Portland, Ore. – Approximately 70 physicians and nurse practitioners at Boulder Care, a telehealth addiction treatment provider, has filed to unionize with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD), citing growing concerns about their ability to deliver safe and effective care for patients with substance use disorder.
“Our ability to provide individualized care for our patients depends on having enough time with each person,” said a clinician. “These are often complex cases requiring follow-up and coordination with the care team. The patients we serve are among the most vulnerable and they deserve providers who have the time and support required to fully show up for them.”
Clinicians say that patient loads are increasing faster than staffing levels can support. One provider noted that over the past year, they took on 10,000 new patients in addition to their existing patient panel of 20,000. Compounding the pressure is insufficient administrative time for completing patients notes, this documentation is critical to ensuring continuity of care and coordination among care teams.
In addition, the lack of support for continuing medical education is a serious concern. Addiction medicine is a rapidly evolving field with ongoing advances in medications, treatment protocols, and the management of co-occurring mental health conditions. Clinicians emphasized that having dedicated time and resources for the latest research is essential to ensuring that patient needs are met.
“Boulder Care has built something meaningful in the addiction treatment space and we want to see it succeed in the long-term,” said Dr. Stuart Bussey, UAPD President. “But that growth must include the people delivering care. Addiction treatment is not assembly line medicine. If providers are being assigned more patients than they can safely manage, it’s patients who end up paying the price.”
As Boulder Care expands into additional states, clinicians say workload pressures have become increasingly difficult to sustain. They stress the need to address structural issues now to keep pace with the organization’s rapid growth.
“I don’t remember the last time I took a day off. My patient panel size keeps growing and my schedule never lets up. I don’t feel like I can step away when I know my patients are counting on me,” said a clinician involved in the organizing effort. “I care about every patient I see and that’s what makes this so difficult. I keep pushing but burnout is real and our patients deserve better.”
UAPD emphasizes that working conditions and patient outcomes are closely linked. When providers are stretched thin, continuity of care is impacted. For patients navigating substance use disorder recovery, consistency is critical to recovery.
About the Union of American Physicians and Dentists
Established in 1972, the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) is the largest bicoastal union for licensed doctors and advanced practice clinicians in the nation—representing more than 7,000 private and public-sector healthcare practitioners. Affiliated with AFSCME and the 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.
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