Hello everyone!  First, I would like to thank you again for all of the support you have provided so far!  KEEP IT GOING!  SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!  Get word out there, the more signatures we receive, the more pressure is put on HMH leadership!

Speaking of leadership, I would like to share my response to their comments which were reported to NJ 101.5 today.  My response, posted below, was emailed directly to the reporter at NJ 101.5 who wrote the article.  Please feel free to copy/paste it to all of your friends/family/social media, etc.

Also, I would like to ask current HMH Team Members to send polite emails to their leaders, or directly to Linda.McHugh@hmhn.org and Robert Garrett (rcg@hmhn.org) to put more pressure on them and fill their inboxes with the feelings of our organization.  Again, politely, such as:

Hello [leader's name],
I would like to formally declare that I do not agree with the decision to close the HMH Early Childhood Education Centers.  Please forward this email to your leader, so they can also forward it up the chain until it reaches Linda McHugh and Bob Garret.  They need to know how the organization feels about the decision, and what a dreadful mistake it is.  Hopefully they can reverse it before it's too late.
Thank you,
[Team Member Name]

MY RESPONSE:

Hello Patrick,

Thank you for shining light on the mess that HMH has caused.  We sincerely appreciate the assistance in spreading awareness.  I would like to respond to the portion of your article where you received a response from HMH (because we, as parents, have not).

I will be sharing this response wherever and however I can.  Please feel free to use any part of it in follow-up reporting.

HMH recently responded in defense of their actions by offering a stipend to affected team members, and a 10% discount through an unnamed 3rd party provider of childcare services.  The fact that they would take this position serves to prove how out-of-touch senior leadership is with the population they are charged with leading.  The notion that these new offerings somehow adequately compensate for the destruction of a legacy and the disruption of lives... that's just stupid, naïve, and short-sighted. 

And to further demonstrate the lack of regard they have for their team members, they decided to reveal their support plans to a news outlet before even sharing them with the affected parents.  If any part of this debacle had been well planned, the parents would have been provided with all of the information up front.

It's not about the financial impact.  Well, not only about the financial impact.  I'd be willing to wager that any of the parents affected by this disaster would be willing to pay 10% more in tuition to keep the daycare centers open.

Let's unpack that statement.

1. The cost difference between HMH's Early Childhood Education (ECE) program and any given third party isn't so wide that a 10% swing in either direction would make a tangible difference.  Except...

2. Most third-party providers will not, or cannot, support a drop-off that aligns with an OR Nurse, Registrar, or any number of position's 6am start time.  The participant is likely looking at before-care at an additional expense.  Expand that out to a 12-hour shift.  Now we're into after-care.  More money.  A limited-run stipend and a 10% discount just got blown out of the water. 

And how are 100’s of displaced children supposed to be absorbed by already-full care centers?  Agreement with HMH or not, it’s ridiculous to think that every affected parent will be within range of one of those new centers – or that they will have the capacity to take on that many children.

Oh, and… the clock IS ticking.  Like I said, it’s been radio-silence from leadership on that front.  Parents are currently scrambling to find another daycare.  Odds are it won’t be the one that HMH selects.

And then there’s the children who will be entering Pre-K in September.  Their parents, intending on having them enrolled at HMH for Pre-K, have already missed deadlines and cutoffs for open enrollment.  If they’re lucky, their children will be entered into a lottery.  Many Pre-K programs are also not full-day.  So, what happens to those children?  Same with the “full day” programs that are really only 9:00-3:30. More before-care and after-care - - if they’re lucky to get in.  And if they don’t get in, they’ll be at a disadvantage entering Kindergarten.  They’ll be behind their new classmates educationally, developmentally, and emotionally – and that is HMH leadership’s fault, 100%.  Good plan.

3. Consider the pandemic.  Blizzards. Hurricanes.  Any number of the holidays HMH team members don't have off.  Will those third-party providers be open?  Decidedly not.  They weren't open during the pandemic, that's for sure.  But do you know who was?  The ECE centers.  Now it's not even about the team members.  We all remember snow-days as children, and how great they were.  But welcome to adulthood, and healthcare.  When healthcare workers can't come to work (for any one of the reasons above) then healthcare can't happen.  Who suffers then?  Sure, the team member may get written up for calling out - but it's the patients that suffer the most.  Is that what HMH is about?  I hope not.

4. Staffing.  HMH cited staffing challenges as being a primary driver in this decision.  Maybe it's hard to keep employees because leadership keeps mistreating their team members?  Maybe the competition is offering competitive benefits packages while HMH keeps stripping theirs down?  Maybe the low salaries are no longer buffered by the once-amazing benefits.  Now consider: How many team members will need to quit their jobs to stay home with their children because childcare is unattainable?  Staff those positions with new-hires and see how long they last.

