UNAC Screens at LA CLC

November 17, 2009


Nancy Oshima, Director of Administration and Finance for
the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO,
being screened at a recent Central Labor Council meeting
highlighting UNAC/UHCP as a leading health care union
in Los Angeles county.

At the November Los Angeles Central Labor Council (LA CLC) delegate meeting, UNAC/UHCP was highlighted as one of the leading health care unions in the county. UNAC/UHCP State Secretary Barbara Blake, RN, provided attendees with a presentation on the union’s history and explained why labor health care facilities are superior to non-unionized facilities in terms of patient outcomes and working conditions. UNAC/UHCP members and staff provided attendees with blood pressure screenings, eye exams, and counseling on H1N1 safety as part of the meeting’s activities. Much thanks to Marcia Schlesinger, NP (Kaiser Sunset), Mary Danclair, RN (Kaiser Sunset) and Dr. Shasa Dabner (Kaiser Panorama City) for volunteering their services and actively participating in CLC meetings.

Photo by Jeremy Lanni

UNAC/UHCP President Raises Issues of Nursing Education, Prevention at UCLA Forum

November 11, 2009


President Kathy J. Sackman, RN, joins other thought leaders
at a UCLA Forum on the Health Care Debate.

On Tuesday, November 10, Kathy Sackman, RN and UNAC/UHCP, joined other health care reform experts at “Inside the Healthcare Debate: A Rational Conversation with Thought Leaders,” a discussion to breakdown the current proposed legislation and reform’s surrounding debate. Sackman raised the inclusion of resources to address the nursing shortage and other workforce issues present in the proposed House of Representatives bill, HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

“The House bill makes a number of improvements in nursing programs, including increasing loan repayment benefits for nursing students and faculty, removing the cap on awards for nursing students pursuing a doctoral degree and making nurse-managed health centers eligible for grant awards,” stated Sackman. “It incorporates funding for public health training programs and includes community-based multidisciplinary teams, which will go a long way toward ensuring an integrated effort by health care providers that emphasizes both wellness and prevention.”

Sackman joined panelists UCLA School of Public Affairs Professors Fernando Torres-Gil, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Mark Peterson, Professor of Public Policy and Political Science, as well as John Healy, Editorial Writer for the Los Angeles Times. Moderated by Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., Dean at the UCLA School of Public Affairs, the panel discussed the impact of the legislation proposed by the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance and House of Representatives on special populations, Medicare and Medi-Cal, the insurance industry and the overall American public.

“The final approved legislation isn’t slated to cover the broader population until 2013, so it will take years for the full impact of the legislation to take effect,” commented Sackman. “The people who will experience the most immediate benefit will be those of us who have been cut out of the insurance industry due to pre-existing conditions, have no insurance, utilize COBRA benefits or may be losing their care. We will need to be patient and allow health care reform the time it needs to correct our broken health care system.”

Barbers Trim, UNAC/UHCP Members Screen

November 9, 2009


UNAC/UHCP Member Darla Tillman, RN, administers a
peripheral arterial disease screening exam to Crenshaw
community members to locate any early warning signs
for serious medical conditions.

UNAC/UHCP members donated most of their Saturday, November 7, to providing health screening targeting African American men with the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program throughout the Los Angeles and Inland Empire. This unique and innovative grassroots program works with black-owned barbershops, which represent a cultural institution of familiarity and trust in many communities, to disseminate health education information and help reach the goal of screening more than 500,000 African American men by 2012.

“It is so rewarding to get involved in the community and provide care to those who are most in need,” stated Darla Tillman, an RN at the Kaiser-Permanente Medical Office in Gardena. “Screening is so vital to African-American men, who suffer disproportionately from conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension. Coming out here today is a real eye opener to what people without health care are going through.”

Compared to the general public, African American males have a higher risk of diabetes and other cardiovascular conditions, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The American Diabetes Association estimates that 3.7 million (14.7 percent) African Americans, ages 20 years or older, have diabetes, while statistics show that forty percent (40 percent) of African American men die prematurely from cardiovascular disease as compared to twenty-one percent (21 percent) of Caucasian men.

UNAC/UHCP members who participated in the outreach effort included: Darla Tillman, RN; Lonelyss Lewis, NP; Patricia Lacy, RN; Andrea Gardiner, RN; Dale Barnett, RN; Tim Uliasz, RN; Larry Rick, PA; Teresa Alcala, RN; Irma Bermudez, RN; and Fred Tinamisan, RN, along with several UNAC/UHCP staff members. Throughout the day, volunteers had the opportunity to meet several celebrities, including Sherri Shepard (co-host, “The View”), The Whispers, comedians Kim Coles and Tommy Davidson, actor T.C. Carson, performers Yo Yo and Montell Jordan, and former LA Laker Norm Nixon.

AFSCME STAFF EXCHANGE IDEAS, SUCCESSES

October 30, 2009


UNAC/UHCP staff members Vanessa Caballero, Donna Smith and Joy Harvey join in a vigil in support of University of California employees seeking better working conditions.

