Northwell Heroes Challenge promotes team member well-being while giving back
When our team members need help, you can expect everyone to rally behind them. The culture of giving runs strong at Northwell. That shined through during our first Northwell Heroes Challenge.
Inspired by a team member hoping to run a marathon to raise money for Northwell colleagues in need, a cross-functional team created the Northwell Heroes Challenge. This challenge was a way to encourage team members to focus on their well-being while raising funds in support of their colleagues.
Participants were encouraged to choose an activity and distance that fit their lifestyle, whether it be bicycling, running, swimming, walking, lifting, dancing or more. Over the next four weeks, team members trained and tracked their activity and movement on Northwell’s myWellness platform to meet their goals leading up to the first weekend in August when the challenge took place.
Partnering with Northwell’s Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Services (STARS) rehabilitation team, stretching and recovery exercises were shared throughout the challenge. Training materials were also provided including goals for beginner, intermediate and advance levels from the New York Road Runners, a Northwell non-profit partner that helps and inspires people to run the New York Marathon. Northwell’s wellness team also curated a nutritional guide featuring recipes for training and race day. These resources and more helped take care of our team members have fun and achieve their well-being goals.
“During the height of the pandemic, the well-being of our team members was something that we passionately invested in as an organization,” says Pat Flynn, assistant vice president, Employee Wellness. These trying times only brought to the forefront the importance of physical, psychological and emotional health, and it was inspiring to see our team members using all forms of movement to improve their own health and well-being goals while so generously supporting our Caregiver Support Fund.”
490 team members rose to the challenge, raising $54,850 for our Caregiver Support Fund. This fund provides rent relief, mortgage relief, money for food and other necessities for team members who need it most. Big or small, every contribution helped to make a true difference in the lives of colleagues in need.
“The enthusiasm and generosity of the Northwell team is incredible. Providing support through the Northwell Heroes Caregiver Support Fund is a critical and timely need, and we are grateful to everyone who has donated to this important initiative,” says Brian T. Lally, senior vice president and chief development officer, Northwell Health Foundation. The Northwell Heroes Challenge is an extraordinary example of our mission and values coming to life through the Northwell team.”
And while giving back is a reward on its own, those who fundraised had the ability to reach three different goals with rewards including a certificate, points on our team member reward platform myRecognition, Northwell branded swag, and the chance to win the grand prize – a Peloton bike and one-year Peloton digital membership!
Julie Argueta, a unit service associate at Huntington Hospital was the lucky winner of the grand prize. “I joined the Northwell Heroes Challenge to honor the heroes who work with me at Huntington Hospital,” says Julie. “Their bravery and courage during the height of the pandemic inspired me to take challenges and reach goals with pride. What an honor for me to win this, I only wish I could get one for all the heroes on my unit. My daughter Alexus and I cannot wait to cycle to nowhere!”
Hear from some of our Northwell Heroes Challenge ambassadors, who led the way throughout training with motivational posts and tips:
“Having the honor of being ambassador for the Heroes Challenge, I witnessed firsthand how team members supported and motivated each other to meet their fitness goals. It was so inspiring and outcomes of the challenge surpassed my every expectation I had at the beginning of this journey. If we keep moving forward together, anything is possible!”
“When I learned about the challenge, I knew I had to take this opportunity to give back to Northwell to say thank you for investing in me, my co-workers, and my family. I also used it as a platform to encourage my friends and family to continue to invest in self-care by living a healthy lifestyle. I always tell them that you only fail when you stop trying.”
“Under normal circumstances, I’m a very active person. However, during the pandemic, I lost motivation. And seeing how our front line workers battled the virus, I wanted to help as much as I could. The challenge was an excellent opportunity for me to help my fellow Northwell coworkers and get back on track. It was a great feeling to raise money for a good cause, train together, and support each other.”
“I participated in the Northwell Heroes Challenge because I felt it was the right time to challenge myself. After months of just going into the hospital for work and returning home, I needed something to get me back into a healthier regimen and this good cause was the perfect motivation.”
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Celebrating acts of kindness among our family of Northwell heroes
Though we span across 23 hospitals and more than 750 ambulatory locations, our Northwell Health team is one big family. And as a family, our team members are committed to not only delivering the best patient care, but caring for each other and our communities.
Check out these stories of our clinical and non-clinical team members alike working to bring moments of positivity, hope and support amid COVID-19.
Finding Connections Hospital to Hospital, Unit to Unit
Kindness is connecting our teams across Northwell through video messages, photos, cards and other countless examples of ongoing support and humanity. For example, Krista Griffin, a patient access team member at Southside Hospital, raised money with her family to have catered food delivered to overnight workers in the ED. Also, the NICU team at Cohen Children’s Medical Center created and delivered care packages to other Northwell hospitals, and our nutrition and dining services teams baked fresh cookies for workers to bring home after a long day.
Bringing the Grocery Stores to our Team Members
Hospitals across Northwell realized the need to help support our healthcare heroes get the necessities they need at home. Hospital cafes have turned into temporary grocery stores, where our nurses, environmental services workers, physicians, therapists, transporters, techs and others can safely shop to stock their pantry or choose a freshly prepared meal to take home.
Stitching for our Heroes
Gloria Medina, a booking clerk at one of Northwell’s endoscopy practices, posted a call to action for all stitchers to help create artwork for our heroes. These custom portraits are being delivered to our healthcare heroes on the front lines as a way to say thank you and make them smile.
Finding Inspiration at Glen Cove Hospital
The 1 South Rehab team at Glen Cove Hospital created an Inspiration Tree within the hospital to leave small tokens of wisdom and motivation for team members and patients. These messages help them to find optimism and the importance of what matters most.
Chalk Art Acts of Kindness
Throughout the health system, chalk art has been popping up outside our hospitals. Messages from team members and our communities are being drawn to thank our workers and give them something bright and cheery to look at as they walk in and out of work.
Take 5 for YourSELF Fridays
The Employee Wellness team collaborated with myHealthBody to start a weekly series to encourage team members to take five minutes to care for themselves with “Take 5 for YourSELF Fridays”. The weekly videos and printouts include guided stretches and exercises to help relieve tension and grant wellness benefits that last all day.
We are all filled with gratitude for our wonderful Truly Together team. Their passion, dedication and kindness inspires us daily. To all healthcare heroes here and everywhere – THANK YOU!
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We’re breaking ground on a groundbreaking Microbiology laboratory
Northwell Health and NYC Health + Hospitals have started work on a brand new shared lab! The $47.7 million, 36,000 square-foot lab in Little Neck will primarily perform microbiology tests and will provide enhanced service levels to the physicians and patients in our community while bringing additional jobs to the city! The new lab will be the largest, nonprofit, hospital-operated lab network in the nation and will be processing over 50 million tests annually. This means enticing career opportunities for lab professionals to be the first inside this new lab!
The Microbiology lab is in an exciting phase of development. Northwell Health will be implementing cutting-edge technology in our transition to this new space. It will be the first lab in the country with two total lab automation system lines (TLS), which includes automatic specimen processing and digital imaging and to supplement classical microbiology methods, the lab uses MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. This new automated Micro equipment will be known as Kiestra.
“Having Kiestra at Little Neck Parkway will introduce a new beginning to the Microbiology World with new automation,” said Ebru Turk, Microbiology Technologist.
This new lab is just another way that Northwell Health is rising to the challenge that we’re Made for. We are actively recruiting enthusiastic and capable technologists to help us realize this project to its full potential. Explore opportunities inside this brand new, state-of-the-art facility here.
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Rain or shine, Northwell employees Rally on
At Northwell, we’re flexible and not afraid to push boundaries. So, the forecast and eventual onset of rain that showed up at the finale of this year’s employee Rally didn’t stop our team members from making unforgettable memories together and celebrating the “Story of us.” There was nothing but sunny and smiling faces at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on Saturday, July 21 when thousands of Northwell team members gathered for this incredible event.
This year’s Rally was all about storytelling and started at the Wellgate, our healthy version of a tailgate. In the “Story of Us” zone, guests could visit “Did You Know?” tents to learn about different initiatives for Northwell team members– such as myWellness, the Gift of Life (Northwell’s organ donation partnership program) and the work of our Foundation (we are a non-profit after all).
It was in this zone that Northwell even beat a world record! Rally guests worked together to help Northwell break the Guinness World Record for the most color by number contributions. 829 participants colored in a giant mural depicting our health system, beating the previous record of 455 participants.
In the “Story of Life” zone, Rally guests experienced the power of connection. Here guests could taste healthy choice recipes crafted by 12 Northwell chefs from our hospitals. They also discovered the healing power of pet therapy, getting the opportunity to meet with Northwell’s furriest team members. Poetry was also part of the day, with poets writing a personalized haiku for guests based on their own stories.
