Employer News - Summer 2011

1199SEIU Funds 330 West 42nd Street New York, NY 10036-6977 www.1199SEIUFunds.org

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID New York, NY Permit No. 3700

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Summer 2011

Our National Benefit

Training and Upgrading Fund Launches Bronx Collaborative to Enhance 1199SEIU Workers’ Skills and Improve Patient Outcomes Our 1199SEIU Funds have a strong connection with the Bronx, in large part because it is the borough where the majority of 1199SEIU members live and work. It is also the borough with the highest chronic disease and mortality rates in New York City. To help our institutions and healthcare workforce provide the care that Bronx residents need, the 1199SEIU Training and Upgrading Fund (TUF) has teamed up with Bronx healthcare employers, the Union, CUNY, community-based outreach organizations (CBOs) and 1199SEIU members and other healthcare workers to launch the Bronx Healthcare Learning Collaborative (BHLC). At a May 5th event to launch the program, coalition members identified obstacles to quality, culturally competent care for residents of the Bronx. The discussion centered on ways to support effective, safe patient care, particularly through improving communication with this largely Spanish-speaking population.

The BHLC will help recruit and train more bilingual – especially Spanish-speaking – healthcare workers who give direct care to patients. By increasing the number of bilingual Latinos in the healthcare workforce, offering programs to train and upgrade 1199SEIU workers, tracking the career progress of bilingual employees and working with CUNY and other colleges to develop career ladders, the collaborative hopes to improve the quality of care in the borough. The project is funded, in part, by the New York Community Trust and the Jonas Foundation.

Eligible 1199SEIU workers with a high school diploma or GED can take advantage of classes to help improve their professional and language skills in order to advance their careers. Employees may be eligible for paid tuition, academic support and onsite childcare (while attending evening or Saturday classes). If you would like to refer your 1199SEIU employees to this program, please have them contact Melissa Coss, Project Director, at (718) 562-3667, extension 686.

From left: Deborah King, 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds Executive Director and Dr. Steve Safyer, President and CEO of Montefiore Medical Center and Co-Chair of the Project Advisory Committee.

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Fund’s commitment to reining in rising healthcare costs has helped us achieve our mandated cost savings goals almost four years ahead of schedule.

In this issue 2

National Benefit Fund Set to Exceed Cost Savings Goals Ahead of Schedule

2

Union-Management-Fund Wellness Advisory Committee Launches Workplace Wellness Initiative

3

Child Care Corporation Teacher Honored for Excellence in Early Childhood Education

3

Save the Date for the Annual “Care for Kids” Awards Gala

4

Training and Upgrading Fund Launches Bronx Collaborative to Enhance 1199SEIU Workers’ Skills and Improve Patient Outcomes

At our 1199SEIU Funds, we recognize the importance of each contributed dollar. That is why, in our day-to-day work, we focus on managing our resources carefully to provide the most cost-effective benefits and programs to support your 1199SEIU employees’ health, retirement security, professional development and family life.

In this issue, we are excited to share with you how our National Benefit Fund’s commitment to reining in rising healthcare costs has helped us achieve our mandated cost savings goals almost four years ahead of schedule. You will also read about how the Benefit Fund is partnering with our employers and institutions to tackle the high financial and physical costs of chronic illness among 1199SEIU members through an innovative, collaborative Worksite Wellness Initiative. At the same time, our Training and Employment Funds are working closely with our Bronx institutions on a targeted initiative that will give your 1199SEIU employees the skills they need to tackle the alarming rates of chronic diseases among the borough’s residents.

Finally, we applaud one of the many extraordinary teachers at our Child Care Corporation’s Future of America Learning Center, who was recently recognized for her exceptional work.

We hope you enjoy reading about these recent successes and exciting new programs. As always, we look forward to working with you throughout the year to continue improving the health of our 1199SEIU members, our institutions, our patients and our communities.