UNAC/UHCP staff members participated this week in the 2009 AFSCME West Region Staff Exchange in San Francisco .  The Staff Exchange brought together hundreds of AFSCME staff members from various councils and affiliates to exchange ideas and successes, and to set future goals and plans.

As part the three-day event, Exchange participants joined a vigil in support of AFSCME Local 3299 University of California members, who are struggling to achieve a fair, equitable contract.  AFSCME 3299 is a statewide local organizing UC service and patient care workers to stand up for better working conditions. Staff Exchange attendees chanted in front of UC Board of Regents member Richard Blum’s home, with the rally cry of “They say ‘Cut Back,’ we say ‘Fight Back!’”

The event provided UNAC/UHCP staff the opportunity to share their experiences with other AFSCME staff, to discuss the importance of union solidarity during tough economic times, and to jointly establish goals for future AFSCME labor actions.

UNAC/UHCP and Parkview Partnership Awarded Federal Grant

Registered Nurse Advisory Committee awarded $60,000 to foster effective collaboration and improve organizational effectiveness

October 22, 2009

UNAC/UHCP, in a collaborative effort with Parkview Community Hospital and Medical Center in Riverside, CA, has been awarded a $60,000 grant from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). The grant, to be used by the hospital’s Registered Nurse Advisory Committee (RNAC), will help foster positive and effective labor-management communication and cooperation through the development of a customer service program to improve the quality of patient care at Parkview.

“Registered Nurses at Parkview joined UNAC/UHCP so that we could play a larger role in providing the highest quality of patient care possible,” stated Penny Brown, RN and president of the Parkview Registered Nurses Association. “We are grateful to FMCS for awarding us this grant to help improve our developing partnership with management. FMCS played an important role in getting us to our first union contract, and continues to extend its support to ensure that we have a strong voice for patient care in the workplace as we work together with management to make Parkview better.”

Parkview’s RNAC was formed as part of the Registered Nurses’ first contract negotiations between UNAC/UHCP and Parkview administration. The RNAC intends to use the FMCS grant to develop a sustainable customer service program that incorporates patient, employee and physician stakeholder groups in determining the best way to provide health care services to the Riverside community.

“Health care facilities that truly seek to provide the highest quality of patient care utilize all of the resources at their disposal, including their staff,” stated Kathy J. Sackman, RN and UNAC/UHCP president. “The FMCS grant will help create an amicable working environment that will contribute to moving Parkview forward in a positive direction toward providing high quality patient care."

The grant period is 18 months long and will end in March 2011.

UNAC/UHCP MEMBERS PROVIDE SCREENINGS TO THE COMMUNITY

October 7, 2009


California State Assembly Member Felipe Fuentes receives a blood pressure test administered by UNAC/UHCP RN Myrna Madriaga at the 39th Assembly District’s 3rd Annual Family Resource Fair. UNAC/UHCP members provided necessary blood pressure and other screening tests to the approximately 1500 attendees of this year’s fair. Fuentes sponsors the event annually with California State Senator Alex Padilla (SD 20).

FVPA Negotiations Kickoff

Oct. 6, 2009


Over 200 Fountain Valley Professional Association (FVPA) members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) participated in the successful kickoff to their new contract negotiations cycle at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center.  Members had the opportunity to speak with FVPA affiliate officers and UNAC/UHCP state officers and department directors about their issues of interest and became more acquainted with the union.

UNAC/UHCP President Addresses BRN Recommendations

Sacramento - On Monday, August 17, UNAC/UHCP President Kathy J. Sackman, RN, spoke before the California Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee regarding recommendations proposed to create a seamless enforcement program for the Board of Registered Nursing. Please click on the link below to read her statement to the Committee.

Testimony of Kathy J. Sackman, RN on August 17, 2009

UNAC/UHCP Members Volunteer for RAM LA and Provide Health Care Services to Vulnerable Populations.

Large crowds reinforce the union's commitment to achieving comprehensive Health Care Reform for all Californians

August 12, 2009


UNAC/UHCP member Dr. Marisa Chung performs a free
eye exam on Ronald Thompson of Los Angeles
during the weeklong RAM LA event.

Uninsured, underinsured, unemployed and under-employed Californians throughout the Los Angeles area flocked to the Forum in Inglewood on Tuesday, August 11 to receive free dental, vision, medical and women’s health care services from health care professionals volunteering for RAM LA 2009, an event running from August 11 through 18 and organized by Remote Area Medical. Hundreds of health care professionals are volunteering throughout the weeklong event, including UNAC/UHCP members.

“RAM LA is a wonderful opportunity to help meet the health care needs of some of California’s most vulnerable populations,” stated UNAC/UHCP member Marisa Chung, a Doctor of Optometry for Kaiser Permanente. “It’s clear that there is still so much more to be done. I’m glad that UNAC/UHCP is actively working toward achieving comprehensive health care reform that is affordable, accessible and provides the highest quality of care.”

UNAC/UHCP executive officers recently appealed to chairmen from key committees addressing health care reform in the United States Senate and House of Representatives regarding the need to incorporate vital components to create true health care reform. These recommendations included a public health insurance option, no taxation on health benefits, cost efficiency, health care workforce development, high quality patient care, and equity in health care access.