Rally guests could then walk through the different features highlighting our “Stores of Curiosity”. Guests could participate in training in an ambulance simulator or support one of Northwell’s next innovations by signing the “What if” wall which gave an inside look into some of our health system’s next big ideas. The zone’s Hall of Innovation was another big hit at the Rally. From a telehealth bike that gives patients access to supervised pulmonary rehabilitation therapy remotely, to a Northwell Health skill for Amazon Alexa that delivers current wait times for our patients, Northwell’s team members are developing innovations that will help shape the future of health care.
Other featured initiatives included: the Fin (the first 3D-printed, amphibious, prosthetic leg that allows amputee swimmers to navigate in and out of the water), Bottle Cap (an app that provides patients with automated text messaging and online coaching to learn about and reduce their consumption of alcoholic beverages,) and Project Polaris (a multi-year journey to reimagine HR processes).
In our “Stories of Celebration” zone, we celebrated our diverse and growing team of more than 66,000, including the stories of our President’s Awards winners and finalists, service awards recipients, and those who volunteered for service in last year’s Hurricane Harvey and Maria relief efforts. Our employees are so much more than their scrubs and stethoscopes and Rally guests were able to look, listen, touch and feel the exceptional stories of their fellow team members in our immersive display celebrating Northwell’s every day heroes.
Finally, at the Activity Stage, employees moved to the beat at the Zumba class led by a Northwell team member, Daniel Manalo, and danced to the music of the Hot Seeds, our very own physician band.
After the Wellgate experience, attendees entered the amphitheater for the main show, an experience that won’t soon be forgotten. From a guest speaker to President’s Awards Winner tributes to the grand prize drawing of our employee walk challenge to special performances, team members danced and cheered all night long.
It of course wouldn’t be a Rally without Michael J. Dowling, Northwell’s President and CEO. It’s not often your CEO make their big entrance on a boat! His remarks, as always, inspired everyone in attendance and he reminded team members to continue to innovate for our patients and our community.
Advancing Northwell’s spirit of innovation was the Rally’s guest speaker, Mick Ebeling. Mick founded Not Impossible Labs and works hard to expand the possibilities of technology to provide solutions for fundamental human needs, causing waves in and out of the world of healthcare. His powerful speech inspired Northwell employees to continue to view the world differently and to challenge the idea of impossible.
Closing the 2018 Northwell Rally was a spectacular performance from Michael Elroy and the Broadway Inspirational Voices and a moving display from The Silhouettes.
The excitement in the air was contagious, with team members feeling reinvigorated for what lies ahead. Of course, the excitement was never higher than when it came time to announce the big winners for the Walk to Dublin employee step challenge. The winning team was announced, with all ten members receiving a free trip to Dublin. But that wasn’t all – as a surprise, two more teams were awarded the grand prize for a total of thirty employees headed to Dublin!
As the event came to a close, there was one impassioned thought running through the crowd: we can’t wait to see what the Story of Us brings next year!
Are you Made for a career at Northwell? Explore current job opportunities across our health system.
Watch the Rally Recap Video for a glimpse of the day and incredible moments that unfolded!
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A Pulse Check on Healthcare Careers: Q&A with our SVP & Chief People Officer Joseph Moscola
For the first time in history, healthcare was the largest source of U.S. jobs for the last quarter in 2017. With job opportunities in healthcare surpassing both retail and manufacturing, there’s never been a better time to start your career with Northwell. We checked in with our SVP and Chief People Officer Joseph Moscola to see how and where Northwell’s careers are booming amidst the growing demand across the industry.
Careers: With unemployment at 4.1%, Northwell Health is still hiring over 200 people each week ranging from clerical to clinical administrative. Why does Northwell’s career opportunity continue to be so prevalent?
Joseph Moscola: I think we are seeing two factors at play. The number of jobs in healthcare is growing, a trend that has continued for the past couple of years and will continue in years to come. As the Baby Boomers reach their senior years and the population ages, there are going to be more and more opportunities in healthcare. The second factor is the growing brand of Northwell as well as our growing reputation as an employer of choice. In 2018, we were named one of Fortune’s Best Places to Work in Health Care and BioPharma.
C: In March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said that healthcare added 22,000 jobs and that the biggest gain was in ambulatory health care services. At Northwell, our ambulatory care is growing. Why does ambulatory continue to be a top need, what positions are we looking to hire for and how is it impacting care and careers in our communities?
