All 34 Villa Centers are staffed by compassionate and dedicated team members who chose to devote their careers to providing care and support to the residents who honor us with their presence in each center. On March 14, 2020, the world as we know it changed with the increase of the presence of COVID-19 in the United States. With the support and consultation of Villa leadership, each center implemented additional measures with the sole intent to protect the residents and staff to the greatest extent possible from the impact of the Novel Coronavirus. On March 15, just as each day prior, Villa staff came to work, and spent their mornings, afternoons, and nights providing the best possible care to their residents, and now they did so with the full knowledge that they were facing exposure to the same virus as the individuals to whom they provided care. Every day since then, they made the choice to report to their respective Villa center to continue to provide care, treatment and support to their residents. For this, we thank them, and we will defend them from attack and untruths so readily and falsely reported. In exchange, we demand that those who seek to impugn our Villa Heroes based on the false allegations of biased parties, do better.
The duty of journalists is to tell the truth. Journalism means you go back to the actual facts, you look at the documents, you discover what the record is, and you report it that way.
— Noam Chomsky
One of the hardest hit areas of the United States has been Michigan, especially in the Detroit metropolitan area. Ambassador, A Villa Center is just one of the Villa locations serving the Detroit community in Wayne County. As of today, April 10, 2020, Wayne County has 10,093 confirmed COVID-19 positive cases, with 504 deaths attributable to the virus. See Coronavirus COVID-19 Global cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE (https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/). Today at Ambassador, there are four residents in the center who tested COVID-19 positive, and four residents who were transferred to the hospital who tested COVID-19 positive. The first positive test at Ambassador was on Monday April 6, 2020.
Recently, Ambassador has come under fire, not for the care that it provides to its residents, but as a direct result of a targeted smear campaign by the SEIU. Remarkably, Ambassador and the SEIU have a shared interest, the safety, security and well-being of the Villa team members who staff the Ambassador center AND who are SEIU members. Contrary to Ambassador’s interest to engage in negotiations with the SEIU for a competitive wage package for its member that is reflective of their value, the SEIU abandoned its members by walking away from the bargaining table in November of 2019. Ambassador remains willing and able to engage with the SEIU on behalf of its members—not in the press where there is no benefit to its members, but at the bargaining table. The SEIU just needs to participate, as they cancelled the negotiation session that was scheduled in January of 2020. We encourage them to focus their energies on reaching an agreement with Ambassador for the benefits of its members and not on spreading untruths.
To the extent that local media has either willingly or unwittingly participated in the SEIU’s distraction efforts, please allow the following FACTS to correct the record in this matter:
Inaccurate statement 1: Ambassador is “owned and operated by Villa Healthcare.”
Source:
- SEIU, 3/22
- SEIU, 3/30
- Michigan Advance, Allison Donahue, 3/31
- Crain’s Detroit Business, Jay Greene, 4/1
- Michigan Advance, Madeline Ciak, 4/8
- WWJ News Radio, 4/9
- The Detroit News, Sarah Rahal and Charles Ramirez, 4/9
FACT: Villa does not own, operate, or manage any centers. Villa has a consulting services agreement in place with the 34 skilled nursing facilities that it supports in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Inaccurate statement 2: Ambassador doesn’t have masks, gloves and sanitizer.
Source:
- SEIU, 3/22
- Michigan Advance, Allison Donahue, 3/31
- Michigan Advance, Madeline Ciak, 4/8
- WWJ News Radio, 4/9
- Bridge Magazine, Ted Roelofs, 4/9
- The Detroit News, Sarah Rahal and Charles Ramirez, 4/9
FACT: Ambassador is now and has always been stocked with sufficient PPE supplies for the use of its staff and for the benefit and protection of its residents. The standard in every Villa center, including Ambassador, is for center employees to wear the appropriate PPE for the conditions in place in the center. On March 14, 2020 when there was an absence of any sign or symptom of COVID-19 at Ambassador, this meant that staff was not required but could self-select to wear surgical masks in the center. Pre-existing infection control measures remained in place, including the use of gloves, soap for handwashing or hand sanitizer, and the use of bleach wipes for touch surfaces. In the event that any resident presented with signs or symptoms consistent with COVID-19, staff was instructed to place surgical masks on the resident and anyone providing care to the resident. Additionally, droplet and contact precautions were implemented until testing could be completed. In addition to handwashing and the use of gloves, this required the use gowns, face masks and either glasses or a face shield.
As guidance and direction evolved over the past three weeks from the CDC, CMS and state health agencies, each Villa center has evolved its use of PPE. While some companies are struggling to secure any form of PPE for its staff, Villa has used its current suppliers and others to fill orders for all infection control and PPE items for use in each Villa center. This includes hand soap, hand sanitizer, bleach wipes, bleach spray, paper products, isolation gowns, surgical face masks, N-95 masks, shoe covers, head/hair covers, and face shields. This PPE was purchased by Villa on behalf of Ambassador, with daily surveillance in place of supply measures so additional stock could be delivered when needed. At no time during this pandemic has Ambassador not had adequate PPE for the use and protection of its staff and residents. Any claim to the contrary is without factual basis.