“Our members get involved in humanitarian efforts like RAM LA because they are dedicated to ensuring that their patients and others in need of health care are able to access it,” said UNAC/UHCP President Kathy J. Sackman, RN. “As nurses and other health care professionals, they are on the front lines of providing health care and can best champion the health care needs of Californians and other affected populations throughout the United States. RAM LA highlights the fact that we need true health care reform now.”

UNAC/UHCP is actively encouraging its members and their families to speak out for Californians at the local health care forums being hosted by California’s members of Congress throughout the Southern California region during the month of August.

UNAC Calls for Public Hearings and More to Address BRN Oversight Issues

July 29, 2009

The LA Times (in conjunction with ProPublica.org) recently exposed some failures at the California Board of Registered Nursing  (BRN) to effectively act on complaints regarding errant nurses. Click on the link below to access the original LA Times article, released on July 12, 2009.

“When caregivers harm: Problem nurses stay on the job as patients suffer”

In the July 29, 2009 LA Times, an op-ed from UNAC/UHCP President Kathy J. Sackman, RN, appeared addressing Governor Schwarzenegger’s decisions that have contributed to the problems at the BRN. In addition, Sackman proposed some necessary actions the Board should take moving forward and affirmed the commitment of UNAC/UHCP members to promoting quality patient care.

From the Los Angeles Times

Opinion

Does Schwarzenegger care about nursing care?

The governor voices concern about the state nursing board's failure to act on complaints, but he and lawmakers keep denying it the resources necessary to do the job.

By Kathy J. Sackman

July 29, 2009

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a necessary political move earlier this month when he replaced most of the members of the California Board of Registered Nursing. His action came after a Times article (done in conjunction with ProPublica) exposing how the board repeatedly failed to act on complaints involving abusive, substance-abusing and incompetent nurses.

But is the governor really committed to fixing the problem?

This is the same governor, let's remember, who four years ago tried to completely eliminate the nursing board, the Department of Consumer Affairs division responsible for ensuring the quality of nurses in California and the safety of the patients they serve. The union I head, the United Nurses Assns. of California/Union of Health Care Professionals, led the charge against the proposal, joining together with patient-rights organizations and other healthcare professionals throughout the state to fight this plan that threatened patient protections. We succeeded.

It was a hollow victory, though. The governor and Sacramento lawmakers continued to squeeze the Department of Consumer Affairs, leaving the nursing board without the resources it needed to promptly and fairly investigate and resolve complaints. The nursing board is funded entirely from annual fees paid by nurses to renew their licenses. But in recent years, the governor has diverted more than 10% of these fees to the state's general fund. Meanwhile, the nursing board has had to share a too-small investigative staff with other boards, leading to a large backlog. Cases before the board take an average of three years to be heard.

Until now, the governor has seemed so unconcerned about the situation that he failed to promptly fill empty board positions when they came up. It's quite a contrast with the governor's new stance. Last week, he called the board's process "unconscionable."

I agree. But instead of changing the process, the governor went on to insist that additional resources are unnecessary, that simply "the will" to change the process would be enough. Unfortunately, this typical Schwarzenegger rhetoric fails to provide clear direction or necessary resources for meeting the challenges the board faces, and it sends the clear message that nothing will actually change.

The Department of Consumer Affairs is responsible for overseeing the nursing board -- which manages more than 350,000 nurses statewide -- plus two dozen other professional boards. But the department has only 30 full-time investigators to manage the complaints. That's just not enough, and it leads to a denial of due process for everyone -- those who file complaints and nurses alike. By comparison, the Medical Board of California has 76 investigative personnel for 125,000 licensed physicians.

In order to regain the public's trust and to begin reforming this dysfunctional process, our union is calling on Schwarzenegger and the Legislature to conduct a series of public hearings that will fully address the problems. On Monday, the nursing board requested permission to triple the size of its enforcement staff. Schwarzenegger should support this move.

In addition, furloughs for nursing board staff members and investigators must be halted, and complaints should be better managed so that the most serious accusations are addressed rapidly. The board should implement a better tracking system so that comprehensive records of allegations against individual nurses are maintained (both in-state and out-of-state) and compared against any new claims. And finally, the board should recruit enforcement monitors to guarantee that action recommended by the board against individual nurses is completed and that any required oversight during a probationary period is fulfilled.

It is unusual for a union to call for increased clout and resources for the board that provides oversight of its members. But we are a profession that values its reputation. As nurses, we take an oath to abstain from deleterious and mischievous actions, to do all in our power to maintain and elevate the standard of our profession and to promote the welfare of those committed to our care. It is crucial to the well-trained and highly competent majority of nurses that those who do not meet the rigorous standards of the profession are removed --and that the wrongly accused get a timely opportunity to answer the complaints against them. We believe that our patients and our nurses deserve better oversight.

Kathy J. Sackman is a registered nurse and president of the United Nurses Assns. of California/Union of Health Care Professionals.