JM: Care continues to shift out of the hospital and into the ambulatory space. This is a result of better technology, less invasive treatment options available to patients and healthcare plan incentives. We’re always looking for RNs, Revenue Cycle roles, Medical Office Assistants and Advanced Clinical Providers (ACPs). We’re able to take a more holistic approach to the patient and bring the highest quality of care to our communities, including our own team members. It also opens up more opportunities for different careers within the community.
C: What are some other growing areas at Northwell that candidates should watch out for and why?
JM: We continue to see growing opportunities for ACPs, RNs, home health aides and roles in perioperative care. As care continues to transition from the hospital to ambulatory facilities and to the home, we will continue to see a growth in support service type roles. Also, with advancements in technology and a focus on finding data driven solutions, roles in healthcare IT will be more in demand. There will be more and more of a need for analysts, data scientists, software engineers and computer programmers.
C: For students looking to go into healthcare sector, what are the jobs you recommend they consider?
JM: There are some really great opportunities to start your career in healthcare before you’ve earned your college degree. If you are looking to enter the workforce sooner, you can begin with a “Middle Skills” position, including specialty technicians such as EEG, EKG, surgical techs, sterile processing techs, radiology techs and careers as medical assistants and phlebotomists, etc. There are many benefits to starting your career in one of these high-demand jobs and opportunities for advancement and different career paths you can take from initial hire.
C: How does Northwell retain employees and allow them to grow within the health system?
JM: We retain our team members and encourage their growth by creating a positive and rewarding work environment where team members are empowered to challenge the status quo. This is not a normal 9 to 5. Our team members are flexible, hardworking and not afraid to push boundaries to go the extra mile for our colleagues, our patients and their families. This is a calling and our team members truly feel that when they are at Northwell.
C: One piece of advice for anyone looking to go into a healthcare career.
JM: Healthcare is the one industry where all types of professions have the common goal of caring for people, patients and communities. Whatever you want to do, whatever path you choose to take, can be done in healthcare. Most importantly follow your passion!
Are you Made for a career at Northwell? Explore current job opportunities across our healthcare system.
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How to start your career in health care before you’ve earned a college degree
You don’t need a college or advanced degree to begin a rewarding healthcare career that can really take you places. Whether you’re not sure if a traditional four-year degree is for you, or you would like to enter the workforce sooner, you can begin your career journey in a middle skills position at Northwell Health. There are huge benefits to starting your career in one of these high-demand jobs, and that’s why we’re spreading the word about these opportunities.
“Middle skills” is defined as anything above a high school diploma but lower than a baccalaureate degree including certifications, trade schools, associate degrees and certain licensing. Opportunities include specialty technicians such as EEG, EKG, surgical techs, sterile processing techs, radiology techs and careers as medical assistants and phlebotomists, nursing assistants and more.
A middle skills position offers you opportunities to create a robust career. From initial hire, there are multiple career pathways available– complete with competitive pay and benefits packages. Imagine this…
You begin your career as a central sterile technician, ensuring surgical equipment and instrumentation is sterile, and begin to gain essential work experience in the healthcare industry. You decide that you want to work directly in the operating room, and pursue education as a surgical technician (did you know Northwell offers tuition reimbursement for qualified employees?!). After that, you decide to go back to school to study nursing, and eventually, you could put all this experience and education into becoming an OR nurse. Perhaps you decide that’s not the direction for you and continue to management in your particular role. We’ve seen it happen!
The real attraction of working in middle skills is the demand. There is a shortage of people working in these essential jobs across the country and these positions are critical to the healthcare workforce. Starting in a middle skills job can give you the experience, the network, the demand, the education and the opportunity to succeed in the health care field without a college degree.
About Workforce Readiness
We’re spreading the word about middle skills opportunities through Northwell Health’s Department of Workforce Readiness, which partners with educational institutions and creates initiatives to support the workforce of tomorrow. We work collaboratively on local, state and national levels to increase awareness and address the STEM workforce gap. We provide a collaborative voice between industry and education.
Students: Start your healthcare career journey at Northwell Health. Visit NorthwellCareers.com/Students. The opportunities are endless.
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We’re completely redefining how exceptional patient care is delivered. Are you Made for this?
At Northwell Health, we are the pioneers searching for innovation in everything we do. You’ll see this visionary spirit come to life at Health Solutions. As Northwell Health’s care management organization, Health Solutions is helping to lead the organization to success in value-based care and population health. Take a look at all Health Solutions is achieving:
Join our talent community to explore career opportunities with Northwell Health Solutions!
