This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA.
A few days ago at Kaiser Vallejo, a man lost his life while waiting in the emergency room. He arrived in critical condition and needed urgent care. However, due to short staffing, he waited for 8 hours until he couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed.
At an administrative meeting, Kaiser leadership had been warned just a month before that patients could be affected by the low staffing ratios. During this time, nurses at Kaiser also started a petition to address the issue of short staffing; however, no action was taken by the hospital administration, thus leading to the recent death.
Short staffing has been an ongoing problem in many Kaiser hospitals as management tries to cut costs. Sadly, this short staffing shows the dire consequences of Kaiser consistently prioritizing profits over the health of patients and workers.
Click here to read the article printed in the 07-15-24 Healthcare Newsletter