Please click on the link below to access Sackman’s op-ed.
“Does Schwarzenegger care about nursing care?”

UNAC Leaders Honored

June 2, 2009


Pictured: (left to right) Kathy J. Sackman, RN, Sonia Moseley, NP, Delima MacDonald, RN; Not pictured: Barbara Blake, RN

UNAC/UHCP President Kathy J. Sackman, RN, Treasurer Delima MacDonald, RN, Secretary Barbara Blake, RN, and former state officer Sonia Moseley were honored with 57 other women for their contributions to the labor movement in Orange County on May 27th.

Titled “An Evening to Honor Heroines Among Us: Past, Present & Future,” the Orange County Labor Federation, in partnership with the AFL-CIO, presented Season Five of the play “Speaking Up!” in Buena Park at the UFCW Local 324. Starring Orange County women labor leaders and activists, the play highlighted the labor struggles of several women such as Mother Jones, Anne Moody, and Dolores Huerta.

After a reading of an original poem by Irvine City Councilwoman Beth Krom, Sackman, MacDonald, Blake, and Moseley received Certificates of Congressional Recognition for their outstanding leadership and advocacy for women’s issues from Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and Assemblyman Jose Solorio.

Nurses Union Testifies to Congress Regarding Swine Flu

Registered Nurse union member highlights need for protections in the workplace for health care professionals

May 11, 2009


Miguel Garcia, a Registered Nurse (RN) member of UNAC/UHCP, testified on Thursday, May 7, regarding the H1N1 influenza before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor at a hearing on “Ensuring Preparedness Against the Flu Virus at School and Work.”

“Because I work in the Emergency Room at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, my fellow RNs are on the frontline of fighting the current outbreak of the swine flu,” stated Garcia. “I am testifying on behalf of UNAC/UHCP because we represent thousands of nurses and other health care professionals who need consistent protections in the workplace.”

Currently there is no comprehensive federal standard to require employers to protect health care workers from an airborne virus like H1N1 or tuberculosis.  There are OSHA and CDC guidelines, but to date these guidelines have only been voluntary.

“In many respects my employer is the exemplar in preparedness,” said Garcia. “However, many health care employers have not taken the necessary steps to prepare and protect health care workers from a flu pandemic or the current outbreak of the H1N1 flu infection.”

Utilizing its nationally recognized Labor Management Partnership, Kaiser has engaged its union partners to closely monitor the evolving flu situation and its impact on patient and worker needs, rapidly adapt guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monitor respiratory protection programs and implement an aggressive program of worker and member hand washing – which is vital to reducing flu infection and progression. 

Nurses Union Successfully Supports Bill for Presumptions in Workers Compensation for Direct Healthcare Providers

UNAC/UHCP political director makes a case for AB 664 to create new presumptions in workers compensation for dangerous working conditions of direct health care providers

April 30, 2009

UNAC/UHCP Political Director Jimmy Gomez testified before the California State Assembly Insurance Committee on April 22, 2009, in support of AB 664 regarding new presumptions in workers compensation for direct healthcare providers. The bill passed in committee by a vote of 7 to 3.

Authored by Nancy Skinner, assembly member for the 14th District, AB 664 provides that back or neck injuries, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), and other blood-borne infectious diseases be presumed under workers compensation to be job related if suffered or contracted by direct healthcare providers.

“Registered Nurses, like any other direct healthcare providers, have an increased likelihood of exposure to certain injuries and illnesses due to the nature of their work,” stated Gomez. “The safety concerns posed under these working conditions, particularly considering the physical nature of patient care provision and the increasing number of patients with more severe conditions, must be taken into account under workers compensation laws.”

Nurses rank third in the number of work days missed due to illnesses and injuries, according to a study conducted by the 2007 Bureau of Labor Statistics. While current infection control measures attempt to control the spread of blood-borne infectious diseases like MSRA, one of the most virulent types of antibiotic-resistant staph infections, the measures cannot completely eliminate these serious job-related threats.

“Passage of AB 664 shows a respect for and understanding of the inarguable risks registered nurses and other direct healthcare providers encounter when caring for families throughout California,” said Gomez. “We hope that the Committee on Appropriations will come to the same conclusion as we continue to support better and safer working conditions through AB 664 and other similar bills.”

PARKVIEW REGISTERED NURSES RATIFY FIRST UNAC/UHCP UNION CONTRACT

April 21, 2009


13 months of prolonged negotiations ends in a clear vote
by nurses to ratify their first union contract, which will
restore 5% pay cut by management and guarantee
nurses a voice in the workplace

On Friday, April 17, Parkview Community Hospital Registered Nurses voted to ratify their first union contract with UNAC/UHCP after 13 months of prolonged negotiations with hospital management. Parkview RNs ratified the contract by an overwhelming majority. Upon approval by the hospital’s Board of Directors, the new 2-year contract will restore Parkview management’s unilateral 5% pay cut of RN wages and guarantee nurses a voice in the workplace.

“Parkview RNs have worked long and hard toward achieving our first contract and gaining a voice in the workplace,” stated Penny Brown, an RN in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “We are glad that we will finally have the opportunity to work alongside hospital management to make Parkview a premiere provider of quality patient care for the Riverside community.”

