PROVIDERS AT LIFELONG MEDICAL CARE ANNOUNCE STRIKE AGAINST UNSAFE WORKING CONDITIONS

News provided by

Union of American Physicians and Dentists

Jun 26, 2023, 13:00 ET

BERKELEY, Calif., June 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical and mental health professionals employed by LifeLong Medical Care will be striking at the LifeLong West Berkeley Health Center on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, after two years of management refusing to address workplace concerns directly affecting patient care in the Bay Area.

With more than 20 locations, LifeLong serves more than 61,000 patients annually. LifeLong serves a diverse, medically complex, uninsured and underinsured patient population that requires extensive time and resources.

"Plans to continue expanding were announced in April, but we're already short-staffed as it is. LifeLong continues to focus on growth without first addressing problems they have known about for years. These chronic problems put lives at stake," said Douglas Frey, Family Nurse Practitioner, who has worked at LifeLong Downtown Oakland Health Center for 11 years.

Fourteen providers have already resigned this year due to poor working conditions. With fewer providers available to see these patients, there is decreased patient access and even more burnout among the providers who remain. Patients often are left without a designated primary care provider and decreased appointment availability. This can lead to patients utilizing the emergency room to receive basic medical services, or foregoing care all together, placing their wellbeing at risk.

"LifeLong executives don't see patients. They don't know what it's like to work in a clinic where they're not given adequate time and resources," said Dr. Stuart Bussey, a private practice physician and president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.

"I came to work at LifeLong so I could serve the community that raised me", said Angelina Shigeura, M.D., a physician at LifeLong East Oakland Health Center for five years. "But during my time here, there has been a lack of institutional support to address the issues of provider burnout that leads to frequent provider turnover, which leads to a decline in the quality of the patient care that we provide. Our patients deserve better."

About the Union of American Physicians & Dentists
The Union of American Physicians & Dentists (UAPD) has organized physicians and providers since 1972. With more than 5,000 members in California, New Mexico, and Washington State, UAPD is the largest union of licensed physicians and advanced practice clinicians nationwide. Members work for state and county governments, large healthcare organizations and nonprofit health systems, as well as providers in private practice. Affiliated with AFSCME and AFL-CIO, UAPD brings the strength of the labor movement to the aid of providers in the interest of better medicine for all. Learn more at www.uapd.com.

Contact Information:
Vivi Le
Communications Manager
Union of American Physicians & Dentists
(714) 552-9841
[email protected]

SOURCE Union of American Physicians and Dentists