The only constant at Imperial Beach Community Clinic seemed to be constant turnover. CEOs and top executives came and went. So did many workers, leaving the remaining staff burning out as they tried their best to serve patients amid relentless understaffing.
Now, caregivers are committed to working together to improve the clinic as members of NUHW.
“I can imagine this being a great place to work,” said Benjamin Van Pratt Levin, a physician who has worked at the San Diego-area clinic for the past two years. “It’s a small place that should be innovative and where people feel good about what they do.”
Van Pratt Levin was drawn to the clinic because it offers him a chance to serve entire families regardless of insurance status or financial means. But constant leadership turnover led to “organizational chaos.” Workers left amid constantly changing protocols, creating “a cycle of poor patient care and burnout for those who remained” because of the extra work.
The highest levels of leadership ignored workers’ concerns and targeted providers who participated in an op-ed in the Voice of San Diego online news outlet. That’s when the workers — who also include therapists and nurse practitioners — decided to unionize.
After winning their election earlier this month, Van Pratt Levin and his colleagues are looking forward to negotiations that will bring meaningful changes to the clinic to help attract and retain staff so they can provide the best possible care to their patients.
“We want to have a set, clear contract that is not written in a way that can be interpreted differently by people,” he said. “I want to negotiate on things that are mutually beneficial and promote retention, like financial incentives, so people stay and don’t leave.”
