---

 ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Oct-2023/079u.jpg)

 [ WELLNESS ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=13)

#  Kaiser Nurses Are Striking For the Right Reasons, But Not At the Right Target

October 02 2023

Written by KEN ALPERN.

<a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)

ALPERN AT LARGE - Kaiser Permanente nurses and other health care workers are [going on strike](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/kaiser-permanente-labor-strike-update-2023/71035191007/) in six states and Washington, D.C. demanding better pay and more robust staffing.

Whether one likes or hates unions, whether one likes or hates the concept of going on strike, and whether one likes or hates Kaiser Permanente, the concerns of having enough nurses, physicians, and other health care workers to take care of us are concerns that are as valid as any time in our history.

After all:

- WHY is it so damned difficult, long, and tedious to get into nursing school?
- WHY are we over-relying on medical assistants (MA’s) to do the jobs that Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN’s) used to exclusively do…without even trying to facilitate their recruitment and admission to nursing school?
- WHY is it so damned difficult, long, and tedious to get into medical school?
- WHY are we over-relying on physician extenders (Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners) to do the jobs that physicians used to exclusively do…without even trying to facilitate their recruitment and admission to medical school?
- WHY aren’t there enough nursing schools?
- WHY aren’t there enough medical schools?
- WHY the hell are we forcing so many qualified applicants fighting to get into medical school to waste their time doing “gap years” when we need them NOW…or even yesterday?

Nurses and physicians and other health care workers are bailing out of medicine at record rates—even before COVID hit us, bureaucratic regulations and electronic medical records (EMR) were preventing us from seeing more patients.

With EMR, handwriting issues aren’t as critical, and notes can be clarified in ways we didn’t see with paper records…but the notes are often just big, long “boiler plate” records that are frightfully difficult to discern…

…and our different EMR systems don’t talk to each other, even between your clinic where you see your doctor/provider and where you might be hospitalized…

…and the number of patients your doctor/provider can see probably went down about ~25% from when he/she had paper records.

So Kaiser workers are [overworked and understaffed](https://www.npr.org/2023/09/29/1202315013/kaiser-permanente-health-care-workers-strike). Many of us, even those who do NOT like strikes, probably are in one way, shape, or form, supporting their efforts…or at least their intentions.

Because our health care system is in [crisis](https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/01/business/healthcare-workers-kaiser-permanente-strike/index.html). The strike by 75,000 nurses and other health care workers is just one small emblematic part of the worsening crisis.

Because the Affordable Care Act didn’t include any significant increase in ensured funding for nursing and medical schools.

Because health plans are not being asked enough to help fund affordable health care via more nursing and medical schools (ironically, Kaiser Permanente is probably one of the health insurers and delivery systems who do MORE for residency programs and job training than most others).

Because we’re making it too damned hard and expensive to become trained in health care professions.

And because our economic policies, from local to state to federal, is making it so very expensive to eat, live, and access health care so that even health care workers—exhausted, dispirited, and burnt out—can’t even make ends meet.

*(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father. He was active for 20 years on the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) as a Board Member focused on Planning and Transportation, and helped lead the grassroots efforts of the Expo Line as well as connecting LAX to MetroRail. His latest project is his fictional online book entitled The Unforgotten Tales of Middle-Earth, and can be reached at* [*Ken.Alpern@MarVista.org*](mailto:Ken.Alpern@MarVista.org)*. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)*

 [ ![LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20level%20pay%205-7-25.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)")

 ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/banners/signup-for-cw.png)

## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays &amp; Thursdays

 First Name

 [ ![Home - HHR Rent is too High - SB-2](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/HHR/AHF-rent-too-high.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/104 "Home - HHR Rent is too High - SB-2")

 ---

##  Featured CityWatch Stories

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/20/070h-20f29015.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33277:trump-world-from-assassination-abroad-to-chaos-at-home&catid=395)

### [Trump World. From Assassination Abroad to Chaos at Home](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33277:trump-world-from-assassination-abroad-to-chaos-at-home&catid=395)

GELFAND’S WORLD - We’re at a moment when all sorts of political questions are coming to a head. And if that old phrase…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/ed/068d-ed5f9acd.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33261:zuckerberg-may-finally-pay-a-price-for-preying-on-our-children&catid=375)

### [Zuckerberg May Finally Pay a Price for Preying on Our Children](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33261:zuckerberg-may-finally-pay-a-price-for-preying-on-our-children&catid=375)

IN MY VIEW - As a mother of two children who has often been on the losing side of family battles against screen time, I…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/4b/070i-4ba64015.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33283:newsoms-next-immigration-gamble-defy-federal-law-and-dare-washington-to-fight-back&catid=375)