Sincerely,

Mitra Behroozi Executive Director Benefit and Pension Funds

Deborah King Executive Director Training and Employment Funds

Vivian Fox Executive Director Child Care Funds

National Benefit Fund Set to Exceed Cost Savings Goals Ahead of Schedule

Child Care Corporation Teacher Honored for Excellence in Early Childhood Education

In the 2009 collective bargaining agreement, the National Benefit Fund was mandated to introduce more costcontainment programs that would save an additional $44.4 million annually, or a reduction of 3 percent in the cost of health benefits by January 1, 2015. Now, with almost four years left to go before that deadline, the Fund’s actuaries are already predicting annualized savings of more than $46 million by 2015, easily exceeding the mandated goal.

Sponsored by the 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation (CCC), the Future of America Learning Center (FALC) offers 1199SEIU members and other working families valuable early childhood education programs that provide children with the tools needed for academic, cognitive and social development.

This early success is the result of both aggressive cost management and creative benefit design developed with the close involvement of our Trustees’ Cost Containment Committee. Our approach has generated significant savings without sacrificing care, quality or access by replacing our multiple provider networks for care outside New York City with just one network, renegotiating the fee schedules for our preferred lab and radiology providers, and purchasing durable medical equipment through a preferred network. At the same time, our clinical staff has worked closely with Medco to continually update our prescription programs and

Preferred Drug List to maximize our savings while ensuring 1199SEIU members are receiving the most appropriate care.

Of course, this recent achievement represents only a portion of the total savings generated by the Fund’s costcontainment programs over the past several years. When the totals from earlier existing initiatives – including the mail-order prescription program, Medicare HMO for retirees, and preferred lab and provider networks are factored in – the Fund is achieving annual savings of more than $200 million per year.

These savings, along with carefully managing our resources and keeping our administrative costs low, have enabled the Fund to hold costs below the national average, with a net average cost increase of 4.5 percent over the past three years, compared with the national trend of over 7 percent per year.

And while the Fund’s cost to cover a family of four is $13,628, the New York City average in 2010 was $21,477, according to the Milliman Medical Index.

Union-Management-Fund Wellness Advisory Committee Launches Workplace Wellness Initiative In the last issue of 1199SEIU Funds Employer News, we told you about the Labor-Management-Fund Wellness Committee that the Union, the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes and the National Benefit Fund formed to support worksite collaboration that will promote better health for your 1199SEIU employees.After months of planning, an Advisory Committee – comprising representatives from North Shore-LIJ, Montefiore Medical Center, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Beth Israel/Continuum Health Partners, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian – was created to share best practices and provide feedback to the Committee’s overall plans.

A second meeting of the Advisory Committee, with new additions from Lutheran Medical Center, Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care & Rehabilitation and Jewish Home Life Care, met most recently in June to discuss financial incentives to help encourage participation in worksite wellness initiatives.

2 EMPLOYER NEWS Summer 2011

Financial Incentives Available for Up to Ten Institutions As part of the NBF’s contract with our disease management and health coaching service, we are able to award up to ten institutions $4,500 a year in incentive money to encourage employee participation in wellness initiatives in your workplaces. Institutions can compete for the annual incentive by demonstrating that they have created initiatives addressing their employees’ food and fitness challenges. To help get institutions started, the Committee has put together a menu of potential projects to choose from, such as starting a walking program or holding a contest for submitting recipes for the new edition of the Fund’s cookbook, What’s Cooking Now. Of course, institutions are free to create their own programs, as many already have – from Zumba workshops to “Biggest Loser” contests! Look for more details on how to apply for the funding in the coming months.

As a testament to the quality of the Learning Center curriculum and of our highly skilled teaching staff, one of the Center’s head teachers, Nila Johnson, recently received the Excellence in Teaching Recognition Award from the New York City Early Childhood Professional Development Institute. The Institute presents its award twice a year to teachers who “create nurturing environments, strong bonds with families and communities, and meaningful learning experiences for children.”

Ms. Johnson turned to early childhood education after teaching at high school and collegiate levels domestically and abroad, in the Philippines and in Nigeria.The daughter of a teacher, she chose the profession in part because she was inspired by how much her father’s students respected and admired him, and by the lasting impact he was able to make on their lives.

