Amid patient woes, CHC of Snohomish County staffers push for a union
EVERETT — Doctors and other providers at Community Health Center of Snohomish County filed a petition this week for a union election.
The group of 37 providers — including physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners — would join the Union of American Physicians & Dentists if a majority votes in favor of forming a union. The National Labor Relations Board has not set an election date.
A doctor at Community Health Center, who asked for anonymity due to fears of retaliation, said the staff has two main goals in organizing a union: “No. 1 is improving patient access and service, because it has suffered significantly with the changes that have been made by our administration. And No. 2, is more respect for and involvement of providers in decisions that are made by our administration.”
After Community Health Center implemented a new electronic health records system in the spring of 2022, providers claimed the system caused long delays in communicating with patients, processing referrals and getting lab results, said the doctor. It also added significant time to their administrative workload. And the problems have continued, providers said. They have tried to raise concerns, but they feel dismissed.
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