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 By Claire P. Corr
Labor Community Liaison
Sparrow Health System
Greetings from Sparrow. I am thrilled to have been asked to write an article for the Lansing Labor News and to continue with a quarterly update. Thank you to Harold Foster and his team for recognizing the importance of supporting our hometown hospital and the position of the Labor Community Liaison at Sparrow.
As most of you know, Sparrow recently opened the doors to the Herbert-Herman Cancer Center (HHCC) across from the main hospital. The cancer center is a world-class treatment center in the fight against cancer and providing individualized treatment plans, housing medical and surgical oncologists in one location. It is home to the region’s only cancer genetics counselor, and reciprocates the transfer of information and input directly from Mayo Clinic oncologists and surgeons.
The HHCC will elevate the level of care provided to over 70,000 patients per year with 40 infusion pods, three linear accelerators to provide the most precise radiation treatment to date, additional space for clinical trials, genetic counseling, social workers, palliative care specialists, and dieticians.
Inside the lobby there are two retail stores: Front Room Underfashions and Another Look Hair Institute, to assist in the sense of normalcy for patients undergoing cancer treatments. Hopefully none of you will need the services of the Herbert-Herman Cancer Center but take comfort in knowing you no longer need to seek treatment outside of mid-Michigan!
One of the highlights of my job at Sparrow is to help care for the families of union members who find themselves as a patient in the hospital (or vice versa). I provide food and parking vouchers along with assurance that you have someone in your corner to help navigate the health system. Being in the hospital can be a frightening experience, but always know I am a phone call away.
It will be exciting to see what Sparrow’s next big endeavor will be for the Health System. The Eastern High School project is coming along and a new urgent care clinic will be built inside the parking deck attached to the HHCC on Michigan Avenue.
Built with union labor
An important note, all the projects and remodels have been performed by Trade Unionists since I have been a Sparrow Caregiver; including but not limited to plumbers/pipefitters, electricians, carpenters, sheet metal, laborers, and painters.
Sparrow prides itself on the relationship with labor unions and has a deep appreciation for the attention to detail and the care that goes into every pipe that is welded to every containment room built for safety.
It is because of this relationship that Sparrow hired a Labor Community Relations Specialist. Over a five-year period, Sparrow has invested more than $285 million in construction and information technology projects.
Sparrow’s mission is to put the needs of their patients first to provide quality, compassionate care to everyone, every time.
Until next time, I will continue to update the UAW members about Sparrow initiatives at the CAP meetings. Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions or concerns.
I am available to speak or have a presence at your union meetings, your retiree meetings, conferences, and events. I am here to serve the union membership!
My contact information is: Claire.corr@sparrow.org or call my office phone: 517-364-3468.
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 By Dean L. Poggiali, Labor Liaison
Capital Area United Way
Greetings, same person but different role as a columnist for the Lansing Labor News (LLN). I truly appreciate the request from LLN Editor Harold Foster, who asked if I could continue to compose a few thoughts from the community services realm. I humbly accepted and will offer a few things from time to time. Also many thanks go to long-time LLN staffer Tim Bogar for all his kind words and thoughtful conversation.
With it being late summer/early fall we are in the throes of worksite United way campaigns. As I compose this we have already completed several campaigns. The Alliance and RSDC Units for Local 724 have wrapped up with good results. We have also conducted round one of outreach at Ryder. The Ryder corporate office would like to be more engaged with the local campaigns so we will be out at the facility later this month and/or earlier in October.
Upcoming drives at Dakkota and Woodbridge are forthcoming. One particular positive note is the campaign at the newly organized UAW worksite Kirchhoff Automotive. Sometimes this takes a while, but we had the UAW Region Servicing Rep Brian Bosak advocating for us; so we will be at Kirchhoff in October. Also, the newly organized facility, Faurecia, will hopefully be on board as well. Thanks go to Tony Chandler for assisting with this as well.
At the recent UAW MI State CAP conference a collection was taken by the delegates to assist those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. In a little over ten minutes, over $1,200 was collected. This again shows the great spirit and commitment to community of the UAW and its members. Then on the backs of this event, Hurricane Irma hit. We have fielded several calls about what is the best way to help. That is a personal choice, but you can research options through the local United Way chapters and American Red Cross chapters as well. The thought has been to donate dollars in order to stimulate the impacted local economy. This way, donations of items may not be lost in the shuffle, especially if the local infrastructure is compromised.
Although it will happen before the LLN is delivered, the Capital Area United Way is coordinating efforts to help non-profits in the area to conduct some projects at their location. The annual Days of Caring utilizes community volunteers to help these projects get completed. Some of the projects will be cosmetic in nature, while others will major in scope.
Please feel free to contact me if anyone has any questions about the community, and we can problem solve together.
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 UAW Region 1D Veterans Council
8th Annual Charity Chili Cook Off & Craft Show
Saturday, October 21
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Hosted at UAW Local 652 and Local 724
426 Clare Street, Lansing
$5.00 per person includes chili, crackers & beverage
Door Prizes • Silent Auction • 50/50 Auction
We invite all standing committees of UAW Locals to donate an item.
$10 per chili entry fee
$10 per craft show entry fee
Prizes for best chili:
First place, $150; Second, $100; Third, $75; and Fourth, $50.
All entries must be prepaid prior to event. Crock pots and electric roasters only. Please bring your own extension cord. Crackers, tableware, and beverages will be provided. All entries must be registered no later than Wednesday, October 18. For pre-registration, please contact:
Ron Olivarez of Local 652 at 517-775-4832 or
Tim Duplanty of Local 659 at 810-625-8535
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