5-day Hunger Strike for Quality, Parity, and Accountability
On Monday, April 7, several strikers will launch a 5-day hunger strike outside the Kaiser Los Angeles Medical Center at 4867 Sunset Boulevard.
On Monday and Friday, the hunger strikers will be holding vigil at LAMC from 8am to 6pm. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, they will be there from 10am to 6pm.
This is a decision made by workers who want to demonstrate our collective commitment to making Kaiser stop treating behavioral health care as a second class service.
RSVP here to attend the hunger strike.
Silent strike
We kicked off this week by symbolizing the silencing effect Kaiser’s broken mental health system has on our patients and communities. We know the system is fraught with bureaucracy because we see our patients try to self-advocate within it, and even with our support, often fail to get the care they need and deserve.
Patients in multiple picket locations stopped by to share their own stories and lend their support and words of encouragement for our fight. We’ve seen a steady stream of patient story submissions since the start of our strike. These patient stories validate our struggle and expose Kaiser’s PR lies.
Despite Kasier’s inaction, our community is with us. From patients to professional associations, labor councils, elected officials, and community organizations, the message to Kaiser is clear: It’s time to put patients over profits.
Strike trending
Yesterday’s top trending story on the KPBS website reads: KPBS reports: “In a new report from the California Department of Managed Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente has not yet corrected 19 of 20 mental health care violations from 2022, despite a record $200 million penalty. The report highlights Kaiser’s failure to provide therapy appointments within legally required timeframes, leaving some patients in limbo.” Read the full story from KPBS here.
Upcoming actions
- Picket at Health Evolution Summit (Greg Adams to speak) in Orange County: Wednesday, April 9 from 11am to 1pm. RSVP here.
Picket line sign-ups for next week
Use our picket shift sign-up form to sign up for picket line shifts next week.
Picket line photos
See the gallery of photos below, and see more on NUHW’s social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