Inaccurate statement 3: Ambassador has patients and workers DYING from COVID due to lack of testing or treatment.
Source:
- Michigan Advance, Madeline Ciak, 4/8
- WWJ News Radio, 4/9
- The Detroit News, Sarah Rahal and Charles Ramirez, 4/9
FACT: To date, Ambassador has no factual confirmation that any resident or staff member died due to COVID-19. In the skilled nursing facility setting, staff members care for residents in their last stages of life, and Ambassador is no different. Not one resident who has passed at Ambassador to date had either a positive COVID-19 test result or a cause of death tied attributable to COVID-19 as either an immediate or contributing cause of death. Additionally, there has not been a single team member at Ambassador who has tested COVID-19 positive and died. It is especially disturbing that the SEIU would make a claim to the contrary.
Inaccurate statement 4: Leadership at Ambassador is not informing staff, residents, and families of COVID.
Source:
- SEIU, 3/30
- Michigan Advance, Allison Donahue, 3/31
- Michigan Radio, Byrce Huffman, 4/8
- Michigan Advance, Madeline Ciak, 4/8
- Bridge Magazine, Ted Roelofs, 4/9
FACT: Ambassador leadership is in continual contact with staff, residents, families and responsible parties. When appropriate, staff conducts care conferences with residents and their representatives to discuss significant changes in condition and changes in the plan of care for that resident. Ambassador sent a letter to the family members of its residents updating them on the status of COVID-19 test results in the center for both residents and staff members. Ambassador notified the local health department of the test results, and following that notification, the health department had no further direction to Ambassador to either change its current practices or to institute additional measures in the center.
Further, Villa, on behalf of the 34 centers that is supports, took the extraordinary measure of creating and publishing a FAQ document that it shared across all 34 centers, on social media and posted online at VILLAHC.COM. This document outlines Villa’s approach to COVID-19, and to date, it has been updated four times with new information.
Note: To the extent that Ambassador can do an even better job of communicating with its staff, residents and family members or residents, Ambassador will take this critique and ensure that all parties feel that they are informed and that their questions are answered. To that end, Ambassador now has the capability for the family, friends and loved ones or residents to schedule video visits so that they can both speak with and see each other while visitation remains restricted.
Inaccurate statement 5: Ambassador employees are not given training/education or PPE to care for COVID patients.
Source:
- Michigan Advance, Allison Donahue, 3/31
- Michigan Advance, Madeline Ciak, 4/8
- Bridge Magazine, Ted Roelofs, 4/9
- The Detroit News, Sarah Rahal and Charles Ramirez, 4/9
FACT: Ambassador conducts a clinical start up meeting each morning, where developments and issues within the center are discussed with facility leadership and unit managers. Leaders in turn share this information with staff members on their unit or within their department. Additionally, at the beginning of each shift, facility staff discusses the condition and care of residents on their units, including any new developments or pertinent information for staff to know to provide care. Shift to shift report from outgoing caregiver to oncoming caregiver allows for resident specific information to be shared between hands on caregivers. These daily communications provide multiple opportunities for in-the-moment education and surveillance on the necessity of PPE and the appropriate application and use of PPE.
In addition to the education and guidance provided to all staff at Ambassador regarding PPE and care for COVID-19 positive residents, the CDC has provided the medical field with posters demonstrating how to properly place an N-95 mask on one’s face, what PPE is used for Contact Precautions, what PPE is used for Droplet Precautions, and the donning and doffing of PPE. These resources are present and posted at Ambassador for staff reference and guidance. Additional internal resources created for clinical guidance in monitoring all residents and caring for symptomatic and positive residents in the center were created in cooperation with Medical Directorship by a credentialed physician and input from Villa’s certified infection preventionist. These resources were also provided to the Ambassador staff for education, training and reference.
Inaccurate statement 6: Ambassador employees will be fired if they join SEIU gatherings or speak with media.
Source:
- Bridge Magazine, Ted Roelofs, 4/9
- The Detroit News, Sarah Rahal and Charles Ramirez, 4/9
FACT: All Ambassador employees have the right to join and support the SEIU if they choose to do so. Ambassador has not, does not, and will never penalize an employee for choosing to belong to any union. The SEIU has always been permitted to provide communication to its members at Ambassador.