5. Capital Expenditures.  I'm sorry, isn't HMH a not-for-profit organization?  Were the Early Childhood Education programs supposed to be profitable?  Or were they supposed to deliver on the promise of supporting team members through increased work/life balance?  Were they supposed to make the CEO rich?  Or were they supposed to enrich the lives of HMH children while providing their parents with the comfort of knowing their children were safe, well educated, and nearby?  Again, see my initial statement.  I bet everyone would be willing to accept a moderate price hike to keep these services.  I can also guarantee that if you ask team members from ANY department to identify where capital budget is being wasted, they'll all come up with something.  The ECE centers will not be on that list.  You think the government wastes money...?

Also, the waiting list to get into one of the ECE's is months long.  Team Members who want their children to start at the end of a mother's maternity leave have to put their names on the list before the pregnancy test even comes back.  If that doesn't tell you a few things, I'll spell it out:  A.) The centers sure aren't hurting to fill their classrooms and B.) The centers must be doing a darn good job if that many people are trying to get in and C.) There is obviously a NEED for the comprehensive benefit that the centers provide - above and beyond what a 3rd party center can provide (with or without a 10% discount, SMH).

6. The team.  Let's not forget, most team members are losing a service here.  But for some team members, they're losing their jobs.  Careers.  Careers they've dedicated their lives to. We're just going to throw these people away like an old corporate logo?  Because on a whim, some top-level execs sat around a table and said "eh, they won't mind." Are you kidding me?  How is any of this delivering on HMH's brand promise?  Where are all the executives, directors, VP's, etc. who are against this anyway?  Why are you being silent?  Yes, I'm putting you on blast.  You know this is wrong.  SPEAK UP!  They can't all be evil, can they?  

7. Meridian Health.  The notion that Hackensack, and the large number of executives that survived the merger, are trying to dismantle anything created by Meridian Health, its CEO John Lloyd (who would have NEVER let this happen) or its leadership... that notion is still alive and well within the legacy communities (all of them, even former HUMC-proper employees know it).  I pray this isn't a real thing.  But the potential is there, and it doesn't do anyone a lick of good.  This doesn't really play into how wrong this decision is.  But it's still a thing.

8. I can't believe I'm writing this section last.  It probably should be first.  Can we forget about the money and the politics for a second?  If this organization was focused on healthcare instead of finances, this wouldn't be happening.  It's morally wrong.  The ECE's have operated for decades, probably not really turning a profit either.  But they're a satisfier.  They exist to increase the wellbeing of our team members.  They enhance work/life balance.  They make team members say "I'm glad I work for this organization.  They have my best interests at heart." Oh, and let’s not forget the simple fact that they have upheld their duty to educate and prepare our children for what comes next. Kept them safe. Played with them. Cared for them. Loved them.  Throwing all that away is a disgusting and disgraceful act of malice. There is no other valid reason.

Find me one book, one study, one news article which proves that dissatisfied and disgruntled employees perform BETTER.  Just one.  Who do you want standing next to the surgeon (or being the surgeon) during your open-heart surgery?  A clinician who is happy, well adjusted, and enjoying their employment?  Or someone who is angry, bitter, and worried more about their children than the piece of meat keeping you alive?  Easy answer.  Who do you want transporting you?  Registering you?  Sanitizing your room and the equipment that will be used in your care?

Which version of the employee greets patients and guests with a smile?  With hospitality.  With reassurance that everything is going to be OK?  What happens when, in their life, everything is NOT OK?

Hackensack Meridian Health has a current motto of "Keep Getting Better" and a 10% discount, compared with all this loss... that's not better!  Not even close!  We also have the C's shoved down our throats.  Compassion, Collaboration, Courage, and... something else probably.

Was the leadership team exercising compassion in their decision-making?  Decidedly not.  I'll let you form your own opinions on the other C's.

But right now, what we need, what we all need... is the courage to stand up to leadership and tell them, in one strong voice (hey, collaboration!) that this is NOT OK.  It is CRUEL.  It is unnecessary.  It is moving Hackensack Meridian Health BACKWARDS when we should be leaders in our community.  We should be demonstrating what it means to deliver the VERY BEST CARE.  Not a 10% discount on care.

I hate to play this card too, but let’s call it what it is. This will have a disproportionately negative impact on women.  But it’s ok because they haven’t been under attack lately…

If you've made it reading this far, I hope our executives have too. Please support our cause.  Do not let the flames flicker.  Continue to speak out. Voice your opinion. Sign and share the petition.  This is not over.  It can't be over.  Do not settle. We owe it to ourselves, and the generations of team members that come after us, to ensure the legacy of compassion, team member appreciation, and community service is preserved and strengthened.  Not sold off to a third party to buy Bob Garret another… whatever it is multi-millionaires buy with the money we’ve earned them.