After becoming a mother, Ms. Johnson found a new appreciation for the way toddlers grow and develop. To continue building her skills, she pursued a Master’s degree in Education from Lehman College. Ms. Johnson’s experience

Save the Date for the Annual “Care for Kids” Awards Gala The 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation will host its fifth annual “Care for Kids” Awards Gala on Monday, December 5, 2011, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in New York City.

The gala is an annual fundraiser for child care and youth programs that benefit low-income families in the communities that our institutions serve – families who lack access to affordable, collectively bargained child care benefits.

In addition to supporting the 1199SEIU Future of America Learning Centers, the gala also aids the Child Care Corporation in grooming a new generation of healthcare workers who will deliver quality care in our institutions.

For more information about the gala, please call (212) 564-2220.

in early childhood education professionally, personally and academically has given her a multifaceted perspective, enriching her understanding of the ways children learn. Her observations inside and outside of the classroom have made her more attentive to children and more sensitive to their needs.

Ms. Johnson is proud of FALC’s commitment to exploring a variety of teaching methods and to encouraging teacher input in curriculum planning. Her recognition has caused her to reflect on her lengthy career in education and to encourage both new and veteran teachers to never stop learning. She makes the effort to be at her best for her students every day. “When is that moment of influence or impact?” she asks. “I never know which day will be the one that has a life-changing impact on a child’s life. Every day is preparation for that moment.”

It is clear that Ms. Johnson has had the same lasting influence on her students as her father did. Recently, several of Ms. Johnson’s former high school students from her first job in the Philippines located her, hoping to reunite with “their favorite teacher.” Now living in New York as accomplished adults, in no small part due to her influence, they took pride in introducing her to their own children.

Among the goals Ms. Johnson set when beginning her career were to attain a graduate degree in teaching and to have a positive impact on the lives of children. Indeed, her students and fellow staff at FALC believe Nila Johnson has accomplished her professional goals. This summer, as her own daughter prepares to graduate from Lehman College, Ms. Johnson’s alma mater, she witnesses the fulfillment of her personal goals as well.

We congratulate Nila Johnson, just one of the many extraordinarily skilled and dedicated teachers making a difference in the lives of our 1199SEIU families.

Summer 2011 EMPLOYER NEWS 3

National Benefit Fund Set to Exceed Cost Savings Goals Ahead of Schedule

Child Care Corporation Teacher Honored for Excellence in Early Childhood Education

In the 2009 collective bargaining agreement, the National Benefit Fund was mandated to introduce more costcontainment programs that would save an additional $44.4 million annually, or a reduction of 3 percent in the cost of health benefits by January 1, 2015. Now, with almost four years left to go before that deadline, the Fund’s actuaries are already predicting annualized savings of more than $46 million by 2015, easily exceeding the mandated goal.

Sponsored by the 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation (CCC), the Future of America Learning Center (FALC) offers 1199SEIU members and other working families valuable early childhood education programs that provide children with the tools needed for academic, cognitive and social development.

This early success is the result of both aggressive cost management and creative benefit design developed with the close involvement of our Trustees’ Cost Containment Committee. Our approach has generated significant savings without sacrificing care, quality or access by replacing our multiple provider networks for care outside New York City with just one network, renegotiating the fee schedules for our preferred lab and radiology providers, and purchasing durable medical equipment through a preferred network. At the same time, our clinical staff has worked closely with Medco to continually update our prescription programs and

Preferred Drug List to maximize our savings while ensuring 1199SEIU members are receiving the most appropriate care.

Of course, this recent achievement represents only a portion of the total savings generated by the Fund’s costcontainment programs over the past several years. When the totals from earlier existing initiatives – including the mail-order prescription program, Medicare HMO for retirees, and preferred lab and provider networks are factored in – the Fund is achieving annual savings of more than $200 million per year.

These savings, along with carefully managing our resources and keeping our administrative costs low, have enabled the Fund to hold costs below the national average, with a net average cost increase of 4.5 percent over the past three years, compared with the national trend of over 7 percent per year.

And while the Fund’s cost to cover a family of four is $13,628, the New York City average in 2010 was $21,477, according to the Milliman Medical Index.

Union-Management-Fund Wellness Advisory Committee Launches Workplace Wellness Initiative In the last issue of 1199SEIU Funds Employer News, we told you about the Labor-Management-Fund Wellness Committee that the Union, the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes and the National Benefit Fund formed to support worksite collaboration that will promote better health for your 1199SEIU employees.After months of planning, an Advisory Committee – comprising representatives from North Shore-LIJ, Montefiore Medical Center, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Beth Israel/Continuum Health Partners, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian – was created to share best practices and provide feedback to the Committee’s overall plans.

A second meeting of the Advisory Committee, with new additions from Lutheran Medical Center, Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care & Rehabilitation and Jewish Home Life Care, met most recently in June to discuss financial incentives to help encourage participation in worksite wellness initiatives.

2 EMPLOYER NEWS Summer 2011

Financial Incentives Available for Up to Ten Institutions As part of the NBF’s contract with our disease management and health coaching service, we are able to award up to ten institutions $4,500 a year in incentive money to encourage employee participation in wellness initiatives in your workplaces. Institutions can compete for the annual incentive by demonstrating that they have created initiatives addressing their employees’ food and fitness challenges. To help get institutions started, the Committee has put together a menu of potential projects to choose from, such as starting a walking program or holding a contest for submitting recipes for the new edition of the Fund’s cookbook, What’s Cooking Now. Of course, institutions are free to create their own programs, as many already have – from Zumba workshops to “Biggest Loser” contests! Look for more details on how to apply for the funding in the coming months.

As a testament to the quality of the Learning Center curriculum and of our highly skilled teaching staff, one of the Center’s head teachers, Nila Johnson, recently received the Excellence in Teaching Recognition Award from the New York City Early Childhood Professional Development Institute. The Institute presents its award twice a year to teachers who “create nurturing environments, strong bonds with families and communities, and meaningful learning experiences for children.”

Ms. Johnson turned to early childhood education after teaching at high school and collegiate levels domestically and abroad, in the Philippines and in Nigeria.The daughter of a teacher, she chose the profession in part because she was inspired by how much her father’s students respected and admired him, and by the lasting impact he was able to make on their lives.

After becoming a mother, Ms. Johnson found a new appreciation for the way toddlers grow and develop. To continue building her skills, she pursued a Master’s degree in Education from Lehman College. Ms. Johnson’s experience

Save the Date for the Annual “Care for Kids” Awards Gala The 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation will host its fifth annual “Care for Kids” Awards Gala on Monday, December 5, 2011, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in New York City.

The gala is an annual fundraiser for child care and youth programs that benefit low-income families in the communities that our institutions serve – families who lack access to affordable, collectively bargained child care benefits.

In addition to supporting the 1199SEIU Future of America Learning Centers, the gala also aids the Child Care Corporation in grooming a new generation of healthcare workers who will deliver quality care in our institutions.

For more information about the gala, please call (212) 564-2220.

in early childhood education professionally, personally and academically has given her a multifaceted perspective, enriching her understanding of the ways children learn. Her observations inside and outside of the classroom have made her more attentive to children and more sensitive to their needs.

Ms. Johnson is proud of FALC’s commitment to exploring a variety of teaching methods and to encouraging teacher input in curriculum planning. Her recognition has caused her to reflect on her lengthy career in education and to encourage both new and veteran teachers to never stop learning. She makes the effort to be at her best for her students every day. “When is that moment of influence or impact?” she asks. “I never know which day will be the one that has a life-changing impact on a child’s life. Every day is preparation for that moment.”

It is clear that Ms. Johnson has had the same lasting influence on her students as her father did. Recently, several of Ms. Johnson’s former high school students from her first job in the Philippines located her, hoping to reunite with “their favorite teacher.” Now living in New York as accomplished adults, in no small part due to her influence, they took pride in introducing her to their own children.

Among the goals Ms. Johnson set when beginning her career were to attain a graduate degree in teaching and to have a positive impact on the lives of children. Indeed, her students and fellow staff at FALC believe Nila Johnson has accomplished her professional goals. This summer, as her own daughter prepares to graduate from Lehman College, Ms. Johnson’s alma mater, she witnesses the fulfillment of her personal goals as well.

We congratulate Nila Johnson, just one of the many extraordinarily skilled and dedicated teachers making a difference in the lives of our 1199SEIU families.

