Dedicated staff members made sure veterans at Marquette’s Jacobetti Home were well cared-for during the blizzard last week. Administrator Chris LaJoie tells RRN News that they had less than half of their normal staff be unable to get to work because of impassable roads and snowed-in vehicles.
“Fortunately for us, we had some very dedicated staff members,” he said. “Some of them were prepared and came early on Sunday (before the blizzard hit) and spent the night in some vacant rooms or in close hotels. Some even made arrangements to stay with co-workers who live really close. Generally, during a day, we cycle in 110 staff from nursing, dietary, maingtenance, and ancillary positions. But during the snowstorm on Monday, we had a total of 46 staff.”
He says some of his staff live in Munising, Republic, West Ishpeming, and other places, and were completely snowed in. That meant people who were able to make it there chipped in wherever they were needed to help the 100 veterans (known as “members”) get everything they needed.
Nursing Director Courtney Tweedale says she and Lajoie were also pressed into service.
“Pushing carts in from the kitchen to make sure everyone got their meals and they got them warm, because the kitchen was short (staffed), too,” she said. “We were just plugging holes wherever we needed to and it worked out great.”
One such worker is LPN Melinda Mozader, who lives about a mile from the south Marquette facility.
“I couldn’t get out of my garage, and my daughter’s car was in front of my car,” she said. “I was actually off that day, but my co-partner lives in Negaunee and I said I could go in. So, during the last blizzard I snoeshowed in. I knew I could do it, so I did it. I had a cup of coffee, put my snowshoes on, and headed into work. It wasn’t that far of a journey, but it was pretty rough with the winds. The snowbanks were high. The members were anxious at first, but they settled in and our day went pretty smoothly. We just worked harder and everybody pitched in, did some activities, and tried to make a fun day out of it.”
Lajoie says everyone who was able to make it to work went above and beyond their job descriptions, and the Jacobetti Home veterans made it through without too many disruptions.
“We didn’t lose any power and we didn’t lose any heat,” Lajoie said. “But just the lack of manpower that was able to get to the facility, I can say, as the administrator, I couldn’t have been more proud of the team and the way that they came together.”
Jack Hall’s interview with LPN Melinda Mozader cane be heard below:
Jack Hall’s interview with Nursing Director Courtney Tweedale can be heard below:
Jack Hall’s interview with Admistrator Chris LaJoie can be heard below:
—Photos courtesy of Michigan Veterans Homes—
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