SEIU 721 Members Respond to One-Sided LA Times Reports

Healthcare workers have done so much to help all of us during this pandemic so it’s especially disturbing that the Los Angeles Times recently published articles that seek to diminish the critical work being done by the LA County Department of Health Services.

While there is still much to improve at DHS, thanks to hard work from all of us, conditions there have come a very long way.

When the Times published its one-sided piece, they failed to include many of the other factors that cause long wait times and delayed medical care. Factors like short staffing in our hospitals, the need for competitive pay to retain experienced staff and the fact that many low-income patients have jobs that lack the paid sick days and flexibility needed to take care of their health in a timely manner.

SEIU 721 members are making their voices heard by submitting Letters to the Editor in response to the newspaper’s inaccurate reporting. Here they are:

 

To the editor:

I was disappointed by the LA Times article on patient wait times. As a nurse in DHS, I know not everything works perfectly at the county hospitals. But a one-sided story that doesn’t account for the improvements is nothing more than an ill-informed distraction and only serves to delay the progress we are making, both locally and statewide. 

We need to continue expanding the workforce so every patient can get the care they need. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill that allows nurse practitioners the right to practice without supervision by a physician. The long-awaited passage of AB 890 is a step in the right direction to helping improve access to care for low-income patients. Before this law, California Nurse Practitioners were on “restricted practice authority” and couldn’t provide many essential services, which contributes to longer wait times for care. Improving patient wait times requires a holistic staffing approach that completely missed by the LA Times coverage.

Sincerely,

Sandra Beltran
Registered Nurse, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center
Sylmar

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To the editor:

I work in the LA County Department of Health Services and was glad to see The Times put the spotlight on us. But the Times missed the heart of these patients’ stories and the more nuanced reasons for the delays in care. It’s easy to point the finger at scheduling in DHS, but the full story is much more complex. Many of our patients work more than one job. They often can’t take time off to see a doctor. Their jobs don’t come with sick days or flexibility. They may rely on mass transit, which can be unreliable. Some can’t afford childcare so they can go visit a specialist. Taking care of your health is a luxury, one that low-income patients can’t always reach. That’s the story the Times should tell, even if it makes the finger pointing a little harder.]

Sincerely,

Raul Rosas
Senior Typist Clerk, Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center
Los Angeles

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To the editor:

As I read about the patients who died waiting for treatment from the LA County Department of Health Services, I kept waiting for The Times bring up the elephant in the room – universal coverage. But you didn’t. Universal coverage could result in fewer uninsured patients and more sustainable funding for the public health system. The root cause of long wait times is funding. Funding that provides great incentive packages to providers so that they stay in the public health care system. We must fund public health care systems better — and universal coverage is part of the solution.

Ruth Mendoza
Nursing Attendant, Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center
North Hollywood

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To the editor: