AFGE Urges Congress to Avoid Government Shutdown
September 18, 2023
AFGE is urging members of Congress not to repeat the same mistakes they made a few years ago.
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Before Hurricane Ian Made Landfall, AFGE Members Moved 200 Veterans Out of Harm’s Way
October 03, 2022
Categories:
VA, The Insider
It was all hands on deck at Bay Pines Veterans Affairs hospital and clinics days before Hurricane Ian was predicted to hit the west coast of the Florida peninsula. Staff needed to move patients to other hospitals and get the grounds ready for the storm that was projected to be the region’s strongest on record.
For the layperson, evacuating an entire hospital sounds complicated and overwhelming. But according to AFGE Local 548, which represents employees at the Bay Pines Health Care System, it was part of their emergency plan that had been practiced, and staff knew what they were doing.
As a result, more than 200 veterans were transferred to sister hospitals in West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, North Florida/South Georgia, and some community hospitals in just three days.
How are the patients going to be cared for in the new hospitals? Nursing staff transferred with them to provide continuous care! Other staff remained at the facility to ensure the grounds and surrounding buildings were ready for the storm.
Another group of staff, such as facility management, environmental management, police, safety, HTM, providers and director, remained at the hospital and at Lee County clinic to ride out the storm and assess the grounds after the storm passes.
Local 548 President Tatishka Thomas said the transfer process was all hands on deck and included standout performances from a wide variety of dedicated AFGE-represented VA employees such as:
- Administrative staff contacting and coordinating with other hospitals
- Social work staff contacting family members of veterans notifying them where their loved ones would be transferred to and who would be accompanying them and their contact number
- Nursing staff collecting and preparing transfer packs
- Labor pool – volunteer staff – physically assisting patients into ambulances or transport vehicles
- Transport drivers from Bay Pines and sister hospitals safely driving across the state to get veterans from one hospital to the next
- EMS and labor pool staff picking up the grounds of anything that could become airborne
- Police staff securing the campus and buildings
- Pharmacy staff staying late leading up to the storm to ensure patients had enough medication for the storm.
“All patients are doing well. Evacuation is part of our emergency plan that’s practiced due to being on the water and knowing what our campus can withstand,” said the local president.
Hats off to AFGE members at Bay Pines for the amazing work and thank you for taking care of our veterans and their families in times of need!
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September 18, 2023
A week of Veteran Employee Recognition activities is held at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center.
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The Activist: Juan Ibarra, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
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The seventh episode of AFGE’s new series, The Activist, highlighting our union members who have stepped up to help make a difference in the lives of their colleagues and our government.
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