The new contract will restore a 5% wage cut taken out of nurses’ salaries by management in October of 2008. UNAC/UHCP filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against Parkview for applying the cut without making a good faith effort to bargain with the nurses’ representatives, and the National Labor Relations Board found merit in the charges and issued a formal complaint against the hospital. During a trial that began on Monday, April 13, UNAC/UHCP and Parkview management came to a mutual agreement to finalize the contract in lieu of continuing the trial.

“Parkview RNs are happy that hospital management finally understands the value of respecting the voice of nurses in the workplace,” said Kathy Sackman, UNAC/UHCP president. “We all look forward to an effective partnership with Parkview management moving forward and to promoting the most efficient provision of high quality patient care possible at Parkview.”

One vital component of the new Parkview RN union contract is the creation of a Registered Nurse Advisory Committee (RNAC) that will meet on a monthly basis to discuss various issues impacting nurses in the workplace and their ability to provide patient care. The RNAC committee will serve to promote advancements in patient care and satisfaction throughout the hospital.

The federal judge presiding over the unfair labor practices case against Parkview will resume the trial should the hospital’s Board of Directors fail to approve the contract that the nurses ratified on Friday.

UNAC/UHCP PROMOTES LANDMARK REPORTING FOR NONPROFIT HOSPITALS

April 17, 2009

UNAC/UHCP supports new reporting requirement for non-profit hospitals that for the first time will provide data on charity care on a cost basis

UNAC/UHCP representatives appeared before the California Board of Equalization on Wednesday, April 15, to support a first of its kind supplemental reporting requirement for non-profit hospitals in an effort to improve disclosure requirements. The Board voted to implement the supplemental reporting requirement.

The Board of Equalization has sought to access more reliable data to justify the millions of dollars spent by taxpayers on California’s non-profit hospitals. As a regulatory agency over these entities, the Board has a fiscal responsibility to the state’s approximately 37 million residents to assure non-profit hospital’s compliance with Board requirements. The Board has determined that supplemental reporting would make regulatory reviews more effective and transparent.

“The nurses and health care professionals we represent are dedicated to improving the quality of care for their patients,” stated Kathy Sackman, RN, UNAC/UHCP president. “Supplemental reporting for non-profit hospitals promotes an environment of greater transparency and greater accountability to California’s taxpayers and will create a more efficient health care setting focused on maximizing these tax dollars to the benefit of the patients who utilize these services.”

Recently, the California State Auditor conducted a study that found that the uncompensated-care costs provided by California’s nonprofit and for-profit hospitals were not significantly different. The State Auditor also found it virtually impossible to quantify the economic value provided by California’s nonprofit hospitals due to a lack of uniform reporting requirements.

“It is vital that appropriate reporting methods are in place to ensure transparency within any health care system that is funded, in large part, by taxpayer dollars,” said Sackman. “Californians want to know that their taxes are being used wisely, and the supplemental reporting requirements for non-profit hospitals is a significant step in that direction.”

Nurses Union Applauds Passing of
SB 294 Nurse Practitioners Bill

Nurses union officer testifies at Business and Professions committee meeting, aiding in the passage of bill to clarify the scope of practice for nurse practitioners


State Secretary, Barbara Blake, RN, testified at the California Senate Business and Professions Committee on Monday, April 13, in support of SB 294 to clarify the scope of practice for nurse practitioners. The bill passed in committee.

“California holds more restrictive regulations than any other state on the nurse practitioner (NP) scope of practice,” said Blake. “NPs are highly trained and prove to be valuable additions to the health care team and help improve access for patients. NPs should have the opportunity to exercise all of their skills to provide the highest quality of patient care possible, and SB 294 will help our health care system more effectively utilize NPs existing skill set.”

SB 294 will clarify the NP scope of practice to include: the signing of disability certification for patients who need documentation for their employers; being able to order durable medical equipment; and placing orders for treatment in home care environments.

“These artificial barriers to the NP scope of practice are an ineffective use of existing resources, particularly considering the current staffing shortage in hospitals,” stated Blake. “If the health care system is going to become more efficient, we have to best utilize all of our resources.”

UNAC/UHCP Physician Assistant Helps Patients Achieve Their Goals


Cyril Thomas knows a hero when he sees one and Ryan Gonzalez is definitely it.

Thomas, a physician assistant in the Emergency Department at Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center , met Ryan years ago when he was being treated for harlequin ichthyosis, a rare skin disorder that's usually fatal at birth. Ryan is the oldest living child in the world with this disorder.

Of course, he'd much rather be known as a tough triathlete.

Thomas helps Ryan achieve his athletic goals by volunteering for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an organization which helps people with physical disabilities compete in the sports they love.

"Ryan is an inspiration to all of us and the reason I do this work," Thomas said.

The physician assistant's desire to help others also takes him to many third world countries where he volunteers for medical missions to help repair children with cleft palates and facial deformities.

