plexiglas windows, and a thin foil insulation now lines the inside walls. CSEA members employed at the center advocated to repurpose them as a shelter from the cold to monitor individuals while outdoors.
“We’re lucky we were able to get these,” said Crystal Schack, a 17-year center employee. “Before that, we didn’t have anything.”
The booths have no electricity, so a small generator and heater are being provided. However, some potential safety issues need to be addressed.
The SCTAs have also recently been supplied with some basic winter gear, but only enough for people to share.
“The winter gear is there for us to use, but infection control-wise, there’s no procedure to get things cleaned,” said John O’Shea, a secure care treatment aide. “This facility has had instances of bedbugs and other infections, so we would need a separate washer and dryer for staff.”
Last winter, Sally Barse, a 10-year secure care treatment aide, was directed to go outdoors during her shift. She told management that it was too cold to safely do so without proper protection. A reference was made to the temperature at the front of the building, but the temperature difference between the front of the building and the area where individuals spend time outdoors can be drastically different because of the wind ripping off the river.
To address this concern, our union filed a grievance, which was decided in favor of CSEA. Barse noted that she is thankful for the victory.
One solution stemming from the grievance is that a small weather station was placed on the roof of the facility, and supervisors now have weather stations in their offices to be aware of outdoor conditions. This was deemed a small win, despite the weather station on the roof still not capturing the full picture because it’s further away from the wind chill effects.
“We all took a job where we work inside,” said O’Shea. “We were aware that we would occasionally have to be outside to oversee residents, but it’s a small fraction of our day. We don’t come to work every day prepared to face the elements all day. Even those who do come overprepared with electric coats and vests aren’t able to use them because the batteries aren’t allowed in the facility.”
Workers noted that they want to make it clear that they aren’t ungrateful for the temporary fixes, but they are eager to continue to work with management for more effective solutions.
“I am proud of our union members and their focus on safety, their adaptability in a challenging North Country climate, and their continued efforts in facing these challenges while still providing the best care possible to our individuals and upholding the St. Lawrence Psych Center mission,” said St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center Local Vice President Ashleigh Catlin.
— Nicholas Newcomb
More information about cold weather hazards, as well as CSEA’s Occupational Safety and Health specialists for each region and contact information, along with information on numerous other safety and health issues can be found at cseany.org/safety or by downloading the MyCSEA app for your smartphone or tablet.