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Navigating your engineering career at Northwell Health
Hear from Kory Stimpfl, Assistant Director of Engineering and Plant Operations, and Roger Arnott, Director of Engineering and Maintenance, about why they chose Northwell Health as the place to grow their engineering career.
Why did you choose to pursue an engineering career at Northwell Health.
KS: Huntington Hospital, and through them Northwell Health, has been a staple of the community for my entire life. I was born at Huntington Hospital, so I am grateful for the chance to work here and help make it even better. I have had many family and friends that have been helped right here, and now I have the chance to use my engineering skills to help other peoples family and friends.
RA: I personally chose to come to Northwell Health because I wanted to work in a field where I could use my skills and abilities to help people.
Tell me a little bit about your background? Were you always in health care – if you weren’t, why did you decide to get into the field?
KS: I graduated college from SUNY Maritime College in the spring of 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a Coast Guard Marine Engineering License. Using this license I got a job as a civilian contractor with the US Navy. In this job I was on a team that took care of the engine room of one of the navy’s civilian ships. I worked for them for almost a year, during which time I was traveling all over the country and the world. I realized that I wanted something that was more stationary but also wanted to see how my engineering was benefiting people, because in my old job there was a much greater divide between myself and the “customer”. When I started looking for jobs, Huntington Hospital immediately stuck out because it would allow me the best of both worlds. As the Assistant director of Engineering I can use my engineering talents to help the hospital not only with the day to day facility operations, but also with the improvements to it going forward. Every day I know that the work that I am doing in the health care field will help save people’s lives, or at least help the medical staff save people’s lives.
RA: My career started in the Marine Industry after graduating from The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
After working as a Marine Engineer for almost 30 years, including operations in Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and much international travel, it was time for a change. My new path took me to Brooklyn, New York for the next five years and a large 46 high story building housing complex with a centralized power plant. An engineering opportunity then arose to come to Northwell Health Huntington Hospital. I had grown up in Huntington, NY and the opportunity to work and help people at the very hospital I was born in was extremely appealing to me. This was my first endeavor into the Healthcare Industry.
What career growth opportunities does Northwell provide for you and all engineering professionals?
KS: Northwell health is a large healthcare system, and is always growing. As with any system this large, it begins to take on a lot of its own engineering and facility work. As an engineer within the system, there are opportunities to grow within the individual hospitals and into the Physical Assets department and beyond. As a young engineer, there is incredible room for growth within the system.
RA: I believe Northwell Health offers growth opportunities for engineering professionals in different ways. The many engineering responsibilities at a hospital afford engineers the opportunity to hone their skills and expertise in many different disciplines. In addition, Northwell Health is a large and ever growing organization. This allows one many opportunities for future career advancements.
Why would you encourage other engineers to work for our health system?
KS: Working in this health system allows you to have a direct impact on helping people. The sense of purpose here is incredible, all it takes is a walk around the hospital to see all the amazing things that are possible because of the work that our department does every day.
RA: If you are a person who desires work that is personally rewarding and professionally challenging, then Healthcare industry is a good field for you. Northwell Health is a great system because it believes in and fosters a culture where everyone is a caregiver to its patients. You truly feel you are part of a coordinated team supplying patient care.
What new initiatives/ projects have you worked on?
KS: Since July I have been involved multiple projects including the commissioning of two new emergency diesels and testing of their associated transfer switches. I have participated directly in the patient’s environment through Environment of Care rounds and through mock Joint Commission inspections. I have also been involved in the planning of the installation of three new boilers and two new air cooled HVAC chillers. As these projects complete there are always new ideas and projects around the corner that need some input from our department. This ensures that the job will always be exciting.
RA: Since my start a few months back I have been involved in numerous projects of varying sizes. Although it was started before my tenure I have been working to finalize and commission our new Emergency Department addition and its associated 3 MW of emergency diesel power system. I have also been working on the design and construction for three Main boiler installations totaling 650hp, and a chiller relocation and replacement project for 800 tons of air cooled chillers. Both of these projects being simply the first phase of a two phase projects. Additionally, we are also doing work for a new Hyperbaric unit requiring the installation of an additional Oxygen tank and pad, re-powering from 208 VAC to 480VAC, installation of new lab testing equipment, installation of new nuclear medicine equipment , replacement of an Underground fuel oil tank and new air handling equipment. This is all happening coincidentally with multiple departmental re-locations and renovations as well as the day to day repairs and maintenance of the hospital. It is a busy pace covering many Engineering disciplines but is extremely rewarding.
Interested in joining our team of engineers? Explore our unlimited career possibilities today.
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