"I believe we all have a purpose in life, and this is mine," said Thomas, who learned the importance of volunteering from his parents, especially his father who was killed while on a humanitarian relief mission when Cyril was only two years old.

Thomas continues in his father's footsteps in spite of the perils he may encounter in remote and dangerous parts of the world.

"Cyril is an absolutely selfless man," said Leah Frank, a service assistant in San Diego 's Emergency Department. "He always puts himself out there for others and never asks for anything in return."

Courtesy of the Kaiser Permanente Everyday Heroes Program

UNAC/UHCP Backs Obama Health Care Efforts

April 7, 2009


Barbara Blake, RN
UNAC/UHCP State Secretary

Nurses and health care professionals support president Obama and comprehensive health care reform at regional White House forum

UNAC/UHCP backed President Obama’s efforts to broaden the dialogue on achieving affordable health care for all at the regional White House Forum on Health Care Reform, held in Los Angeles on Monday, April 6.

UNAC/UHCP has long advocated that reform of the health care system take a multi-faceted approach, including expanding health care for all, providing individuals with a choice of quality plans (both private and public), and controlling the rising medical costs.

“Health care providers and unions including UNAC/UHCP have been working for health care reform for a very long time.  We have to increase access, affordability and quality of care now,” said Barbara L. Blake, Registered Nurse and State Secretary for UNAC/UHCP.

As health care professionals, members of UNAC/UHCP know that preventative health care can reduce costs by treating patients before their health problems escalate.  Early intervention means care is less difficult, less invasive and thereby less costly.  But the only way most people can get preventative care is if they have access to the health care they need.

“It’s time for comprehensive health care reform,” stated Blake. “You pay now or you pay later, and later is always more expensive and usually more painful.”

UNAC/UHCP Hires New Political Director


Jimmy Gomez, Political Director

Jimmy Gomez is the new Political Director for UNAC/UHCP as of March 2.

Gomez will develop and manage the overall direction of the union's political program, including introducing and monitoring legislation, maintaining relationships with elected officials and key staff, and directing the UNAC/UHCP PAC.

"Now more than ever, it's vital that elected officials heed the voices of health care professionals when making decisions that affect our society," says Kathy J. Sackman, RN. "We made that clear when our union successfully mobilized for safe staffing ratios, and we're thrilled that Jimmy is going to help us amplify our voices in today's crucial policy debates."

Gomez brings to UNAC/UHCP more than a decade of political experience in Washington, D.C., and California. Most recently, he has been California's political action representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), UNAC/UHCP's parent union.

He has also worked for the National League of Cities, the Democratic National Committee, L.A. City Councilman Michael Feuer, and Secretary of Labor-Designate Hilda Solis when she was a member of Congress. Gomez graduated from UCLA and earned a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

"Year after year, polls show that the public holds nurses in high esteem when it comes to integrity," says Gomez. "It will be my job to make sure that legislators know when they listen to nurses, they are listening to the voices of their constituents."

Photo by Eve Rojas

Activists March for the Freedom to Form Unions

February 9, 2009


RNs Deirdre Kirkwood, Minerva Aller dela Fuente,
Helen Bouman and Carol Westerman march for
the rights of working people to form unions
free from employer harassment

A little rain—ok, a downpour—did not dampen UNAC/UHCP activists’ enthusiasm for the freedom to form unions. More than 20 activists joined with hundreds of fellow union members on February 5 for a 10-mile march through Los Angeles in support of the Employee Free Choice Act.

“I used to work at a hospital that didn’t have a union,” said Helen Bouman, RN, a UNAC/UHCP activist at Garden Grove Hospital . “The director was allowed to bully the employees. Until people see that, they don’t understand how important it is to have a union.”

The Employee Free Choice Act would create a fairer process for union organizing by establishing stronger penalties for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first-contract negotiations, providing mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes, and allowing employees to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.

UNAC/UHCP member Deirdre Kirkwood told KPCC radio about her experience of getting fired for union organizing at Parkview Community Hospital . “It’s against federal law to fire someone for forming a union,” Kirkwood said. “But there’s not really much justice attached and that’s one reason why we need to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.” Today, Kirkwood has a job at Kaiser Riverside, where doctors and managers work with—not against—union members on Unit Based Teams to improve efficiency and patient care.

In this economy, “workers have to look out for each other now more than ever,” said marcher Carol Westerman, RN, who works in the nursery at Fountain Valley Medical Center . “People need to be able to talk about issues freely.”

Greal Yumul was among the UNAC/UHCP nurses who staffed the medical van, tended to marchers’ blistered feet and headaches along the route. “As a nurse who is unionized, I know my job is secure,” said Yumul, who works at the Kaiser South Bay Emergency Room. “Everyone should have that security.”

There Is A Better Way


Asela Espiritu, RN, lets lawmakers know that
there is a better way to ensure workers' rights

The day before the L.A. march, UNAC/UHCP activist Asela Espiritu, an RN at Kaiser Orange County , travelled to Washington , D.C. , to speak out at the AFL-CIO’s rally for the Employee Free Choice Act.

