Health aides for villages lose benefit

MARY LOCHNER

October 02, 2008 at 3:17PM AKST

The Bristol Bay Area Health Corp. started a new employment policy Oct. 1 that has drawn criticism from some village health aides who say it takes away a benefit that keeps long hours on the job manageable.

“They’re going to lose a lot of health aides over this,” said Sue Anelon, a health aid for 23 years.

Anelon resigned Sept. 5 over the new terms of employment, which will eliminate a paid week off in between two weeks of work. The Bristol BayTimes also interviewed health aides currently employed with BBAHC who had similar comments about the new employment policy for health aides, but declined to give their names for publication citing fear of losing their jobs.

The paid week off wasn’t a guaranteed vacation, said Anelon and other health aides. Often health aides work two to a village, and emergency medical situations often arise that require the work of both.

But the benefit was a way for health aides to “de-stress,” Anelon said, and return to work refreshed and ready to give their best to the people they serve.

Robert Clark, CEO and president of BBAHC, said in a news release the decision to change employment policies for health aides was made based on “recommendations developed with advice from consultants and staff in reviewing the community health aide program, including input of all community health aides and other BBAHC employees.” He said that allowing the paid week off for village health aides wasn’t fair to health aides who don’t work in villages and didn’t receive the benefit.

He said that, while it’s true health aides in villages don’t have the personnel support that those working in hospitals have, their clinics are also less busy.

On-call schedule
Under the former system, during village health aides’ two weeks on the job, they worked six hours a day, five days a week at the clinic, and remained on call 24 hours a day. Never knowing when a phone call is going to come for help with a medical emergency, Anelon said, was draining. And dealing with a call without other medical personnel available on-site means that village health aides take on duties that health aides at the hospital don’t, both while providing routine care and during an emergency, she said.

Under BBAHC’s new employment policy, “most employees will not see a decrease in pay,” Clark said. “In fact, many employees in busy clinics may see a slight to significant increase in pay, especially during the summer months. It is true that a few community health aides who take on-call infrequently, receive fewer calls for medical care after hours and have fewer callbacks to the clinic may earn a little less because BBAHC is paying employees for hours worked rather than a flat salary.”

Roberts noted there is a pay differential for village health aides, and they will still be allowed to take every third week off, but it won’t be paid.

Change in pay or no, the loss of a paid week off had health aides in the villages talking about coordinated walk-outs to protest the change in benefit. In a Sept. 23 letter addressed to community health aides and practitioners to answer questions about the new employment policies, Clark said, “Several people have mentioned forming a union or engaging in walkout activities. The Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation is a tribal entity and is not subject to the National Labor Relations Act. Union activities, union-type activities, strikes, walkouts, or sickouts are not recognized by BBAHC as legitimate work activities and will result in disciplinary or administrative actions up to and including termination of employment and no one may take PTO for time off as a protest.”

Clark said the changes have come because BBAHC relies heavily on federal dollars, and federal funding has declined while the health corporation’s services have expanded. He said the company has tried to limit adverse impacts on its employees, and that “BBAHC hopes to retain all of its health aides and hopes health aides will give the new plan a try.”

Anelon said village health aides aren’t in it for the money, or else they’d never last; it’s passion for the job that keeps them there. But having the paid week off helped keep the health aides emotionally healthy, she said, and helps retain health aides in a service area where attrition is high and recruitment can be challenging.

As of Sept. 24, BBAHC advertised 15 full-time positions open for health aids at 11 Bristol Bay communities.

Mary Lochner can be contacted at 907-348-2438, or 800-770-9830, ext. 438.