This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA.
Highland workers sent a letter to Alameda Health System leadership this weekend demanding that AHS follow hospital policy and state law to protect the patients in our care.
Workers outlined many concerns, including that AHS administration did not follow its own protocol for patients in ICE custody. AHS failed to verify the legal validity of the detention, and then allowed the patient’s legal rights to be repeatedly violated throughout their admission.
Workers noted that AHS administration has failed to provide state-mandated training for staff about how to respond to ICE in the hospital, leaving workers unprepared and a vulnerable patient unprotected.
Workers demanded that the administration address their concerns, as this is a situation that is actively harming a patient, and needs to be remedied to protect future patients in our care.
James Jackson, AHS CEO, wrote a shallow, boilerplate response to the letter without addressing any of the workers’ concerns. He falsely claimed that protocols and laws were being followed despite ongoing evidence to the contrary.
We have a commitment to keep our patients safe and we will keep fighting to protect them!
Click here to read the article printed in the 10-21-26 Healthcare Newsletter
