Adventist Healthcare

Child care for frontline healthcare workers is more than a perk—it’s essential.

In March 2020, healthcare workers were experiencing an unprecedented work environment as COVID-19 made its mark. And leaders like Nicole D'Uva, AVP of Employee Health & LifeWork Strategies at Adventist HealthCare, had to make immediate pivots to meet the needs of their workforce so caregivers could show up and save lives. KinderCare sat down via Zoom with Nicole to ask about her experiences.

Hear her story about the race to beat COVID-19, how she supported working parents, and the moment of relief when the vaccine arrived—all while juggling life as a working mom herself. Nicole's story is an extraordinary one of resilience and hope.

6-minute listen

The client

Adventist HealthCare is a faith-based, not-for-profit organization committed to improving the health and well-being of people and communities through a ministry of physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Adventist HealthCare offers comprehensive health services ranging from acute care and rehabilitation to mental health, urgent care, and home health.

The opportunity

As COVID-19 drastically altered the work landscape for healthcare staff, Nicole knew that two things were going to critically impact their employees: transportation and child care. So she led the way for Adventist HealthCare in providing a reliable, high-quality, safe place for children to go while their parents battled a global pandemic. That's where Adventist HealthCare and KinderCare's partnership came in to set an essential workforce up with an essential service.

“About a year ago, my entire professional career changed. My supervisor came to me and said, ‘Nicole, we need a clinic.’ And I think I laughed a little bit. He said, ’You have two weeks.’ And then I realized he was serious. My entire role went from being very consistent to something that was completely variable. It was really just a race to beat COVID. And the finish lines continued to pop up. How do we take care of the primary needs that an employee has that allows them to come to work bedside, and to provide care to patients in our community?

— Nicole D’Uva, AVP of Employee Health & LifeWork Strategies

The solution

Nicole worked one-on-one with KinderCare at Work to assess their workforce’s need and develop a personalized solution to support healthcare workers when they needed it most.

“Instead of a piecemeal project, it was very much this smooth process that we were able to create with KinderCare where if an individual expressed interest, we knew how we were subsidizing their child care, and they could easily enroll their children.”

Together, they crafted a custom platform of child care benefits that provide a generous Tuition Benefit with a tiered approach to savings, ranging from 20–80% based on employees’ salaries, as well as Back-Up Care and Dedicated Space for immediate assistance. KinderCare also reopened surrounding community learning centers to the Adventist HealthCare team during the height of the pandemic.

Nicole ensured that her team was supported during this strenuous and stressful time, fostering a culture built around wellness that benefits all.

The results

The impact was phenomenal. Healthcare workers received the support they desperately needed, a light of relief during an incredibly trying time. Since March 2020, over 130 children have enrolled in the KinderCare at Work program, with their parents saving in total over $270,000 with Adventist HealthCare’s Tuition Benefit.

“You would think that our workforce would be beaten down and tired. And I can tell you that there has never been a lapse of gratitude. So when you talk to these parents who are utilizing KinderCare, it was like the cavalry had arrived. People started to take a deep breath and become reinvigorated again, and pull themselves up and say, ‘We can do this. We can care for our community in the best way that we know how.’”

The lasting support

Nicole and Adventist HealthCare are stepping up for healthcare workers, supporting them with the resources they need to do their best work. They recognized child care as an essential need for well-being and took action toward greater health for all, developing an adaptable program that has continued to thrive.

With child care in place for the future, Adventist HealthCare is experiencing an impact beyond the wellness of workers and individual families. The greater community benefits from higher quality care and more focused caregivers, ultimately leading to better patient experiences and outcomes.