We Blew the Whistle on Kaiser
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
After we released the findings of a survey of more than 300 Kaiser mental health care providers that showed that Kaiser understaffs its mental health services at the expense of our patients, Kaiser management did what they’ve always done.
Kaiser tried to blow us off. They said our concerns for our patients had no merit.
In response, we blew the whistle. We filed a complaint with the State of California calling for an investigation into Kaiser Permanente’s mental health services.
Here’s a video we made of our action in Sacramento:
When we took action, people paid attention. Our filing was covered by the San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Business Journal, California Healthline, Univision, KTVU and KQED. In fact, thousands of members of the Courage Campaign took our call for an investigation so seriously that they launched a petition to Governor Brown calling for an investigation. You can sign here!
As healthcare workers, we know that we’re not alone when we say that employers are speeding up work, shrinking down staff and short changing our patients.
Last Tuesday, we decided it was high time we speak out and let the world know the truth about how Kaiser Permanente treats our patients.
Kaiser management, are you listening?
Sincerely,
Emily Ryan, Psychiatric Social Worker, Kaiser Roseville
National Union of Healthcare Workers
PS. NUHW is holding Kaiser accountable at the workplace as well as in the public arena. Just last week, the National Labor Relations Board spelled out how Kaiser violated workers’ rights by unilaterally implementing changes to our working conditions. NUHW filed complaints with the NLRB against Kaiser, and the government found Kaiser guilty as charged. You can read the NLRB’s letter here.