Stronger Together
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. Alameda Health System (AHS) workers are sometimes frustrated by the bureaucracy of their union SEIU, and talk about how it would be better to have a more democratic process. Workers dislike the “closed bargaining” practiced by SEIU, in […]
Cancelled Shift? Know Your Rights!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. Although it’s rare, every once in a while at Highland we are actually overstaffed for a shift, where there are more nurses scheduled than can be assigned to the number of patients. When this happens, management might try […]
AHS – The Grinch Stealing Xmas
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. Workers throughout Alameda Health System are understandably concerned about the upcoming layoffs, which couldn’t have come at a worse time right before the holidays. Families are waiting to make travel plans and buy gifts, knowing they might not […]
Layoffs Announced at AHS
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. We were notified via email a couple weeks ago that 372 positions are being considered in a new workforce reduction plan. Then last week, AHS administration confirmed that these positions would in fact be laid off. Here’s what […]
AHS Employees Give ICE the Cold Shoulder
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. AHS employees have repeatedly asked AHS admin for stronger and clearer policies around ICE, similar to what some other hospitals have. Yet admin’s response is always the same: we already have policies in place and you can find […]
Why Only One CT at Night?
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. Highland night shift nurses often find themselves asking why the hospital operates two CT scanners during the day, but only one at night. Highland recently achieved designation as a stroke center, meaning even more patients are coming through […]
Open Enrollment Panic Week Concludes
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. The brief open enrollment period for health insurance ended last week, leaving many workers unsure if they selected the best plan for themselves and their families. But why is open enrollment such a confusing and stressful time? We […]
Budget Cuts? Why Not Chop From the Top!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. At the last desktop leadership chat, executives stated “all options are on the table” when asked if budget cuts may lead to layoffs. If all options are truly on the table, how about cutting executive pay? At the […]
WE Keep Our Patients Safe From ICE!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. Last week ICE officers escorted a patient into the ED, causing concern for staff. But workers were not discouraged, and instead quickly responded. In less than 24 hours, over 200 employees signed a letter asking for stronger policies […]
Management Ignores our MOU… Again
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. Nurses at AHS were recently required to attend annual competencies scheduled during only three days in September and two make-up days in October. Now management is threatening to take anyone off the schedule who did not attend these […]
James Jackson Enjoys Pay Raise Amid Budget Crisis
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. On Monday, October 27th, Alameda Health System CEO James Jackson and CFO Kim Miranda gave a presentation on the upcoming budget to the county Board of Supervisors’ Health Committee. They described how AHS is anticipating cuts of $100 […]
JCAHO: Just Continue All Hospital Operations
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. We all know this is not what that acronym stands for, but we also know that management at Kaiser loves to move differently when they are expecting the accredited survey personnel to come by and evaluate […]
Incremental Overtime Blues
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Every so often, hospital management gets the bright idea that they can save money by threatening workers over their use of “incremental overtime.” This is the type of overtime that accrues when you clock in two […]
Workers at Children’s Hospital Oakland Are Under Attack!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Workers at Oakland’s Children’s Hospital just ended a two-week strike involving members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), California Nurses Association (CNA), and the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). The strike was in […]
Workers Deserve *Real* Just Culture
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. When there is an incident involving a patient, such as a medication error or a patient fall, management conducts an investigation to see what went wrong and who to blame. Healthcare facilities often state that they […]
Trump’s Cuts Will Impact Safety of Healthcare Workers
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Amidst the chaos and headlines surrounding the Trump administration, one devastating budget cut has quietly flown under the radar. As it stands, the Trump administration has proposed slashing the budget of the National Institute for Occupational […]
We Need Action, Not Wellness Tips
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Every time you open your hospital’s employee web portal, you can guarantee you’ll be met with more “wellness tips” from your employer. Prevent burnout by drinking herbal tea! Try yoga for your back pain! Make sure […]
Victory for Mental Health Workers in Southern California
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. After months of striking, mental health workers in Kaiser Southern California ended their fight with some positive news. Their efforts, which lasted 196 days, survived through the cold of winter and terrible LA fires, and led […]
Highland Management is Out Of Touch
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. The Highland cafeteria self checkout is now up and running, but it doesn’t seem to be making the cafeteria run any more efficiently. There’s still a cashier on staff – which is helpful for those paying […]
Working in Healthcare (AKA Sacrifice With No Returns)
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. There is an obvious healthcare crisis in the U.S. Every year thousands of people struggle to pay for medical care, and many go through the unpleasant surprise that, despite paying for health insurance every month, they […]
Happy Nurses Week!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. It’s that time of year again when nurses everywhere are honored by their workplaces with tokens of appreciation. For all your hard work and dedication, you might get a keychain or a pen, or a “thank […]
Sitters Keep Patients Safe
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Many of the patients we take care of need extra help staying safe during their hospitalization. For patients who are elderly, have dementia, or are confused as a result of their illness or injury, the hospital […]
Missing Pay for Certified Nurses
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. At Highland Hospital, nurses voted last July to approve a new contract that includes an additional 3% compensation for having a specialty certification. Nurses spend months preparing for these certification exams, and then maintain their certifications […]
Safety Issues But No Changes
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Patients come to the hospital expecting to be safe from harm. So when a patient suffers from an avoidable accident or death while hospitalized, healthcare workers want to make sure that changes are put in place […]
Oregon Nurses Achieve Significant Wins!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. At the beginning of January, nurses at eight Providence hospitals across the state of Oregon went on strike. The strike lasted more than a month and a half, as management initially failed to meet the nurses’ […]
Our Time, Their Terms