Summer 2011 EMPLOYER NEWS 3

1199SEIU Funds 330 West 42nd Street New York, NY 10036-6977 www.1199SEIUFunds.org

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID New York, NY Permit No. 3700

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Summer 2011

Our National Benefit

Training and Upgrading Fund Launches Bronx Collaborative to Enhance 1199SEIU Workers’ Skills and Improve Patient Outcomes Our 1199SEIU Funds have a strong connection with the Bronx, in large part because it is the borough where the majority of 1199SEIU members live and work. It is also the borough with the highest chronic disease and mortality rates in New York City. To help our institutions and healthcare workforce provide the care that Bronx residents need, the 1199SEIU Training and Upgrading Fund (TUF) has teamed up with Bronx healthcare employers, the Union, CUNY, community-based outreach organizations (CBOs) and 1199SEIU members and other healthcare workers to launch the Bronx Healthcare Learning Collaborative (BHLC). At a May 5th event to launch the program, coalition members identified obstacles to quality, culturally competent care for residents of the Bronx. The discussion centered on ways to support effective, safe patient care, particularly through improving communication with this largely Spanish-speaking population.

The BHLC will help recruit and train more bilingual – especially Spanish-speaking – healthcare workers who give direct care to patients. By increasing the number of bilingual Latinos in the healthcare workforce, offering programs to train and upgrade 1199SEIU workers, tracking the career progress of bilingual employees and working with CUNY and other colleges to develop career ladders, the collaborative hopes to improve the quality of care in the borough. The project is funded, in part, by the New York Community Trust and the Jonas Foundation.

Eligible 1199SEIU workers with a high school diploma or GED can take advantage of classes to help improve their professional and language skills in order to advance their careers. Employees may be eligible for paid tuition, academic support and onsite childcare (while attending evening or Saturday classes). If you would like to refer your 1199SEIU employees to this program, please have them contact Melissa Coss, Project Director, at (718) 562-3667, extension 686.

From left: Deborah King, 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds Executive Director and Dr. Steve Safyer, President and CEO of Montefiore Medical Center and Co-Chair of the Project Advisory Committee.

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Fund’s commitment to reining in rising healthcare costs has helped us achieve our mandated cost savings goals almost four years ahead of schedule.

In this issue 2

National Benefit Fund Set to Exceed Cost Savings Goals Ahead of Schedule

2

Union-Management-Fund Wellness Advisory Committee Launches Workplace Wellness Initiative

3

Child Care Corporation Teacher Honored for Excellence in Early Childhood Education

3

Save the Date for the Annual “Care for Kids” Awards Gala

4

Training and Upgrading Fund Launches Bronx Collaborative to Enhance 1199SEIU Workers’ Skills and Improve Patient Outcomes

At our 1199SEIU Funds, we recognize the importance of each contributed dollar. That is why, in our day-to-day work, we focus on managing our resources carefully to provide the most cost-effective benefits and programs to support your 1199SEIU employees’ health, retirement security, professional development and family life.

In this issue, we are excited to share with you how our National Benefit Fund’s commitment to reining in rising healthcare costs has helped us achieve our mandated cost savings goals almost four years ahead of schedule. You will also read about how the Benefit Fund is partnering with our employers and institutions to tackle the high financial and physical costs of chronic illness among 1199SEIU members through an innovative, collaborative Worksite Wellness Initiative. At the same time, our Training and Employment Funds are working closely with our Bronx institutions on a targeted initiative that will give your 1199SEIU employees the skills they need to tackle the alarming rates of chronic diseases among the borough’s residents.

Finally, we applaud one of the many extraordinary teachers at our Child Care Corporation’s Future of America Learning Center, who was recently recognized for her exceptional work.

We hope you enjoy reading about these recent successes and exciting new programs. As always, we look forward to working with you throughout the year to continue improving the health of our 1199SEIU members, our institutions, our patients and our communities.

Sincerely,

Mitra Behroozi Executive Director Benefit and Pension Funds

Deborah King Executive Director Training and Employment Funds

Vivian Fox Executive Director Child Care Funds