CUPE members who work in environmental services in hospitals and other health care settings are on the front line of the fight against COVID-19. They put their own health at risk to ensure the safety of patients and hospital staff.

CUPE has partnered with researchers on COVIDEM, a national project looking into the psychological distress environmental service workers experienced during the COVID pandemic. The researchers would like to hear directly from CUPE members who do this work.

The aims of the project are to measure psychological distress, identify the causes and inform employers about what they can do to prevent or reduce distress during a pandemic. The researchers are looking for members who are willing to participate in a 30-minute live interview on Zoom. People who participate in the study will be given $50 to compensate them for their time.

If your work includes cleaning and disinfecting, distributing, and collecting linens, waste management and recycling, or other environmental services duties, please consider helping with this important research. The findings could improve working life for you and your colleagues.

If you would like to participate or need more information, you can find it here.