JANUARY 2022 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 27
MACEDO CONSTRUCTION INC.
$1M OT PAY TO WORKERS ORDERED
The owner of three Bellport concrete
supply and construction companies
must pay a total of $987,591 in back
wages and damages to employees after
a U.S. Department of Labor investigation
PLANETREE INTERNATIONAL AWARDS ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL HOSPITAL ITS HIGHEST
LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR EXCELLENCE IN PERSON-CENTERED CARE
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital has
been awarded Silver Certification
for Excellence in Person-Centered
Care by Planetree International. This
Person-Centered Care Certifi cation recognizes
the organization’s achievement
and innovation in the delivery of person
centered care. Far Rockaway-based
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital is the fi rst
organization to earn this prestigious
award through a partnership and ongoing
collaboration among their cohorts
from the Healthcare Association of New
York State (HANYS).
What distinguishes Planetree certifi -
cation among other healthcare quality
awards is its distinctive focus on person
centered care, defi ned as a model
of care delivery in which healthcare
professionals partner with patients and
families to identify and satisfy the full
range of patient needs and preferences.
The award is conferred based on a variety
of factors, including performance
improvement on traditional quality
indicators, review of policy documents
and, most importantly, how patients
and staff assess the organization’s
person-centered culture. Silver Certifi
cation was awarded to the hospital
following a series of focus groups with
patients and their loved ones, as well
as staff from a multitude of disciplines
and divisions within the organization.
“The experience of St. John’s Episcopal
Hospital shows what can be
accomplished when a team of deeply
committed, supremely innovative and
highly-driven caregivers take the courageous
leap to redefi ne priorities and
reorganize systems to put patients fi rst,”
shared Susan Frampton, President of
Planetree International, a not-for-profi t
organization that has been at the forefront
of the movement to transform
healthcare from the perspective of
patients for more than 40 years.
The criteria that St. John’s satisfi ed to
achieve Planetree Silver Certifi cation
refl ect what patients, residents, family
members, and healthcare professionals
in hundreds of focus groups say
matters most to them during a healthcare
experience. This qualitative data
aligns with the growing evidence base
for person-centered care, and establishes
the Person-Centered Care
Certifi cation Program as a concrete
framework for defi ning and measuring
excellence in person-centeredness.
“At St. John’s, we make it a point to
treat our patients with dignity and
respect, while also involving them
in decisions about their healthcare,”
said Jerry Walsh, chief executive
officer. “I am extremely proud of all
of our St. John’s team members for
incorporating a person-centered
approach in the way we deliver
healthcare to our patients.”
As part of the certification process —
which included a virtual site visit
assessment by representatives from
Planetree and HANYS — discussion
with St. John’s Episcopal Hospital patients,
families and current staff validated
that specific person-centered
policies are in place. The process also
included a review of the organization’s
performance on patient experience
and quality of care measures, and
how measurement of these indicators
improves organizational outcomes.
found that the employer schemed
to withhold 99 workers’ overtime pay,
according to a consent judgement
issued by the U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of New York.
Manuel Macedo, owner of Macedo
Construction Inc., Macedo Contracting
Services Inc., and Odecam
Concrete Supply Corp., must also
pay $53,249 in civil penalties to the
labor department for violating the
Fair Labor Standards Act.
“The scheme … deprived their employees
of nearly $491,000 in hard-earned
wages over three years. Now in addition
to the back wages, the employer
must pay these workers an equal
amount in liquidated damages, plus
interest,” said David An, director of
the District Wage and Hour Division.
“We encourage other employers to
consider this investigation’s outcome,
review their own pay practices, and
contact the Wage and Hour Division
to avoid similar violations. The consequences
of noncompliance with
federal labor laws can be serious and
expensive.”
The court’s Wage and Hour Division
investigation found that Macedo did
not combine the hours that laborers
worked at the three separate but commonly
owned businesses. He instead
paid workers with multiple checks
– one from each company – to evade
paying for overtime hours. Each
check showed the employees worked
less than 40 hours per week when
they actually worked up to 48 hours
per week. The employer also failed to
keep accurate records of work hours
and pay rates and did not compensate
employees for travel time to job sites.
“The U.S. Department of Labor does
not tolerate wage theft, which shortchanges
workers and puts law-abiding
employers at a competitive disadvantage,”
said Regional Solicitor
Jeffrey Rogoff. “We will pursue all
appropriate and effective legal remedies,
including securing liquidated
damages for workers in addition to
back wages.”
According to the labor department,
the court’s consent judgement also enjoins
Macedo and his companies from
future violations and from retaliating
against employees who report violations
of the The Fair Labor Standards
Act (FLSA). The companies must also
provide workers with notices of their
FLSA rights in English and Spanish.
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