CSEA members are working around the clock to provide care to those who served our country in uniform and now reside in state veterans homes, with many facing the challenges of dealing with COVID-19 in their facilities like other public and private nursing homes.
Taylor
Omar Taylor, a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook, said he and his co-workers are dedicated to providing quality care to residents at the facility.
“We give our residents the full attention that they need during this crisis,” Taylor said. “I do my best to treat them with dignity. The virus is rampant here. One day, you find out a resident is sick, and the next day you come in for work and that person is gone. It happens quickly here.”
Taylor, who is also a chaplain, is comforting his co-workers and residents.
“Our residents are there because they can’t take care of themselves,” Taylor said. “If we’re not there to take care of them, what are they going to do? We can’t just not go to work because we’re worried. It’s not just about me and my family. People’s lives are at stake.”
Baptiste
At the New York State Veterans Home in St. Albans, Queens, essential workers like CSEA member and activist Allyson Baptiste are working around the clock to care and protect residents.
“It’s emotionally draining,” said Baptiste. “These are my patients.”
Also feeling the impact of COVID-19 are workers and residents at the New York State Veterans Home at Montrose in Westchester County.
“There has been coronavirus in every wing of the facility,” said Mid-Hudson State Employees Local President Tim McNamara. “There is no area of the home that hasn’t been impacted.”
McNamara said Montrose workers are working overtime to keep up with staffing challenges and the impact of the virus. He noted that every CSEA member working there has an important role and is at risk of exposure. Workers have gotten sick, he added.
“I applaud them for going in there every day and doing the work they do,” McNamara said. “We have CNAs providing direct care. We also have support staff, custodial and food service workers who have regular contact with residents there.”
Blujus
CSEA Buffalo State Employees Local President Paul Blujus, a certified nursing assistant at the New York State Veterans Home in Batavia, said most workers at the home have adjusted to new protocols and are understandably anxious. As this edition was going press, the Batavia home had no confirmed COVID-19 cases.
“In the meantime, we are doing our best to take care of our veterans who call this facility home,” he said.
Blujus said the home has received 150 reusable face shields that were donated by a Syracuse company.
“We appreciate the donation of PPE, but we know there is still a great need for a backup supply of PPE equipment,” Blujus said. “Under these circumstances, our members are still showing up prepared for work and getting the job done. It’s the least we can do for the veterans who sacrificed so much and call this facility home.”
At the New York State Veterans Home at Oxford, our members are also working hard to ensure the residents get quality care.
“Being a part of this team is like being part of a big family,” said Kalah Quinn, a Medicaid coordinator at the home and CSEA activist. “I am proud of each and every one of our members who are on the front lines fighting this pandemic and doing their part to care for those who have fought on the front lines for us.”
— Wendi Bowie, David Galarza, Jessica Ladlee, Ove Overmyer and Nicholas Newcomb
