California | November 14, 2021
Kaiser Permanente, Workers Reach Tentative Deal to Avoid Strike
California | November 14, 2021
A tentative deal was reached Nov. 13 between Kaiser Permanente and union leaders that will prevent a strike by thousands of nurses and other health care workers who were planning to hit the picket line Nov. 15 at Kaiser facilities across Southern California and beyond.
Kaiser and the Alliance of Health Care Unions agreed on a four-year contract covering nearly 50,000 health care employees in 22 local unions, according to union spokesman Jeff Rogers.
“The Alliance of Health Care Unions fought to preserve a Kaiser Permanente where patients can count on excellent patient care and service. This has guided our work for 24 years. This agreement will mean patients will continue to receive the best care, and Alliance members will have the best jobs,” said Hal Ruddick, executive director of the alliance. “This contract protects our patients, provides safe staffing, and guarantees fair wages and benefits for every Alliance member.”.. (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
California | July 23, 2021
Kids’ suicide, mental health hospitalizations spiked amid COVID lockdowns
California | July 23, 2021
COVID-19 policies had disastrous results on children, especially in California, according to medical researchers at the University of California San Francisco. Suicides in the Golden State last year jumped by 24% for Californians under 18 but fell by 11% for adults, showing how children were uniquely affected by “profound social isolation and loss of essential social supports traditionally provided by in-person school.” Children requiring emergency mental health services jumped last year in Children’s Hospital of Oakland, and children’s hospitalizations for eating disorders more than doubled at UCSF Children’s Hospital. In January, the latter’s emergency department (ED) at Mission Bay hit a record for “highest proportion of suicidal children in ER” at 21%. The researchers previewed their findings and conclusions in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last month. They accused the CDC of burying the harms to teen mental health from lockdown while cherry-picking data to cast teen COVID hospitalizations “in the worst possible light… (Excerpts from Just the News)