| Friend, Aida Valdivia is a California mental health professional with more than a decade’s experience who works for Kaiser in L.A. -- where she regularly has to see 14-16 patients per day, well above the industry standard of 4-5. (1) That’s why for the past 6 months, she hasn’t seen a single patient. Instead, she and 2,400 of her Southern California colleagues in the Kaiser system have been on strike, demanding better pay and a more manageable patient caseload.(2) This week, Aida is joining a 5-day hunger strike outside of Kaiser headquarters to mark 6 months without a contract. “I want our patients to know that we are serious [about their care], and if we have to sacrifice then we’re going to go ahead and do that,” Aida says. Two years ago, Kaiser agreed to a $200 million settlement with the state of California after an investigation found that the average wait for mental health care in their facilities was 9 days longer than allowed by state law.(3) But, the hospital chain has done little to change its ways. Kaiser regularly brags about its many awards.(4) However, when it comes to mental health, it’s catastrophically failing its patients. In fact, the American Psychological Association (APA) said that in its 20 years of reviewing mental healthcare, "it has never seen such an egregious case of delayed access” to care as at Kaiser.(5)
Southern California NUWH workers went on strike six months ago, demanding more manageable caseloads and pay in line with their Northern California counterparts.(6) But instead of coming to the table, Kaiser is instead paying for full-page Los Angeles Times ads and media spots disparaging the mental health workers. We need to help these striking workers to keep going. Mental health workers are our friends and neighbors. They provide essential care, the need for which is only rising.(7) Giant corporations like Kaiser are counting on us ignoring this simple fact. They are hoping that we ignore the critical needs raised by these brave workers. We must stand in solidarity with workers on strike. Thank you for being in the fight! –Irene, along with Annie, Angela, Isidra, Cecilia, Jen, and Lindsay (the Courage team) P.S. Can’t donate now? There’s still a way you can help! Kaiser is trying to claim that patients are perfectly satisfied with their care, and we know that’s not the truth! Click on the post below to share it online and help us find people willing to speak out against Kaiser.
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