UNION OF AMERICAN PHYSICIANS AND DENTISTS, AFFILIATED WITH AFSCME, AFL-CIO
“Napa State Hospital Fears Staffing Cuts” in the Napa Valley Register
“Napa State, housing top county’s legislative agenda” in the Napa Valley Register
“Napa State Hospital Workers Demand More Police Inside The Hospital” a KTVU Special Report
CDCR Resources and Contact Information: For official information regarding CDCR reductions see CDCR’s Employee Layoff Resources Website. The CDCR Human Resources Helpline can be called between 8 am and 5 pm weekdays at 1-888-793-4473 (select option #2). You can email CDCR Human Resources department at HealthCare.HRhelp@cdcr.ca.gov (consider cc-ing your Labor Representative on all e-mails).
Deadline for CDCR Placement Options Worksheet Extended until January 10 at noon: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has agreed to extend the deadline for returning the Placement Options Worksheet until Tuesday, January 10th at noon (not Monday January 9th at 5 pm as we previously reported). Doctors facing layoff due to the AB 109 reductions had initially not been given sufficient time to complete and return that form, UAPD argued.
On Wednesday the Department of Mental Health (DMH) informed workers that it intends to reduce the ratio of treatment staff to patients by almost a third within all five of its hospitals starting next month. The notice sent to UAPD states that DMH is “evolving into a new Department focusing on improved care, patient and staff safety, and fiscal responsibility.” UAPD President Dr. Stuart A. Bussey called that statement, “pie in the sky.” “It is clear that only short-term monetary goals are driving the State’s decision to cut staff,” he told the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press. “We know that if treatment staff are cut, patient safety will certainly deteriorate further.” Dr. Bussey and other UAPD leaders are scheduled to meet with the Governor and his top aids on December 21st to discuss alternatives to these cuts.
Read more …
The Department of Mental Health has been ordered to cut $100 million from the five state hospitals this fiscal year. DMH officials have explicitly stated that a central pillar of their proposal will be cutting treatment staff. So there is an urgent need to assemble cost savings ideas that can serve as alternatives to cutting staff and compromising safety. DMH doctors, send your cost-saving ideas here.