Espiritu joined UNAC/UHCP through a majority sign-up process, thanks to the landmark Labor Management Partnership between Kaiser and its unions. She told ralliers that all working people should have the same opportunity she’s had, free of coercion and intimidation and able to bargain for a better life and better conditions in the workplace. 

“The Employee Free Choice Act will empower workers within all kinds of industries. They’ll be part of the solution to the crisis we’re in,” Espiritu said, her words captured on the AFL-CIO blog and on YouTube. “As unionized workers, we have a voice with management. We’re on equal footing. It helps workers, it helps our patients, and it helps our company.” 

Espiritu also earned attention on the AFSCME blog, and you can watch her tell her story in this video as well.

Take Action

Take action to support workers’ freedom to have a voice on the job. Email Senator Dianne Feinstein today and ask her to co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act.

Photos by Karina Leon and Bill Burke

UNAC/UHCP Urges Quick Confirmation of Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor

February 3, 2009

Saying that now more than ever, “we need a secretary of labor who understands the relationship between reinvigorating our economy and fixing our broken health care system,” UNAC/UHCP President Kathy J. Sackman, RN, called on California ’s two senators to do whatever they can to move forward the nomination of Hilda Solis for this important post.

In letters to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Sackman praised Solis’ work as a fighter for the middle class and for access to quality health care. President Barack Obama nominated Solis for labor secretary earlier this month, but some senators have stalled a vote on her confirmation.

Read the full text of the letters to the senators here.

Parkview Nurses Pray for Fair Contract Resolution

January 26, 2009


Father Alforque offers words of encouragement
to Parkview nurses as they pray for a fair contract

Lifted up by inspiring words and songs of the civil rights movement, Parkview Community Hospital nurses gathered Monday morning for a prayer service as they continue bargaining for a fair contract and a voice on the job.

“The Catholic Church supports the rights of workers to organize,” Father Benjamin Alforque of St. Catherine of Alexandria told the nurses gathered at Hunt Park , a block from the hospital in Riverside . “It is part of your human dignity. Your work is part of God’s creative work. We are with you in this struggle.”

Father Alforque read a passage from the book of James that describes how the powerful are held to account for their treatment of working people: “Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord.”

Pastor Jaime Kim, an organizer for Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, also prayed with the nurses. “Give us strength during these contract struggles. Continue to guide us so we can be leaders in this community.”

“All religions support the right to organize and fight for a fair and just community,” Kim said. “The work you do as nurses and leaders in the hospital helps our community. It is unfortunate you have come under such hardship. You are standing up for justice.”

After voting to join UNAC/UHCP in February 2008, the Parkview nurses have been negotiating their first contract since April, but hospital administrators are dragging their feet.

“I’m inspired by the support we got today and hopeful we’re going to get a contract signed,” said Cynthia Pama, RN in Parkview’s Telemetry department. “It was important to come together today to show we are united.”

Photo by Eve Rojas

March and rally February 5 for Freedom to Choose a Voice on the Job!

January 21, 2009

As health care professionals, our first priority is our patients. Our patients count on us to be their advocates. Because we have a voice on the job through our union, we know we can speak out without putting our livelihoods at risk.

Choosing to join a union shouldn't mean getting fired. But employers fire thousands of working people every year when these workers try to come together for a voice on the job.

It happened in our union just a year ago, when administrators at Parkview Community Hospital realized RN Deirdre Kirkwood was active in a campaign to join UNAC/UHCP for a voice at work. The administrators fired Deirdre with no notice, telling her she had "poor morale" even though she had a spotless work record. A security guard brought Deirdre her purse. She wasn't even allowed to say goodbye to her co-workers on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

We need strong labor laws that protect dedicated health care professionals like Deirdre. The Employee Free Choice Act would restore fairness to the union organizing process so workers don't have to put their jobs and livelihoods on the line just to have a voice at work.

Come to a march and rally to ask U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein to co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act.

Date: Thursday, February 5, 2009

Time: 9 a.m. march begins at the L.A. County Federation of Labor, 2130 W. James Wood Blvd. , L.A. , 90006

March ends at the Federal Building in Westwood, 1 350 S Sepulveda Blvd. , L.A. , 90025

5 p.m. rally at park behind the Federal Building in Westwood

For more information and to RSVP, contact UNAC/UHCP Organizing Director Kyle Serrette, kyle@unac-ca.org .

A Victory for Nurses’ Rights at Sharp

December 19, 2008

UNAC/UHCP members at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego have won a significant victory. An arbitrator on December 17 ruled that Sharp is required to allow a union representative to attend meetings and represent bargaining unit members in those meetings with the employer when members are seeking accommodation because of their medical or physical limitations, and when the union member requests union attendance. 

The arbitrator said that Sharp violates the union contract when it refuses to let a union rep attend these meetings and directed Sharp to allow union reps to attend and participate in these meetings. In short, the arbitrator has ruled in the union’s favor and re-affirms members' right to have a union rep present at meetings where work accommodations due to medical or physical limitations are discussed.

This victory comes as a result of a grievance UNAC/UHCP filed earlier this year. Nurses at Sharp who have any questions should call their staff rep at the UNAC/UHCP office, 619-280-5401.

Nurses Say, “We Love Parkview, Stop Stalling Our Contract”

Lt. Gov. Garamendi Rallies with Care Givers

December 11, 2008


RNs Penny Brown, Linda Hippolyte and Joanna Nichols
speak out for their first union contract

Surrounded by chanting supporters and buoyed by a rousing speech from California ’s lieutenant governor, nurses from Parkview Community Hospital rallied and marched this morning, calling on hospital administrators to stop stalling and finish negotiating their union contract.

“Parkview nurses have Parkview’s best interest at heart,” said Penny Brown, a nurse in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). “We just want to have our voice heard in the workplace. And in order to do that, we need to finish negotiating our first union contract.”

The 250 nurses at Parkview voted in February for a voice on the job with UNAC/UHCP and have been negotiating since spring. Now that talks have reached a crucial juncture, Parkview administrators and CEO Doug Drumwright are stalling.

“It is possible to work out a contract that works for both sides,” Lt. Gov. John Garamendi told rally goers, “so let’s get on with it!” Garamendi noted that other hospitals in the area had constructive working relationships with the union nurses at their facilities. “Workers have the right to organize and negotiate a contract,” Garamendi added. “That’s a basic American right.”

Parkview nurses said they want a contract so they can have a voice in safeguarding the hospital as a vital health care resource for the Riverside community. “We do not fight because we are disloyal to Parkview, but rather we fight for its success and its potential to thrive,” said Linda Hippolyte, a med/surg nurse. “It is about helping us improve the quality of patient care at our community hospital.”

Parkview nurses are asking their supporters to call CEO Drumwright at 951-352-5400 and tell him to stop stalling and finish negotiating the contract so caregivers can get back to their top priority: providing quality care to their patients.


Lt. Gov. John Garamendi bolsters the nurses' cause
with his inspiring words

Photos by Russell Miller and Eve Rojas

Parkview Nurses Earn Attention

Check out the news coverage the Parkview nurses’ campaign has earned!

Riverside Press-Enterprise

A Patient Speaks Out for Parkview Nurses

December 11, 2008


Alma Abreo and daughter Selina, flanked by their nurses, Deirdre Kirkwood and Penny Brown

“My name is Alma Abreo. I have cerebral palsy. I live about four blocks from Parkview. I came to the rally today with my daughter Selina to support the nurses in the NICU.

About four years ago, I sat down on my bed and saw that my feet were very swollen. My family took me to Parkview. They gave me all sorts of tests and didn’t find anything wrong. Then they gave me an ultrasound. That’s when I realized I had a little baby inside of me.

I was scared at first. I went to the NICU and had my baby. She was only two pounds, five ounces when she was born. The nurses helped me. They taught me how to feed and bathe her. They believed in me, especially Penny Brown. Penny was there when we had a meeting with my family and my social worker, and we decided I could live independently for the first time and take care of a little baby.

I came to the rally today because I want the nurses to be there for us. It’s my way of saying, ‘thank you.’ They need a union contract because they work so hard. They take the time to care for people, for little babies. They care about their patients, and they deserve a union contract.”

--As told to Laureen Lazarovici

Photo by Russell Miller

Riverside City Council Extends Offer to Mediate Parkview Contract

December 4, 2008

Parkview meeting

Registered Nurses from Parkview Community Hospital and UNAC/UHCP staff members attended the City of Riverside Governmental Affairs Committee meeting on Wednesday, December 3 to familiarize the City Council with the multiple issues currently impacting Parkview and the ongoing negotiations of the RNs first union contract.

Due to the City Council’s vested interest in Parkview, they have committed to offer mediation services to Parkview administration and the RNs negotiating team in order to assist the Riverside community hospital with getting back to the nurses' main concern: providing quality patient care.

photo by Eve Rojas

Nurses on Top in Ethics and Honesty—Again!

November 24, 2008

For the seventh year in a row, nurses have come out on top in a respected poll of the public’s rating of ethics and honesty.

The prestigious Gallup poll, in conjunction with USA Today, asked the public to rate the honesty and ethical standards of people in different professions. An astounding 84 percent said nurses’ standards were “high” or “very high.” That’s more than any other of the 20 other professions pollsters asked about.

“Nurses have no peer in the Gallup rankings today,” says the official announcement from the polling organization. Other health professionals who rank high in the poll are pharmacists and doctors.

“The Gallup poll confirms the appreciation our members hear from their patients every day,” says Kathy J. Sackman, RN, UNAC/UHCP President. “People know that nurses and health care professionals not advocate for them at the bedside, but also in the public policy arena for safety, quality and health care reform.”

Click here to see the entire poll.

Election Victories Offer Chance to Move Our Country Forward

November 5, 2008

Hope. Progress. Change.

Union members are celebrating Barack Obama’s victory in Tuesday’s presidential election.

“After eight years of no action on health care reform and attacks on union rights, we finally have our chance to move our nation forward,” says Kathy Sackman , RN, UNAC/UHCP president. “This is an incredible victory and an incredible opportunity.”