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Why is it that we’re required to submit our schedules for the entire year a full 12 months in advance, yet our employer consistently fails to meet us halfway? We’re expected to plan our lives around […]
3,000 Voices Ignored: AHS Continues Layoffs
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Alameda Health System is still planning to lay off cashiers at Highland and Fairmont, despite a huge showing of support for these workers through a petition that circulated the hospital and received over 3,000 signatures. Management […]
We Stand Against Attacks on Trans People!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Healthcare workers around the country are expressing outrage over the Trump administration’s attacks on the health and safety of transgender people. In the last month, Trump signed an executive order barring institutions from receiving federal funding […]
Attacks on the Horizon at Kaiser
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Once again an attack on Kaiser workers is on the horizon. At Kaiser Vacaville and Vallejo, as well as other facilities, Kaiser management is cutting security guards and other similar contractor positions, a total of 300 […]
We Want Cashiers, Not Kiosks!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. AHS Food and Nutrition management is considering replacing cashiers in our cafeterias at Highland and other facilities with self-serve kiosks. This plan not only poses significant challenges—like the fact that many fresh prepared foods don’t scan […]
We Keep Our Patients Safe
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Within hours of Trump’s inauguration last month, he revoked a federal policy that had previously kept hospitals and other healthcare facilities safe from immigration agent raids. Healthcare workers across the country expressed outrage that their patients […]
Kaiser Mental Health Workers Strike Reaches 100 Days While Fires Blaze
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. This Tuesday, January 28th, marks the 100th day that Kaiser Southern California mental health workers have been on strike. Kaiser management and the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), the union representing striking mental health workers, […]
Still Waiting to Get Paid
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. As of January 2023, California law requires that public hospital employers pay an additional one hour of penalty pay every time they force nurses to work through their shifts without meal or rest breaks. Alameda Health […]
Norovirus at John George: An Unacceptable Situation
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. John George Psychiatric Hospital is currently dealing with a norovirus outbreak, leading to widespread cases of vomiting and diarrhea among patients. Highly contagious infections like norovirus can spread rapidly in enclosed spaces like hospitals, but this […]
Bay Area “Sickout” for Palestine
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Last Monday, January 6th, healthcare care workers in the Bay Area and across the country called attention to the ongoing genocide in Gaza by calling out sick from work in large numbers–known as a “sickout.” The […]
What’s Kaiser Planning?
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Once more, Kaiser management is planning changes to our jobs while not asking for anyone’s feedback, which negatively impacts our work. For the last year, a threat has been looming on the horizon, and now it […]
AHS Board Ignores Workers
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. On January 8th, the Alameda Health System Board of Directors met to discuss their financial plans for the year. For the third time, AHS workers and Alameda County residents showed up to speak to the board, […]
Cancel and Lie? It’s the Same Story
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. In 2022, when Northern California Kaiser mental health workers went on strike for 10 weeks, Kaiser publicly claimed they were finding alternative providers. They did this because even during a strike, Kaiser is required by California […]
What’s the Deal With the Double Standard?
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. When hospital staff come to work, we expect every department to do their part to take care of patients and keep the hospital running. We know we can trust the nurses to provide care, the food […]
AHS Workers Support Divestment
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Over 700 AHS workers have signed a petition calling for an ethical investment policy, representing nearly 15% of AHS employees. These workers are standing up to demand that their retirement funds no longer support weapons manufacturers […]
Management’s Threats Make us Sick
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Cold and flu season is upon us! Many of us are waking up with sniffles and sore throats, wondering if we should head into work or call in sick. Management is quick to threaten us about […]
Spending Thanksgiving on Strike
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. The Southern California Kaiser mental health workers’ strike continues, now over 40 days in length. Meanwhile, Kaiser has still failed to present a proposal that includes better pay and improved staffing levels. The long struggle on […]
AHS Workers Gifted a Hiring Freeze for the Holidays
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. AHS sent out an email last week that most new hiring will be deferred until after the New Year. They gave a confusing explanation regarding AHS’s line of credit via Alameda County called the Net Negative […]
KP People Pulse & Elections: How Do Things Change?
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. KP People Pulse took place last month and the results are being gathered. In certain ways, People Pulse is like the election we just went through – it is framed as an opportunity to give feedback […]
E-Learning Modules Are Paid Hours!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. For most healthcare workers, every time we log into our e-learning portal there is a new mandatory lesson to complete. From workplace violence prevention to hazardous material safety, the list of e-learnings can seem endless. Expecting […]
Mental Health is a Struggle at Kaiser
Receiving mental health services at Kaiser can be a significant struggle. Due to chronic short staffing, wait times for patient appointments can stretch to three months! Ironically, even Kaiser employees face these long waits. Kaiser has increasingly encouraged group therapy while patients await their one-on-one appointments, or they outsource patients to other providers when they […]
KP People Pulse: Pretending to Care
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Every year, when People Pulse comes around, we know what’s coming—constant reminders to fill out our forms so management can gather feedback. Surprisingly or not, the atmosphere at work becomes friendlier, with managers and administration putting […]
Staff Up to Prevent Pressure Injuries
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. At Highland recently, management mandated that all nursing staff attend a class on preventing HAPI’s, also known as “Healthcare Associated Pressure Injuries” or bedsores. Hospitals are not reimbursed for pressure injuries that develop during hospitalization, so […]
Everybody Deserves Rest!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. Working at a hospital, where the short-staffing crisis is an everyday reality, takes a toll on your body. It’s hard not to think about the years remaining until retirement becomes a reality. However, with inflation driving […]
Capitalism Pushes Workers and Patients to the Brink
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA. It takes personal strength and dedication to work in a hospital, caring for people who are suffering through what are often the worst days of their lives. In a normal shift, a nurse might comfort a […]