However, while Ambassador will abide by all of its legal obligations to its employees as it relates to union involvement, Ambassador requests that the SEIU do the same. On April 9, 2020, SEIU encouraged its member to “walk out” of Ambassador in protest of what it alleged were “abysmal conditions.” This walk out encouraged Ambassador staff to violate the terms of the agreement in place between the SEIU and Ambassador. If scheduled employees chose to participate in the protest, it would have constituted a work stoppage, leaving Ambassador employees eligible for immediate termination. Any Ambassador employee who was not scheduled to work at the time of the walk out, but who chose to attend, were also not protected by the agreement and would also have been eligible for immediate termination. These facts lead one to wonder whether the SEIU informed its member of these potential consequences or if the walk out was designed to result in such action taken by Ambassador.
Nonetheless, while Ambassador employees, including the union steward (dressed in her Ambassador provided PPE) did participate in the short-lived walk out, Ambassador did not elect to terminate any employee for participating. Ambassador has also never sanctioned or terminated any staff member for either participate in union activities or as a result of speaking with the media. Ambassador does encourage its staff to refer all media inquiries to MediaRelations@VillaHC.com, but any claims that staff is penalized or terminated for speaking are patently false.
Ambassador is thankful for all of its staff members who are contributing to the care and treatment of its residents, especially during this trying time.
Inaccurate statement 7: SEIU is providing assistance to Ambassador employees through PPE or advocating.
Source:
- SEIU, 3/30
- Michigan Advance, Allison Donahue, 3/31
Fact: While the SEIU posted a photograph of a union representative passing a box of PPE to the union steward for Ambassador, Ambassador never received any delivery of PPE items from either the SEIU or the union steward. If the SEIU or any other entity would like to donate PPE to Ambassador, PPE is always welcome, and so long as the donation is appropriate for use in the healthcare setting, it will be used for the benefit and protection of Ambassador’s staff and residents with our thanks and gratitude.
Additionally, while the SEIU recently claimed that it secured 15 minutes testing for its members working at Ambassador, Ambassador has yet to see any such test kits arrive or publication of any direction to its employees/union members as to where such testing is available. Residents have access to testing through the center, local labs and area hospitals, but the staff does not yet have readily available tests unless seeking medical treatment from a local provider. Villa is working with a partner in the industry to provide testing to staff in the centers, including Ambassador. As soon as this testing is available, information will be shared with each center.
Inaccurate statement: Ambassador is not taking care of their employees or rejecting leave for ill employees.
Source:
- SEIU, 3/22
- Michigan Advance, Madeline Ciak, 4/8
- Bridge Magazine, Ted Roelofs, 4/9
FACT: Well in advance of the escalation of COVID-19 in the Detroit area, Ambassador introduced a bonus program for the benefit of its employees and intended to secure staffing for what we knew was coming. As of March 30, every full-time, hourly employee who worked all scheduled shifts over the next 30 days would receive a $300 monthly bonus. In addition, every part-time, hourly employee who worked an average of 15 hours or greater a week but less than 30 hours a week during the next 30 days, would receive a $150.00 bonus. Moreover, any part-time, hourly employee who wanted to become full-time would receive a $300.00 bonus as long as they work the necessary hours to be classified as full time over the next 30 days. This plan was put in place and remains in place for each month until such time as Ambassador deems this crisis over.
Every full-time employee with health insurance coverage from Total Health Care is eligible for FREE COVID testing. To enable those who have previously declined health insurance to elect benefits, open enrollment is available now for health coverage effective 5/1. Any employee ordered by the department of public health or Ambassador to quarantine, due to testing positive for the virus, or other qualifying reasons, would have paid sick time.
Additionally, Ambassador employees also have access to the following benefits:
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP): LifeWorks provides a variety of services to Ambassador employees through this program.
- Short-term disability insurance from Aflac – Special open enrollment starting 4/13 for all eligible employees offering guaranteed coverage, no pre-existing clauses and COVID-19 enhancements.
- MeMD telehealth (offered to all employees regardless of their employment status or whether they are participating or not in health insurance)
- Kashable loan program (to all full-time employees after 1 year of service)
- Perkspot for employee discounts
- Total Health Care, the health insurance carrier at Ambassador, also has Teledoc, a telemedicine option for all THC participants
- Benefits Hotline available to all employees where their questions can be answered.
At Villa, we make people better. At Ambassador, the staff is dedicated to making its residents better, to keeping them well, to caring for them when they are ill, and to comforting them at the end of life. We are proud of their work every day, but in the fight against COVID-19, we couldn’t be prouder of their continued dedication and service. They are people. They are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters. They are caregivers, and today even more than ever, they are heroes. The allegations printed about them—without support, without evidence and without facts were simply false. Even worse, they failed to reflect the incredible contribution that each and every one of them makes each day to Ambassador as a Villa center, to their fellow team members, and most importantly to the residents to whom they provide care. For them, do better. Do your job. Check your facts. Demand evidence and support of allegations, and print the truth.
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