### [Newsom’s Next Immigration Gamble: Defy Federal Law And Dare Washington To Fight Back](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33283:newsoms-next-immigration-gamble-defy-federal-law-and-dare-washington-to-fight-back&catid=375)

MY THOUGHTS - Gov. Gavin Newsom is about to decide whether California should take another extraordinary gamble with fed…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/27/070e-279910b9.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33275:nithya-raman-has-yet-to-address-hasan-pikers-antisemitism-controversy&catid=375)

### [Nithya Raman Has Yet to Address Hasan Piker’s Antisemitism Controversy](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33275:nithya-raman-has-yet-to-address-hasan-pikers-antisemitism-controversy&catid=375)

THE VIEW FROM HERE - While it was outrageous that in May 2026 CD 4 councilmember and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman end…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/a9/070g-a9407aaa.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33278:they-said-it-made-no-sense-then-they-voted-yes&catid=327)

### [They Said It Made No Sense. Then They Voted Yes.](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33278:they-said-it-made-no-sense-then-they-voted-yes&catid=327)

INVESTIGATIVE ANALYSIS - Sacramento has streamlined housing approvals so aggressively that residents rarely get a heari…

---

##  [ WELLNESS ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=13)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Aug-2026/065b.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33209:a-fresh-approach-to-everyday-wellness&catid=13)### [A Fresh Approach to Everyday Wellness](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33209:a-fresh-approach-to-everyday-wellness&catid=13)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Aug-2026/065a.jpeg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33190:when-an-injury-changes-more-than-just-your-health&catid=13)### [When an Injury Changes More Than Just Your Health](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33190:when-an-injury-changes-more-than-just-your-health&catid=13)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/July-2026/060n.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33138:a-practical-guide-to-modern-vein-treatment-options&catid=13)### [A Practical Guide to Modern Vein Treatment Options](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33138:a-practical-guide-to-modern-vein-treatment-options&catid=13)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/July-2026/059l.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33107:36-years-later-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-continues-to-change-lives&catid=13)### [36 Years Later: The Americans with Disabilities Act Continues to Change Lives](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33107:36-years-later-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-continues-to-change-lives&catid=13)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/July-2026/056s.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33062:why-healthy-aging-depends-on-more-than-medical-care&catid=13)### [Why Healthy Aging Depends on More Than Medical Care](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33062:why-healthy-aging-depends-on-more-than-medical-care&catid=13)
<div data-id="1" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-emailform eb-1 eboxContentLocker"
	data-options='{"trigger":"onPageLoad","trigger_selector":"","delay":3000,"early_trigger":true,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":1,"reverse_scroll_close":true,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":10000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"slideInDown","animation_close":"fadeOutDown","animation_duration":400,"disable_page_scroll":true,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #1 - Global Email Signup Form","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog eb-formVer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog1" aria-label="dialog1">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<form action="https://citywatchla.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=34d69f33624fd058ee9b56516&amp;id=4bfa422f51&amp;f_id=00d6c2e1f0" class="eb" method="post" id="mcform-1" name="mcform-1" target="_blank">
			<div class="eb-form-header"><p><img src="/images/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png" alt="be a city watcher" width="350" height="97" loading="lazy" data-path="local-images:/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png"></p>
<p>Sign up to receive our special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evenings!</p></div>
	
					<div class="eb-field-row">

			
			
			
			<input class="eb-input" type="email" name="EMAIL"  placeholder="Email address"  id="EMAIL" value="" required>

			
		</div>
										
	<div class="eb-footer">
    	<button class="eb-btn" type="submit" name="subscribe" style="background-color:rgba(93, 183, 93, 1);color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)">
    		Sign up    	</button>
    </div>
</form>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
<div data-id="3" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-yesno eb-3 "
	data-options='{"trigger":"onScrollDepth","trigger_selector":"","delay":0,"early_trigger":false,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":2,"reverse_scroll_close":false,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":1000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"fadeInUp","animation_close":"fadeOut","animation_duration":300,"disable_page_scroll":false,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #3 - Yes \/ No Donation Popup Box","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog " role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog3" aria-label="dialog3">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<div class="ebox-yes-no">
	<div class="ebox-yn-text">
		
		
		<div class="ebox-yn-headline" style="font-size:22px;color:#888888">
			<p>If you only give once a month, would you consider giving to CityWatch?</p>
<p>Your support fuels our mission to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.</p>
<p>Would you like to help? Even if you can only give $5, it will make a difference.</p>		</div>
			</div>
	
	<div class="ebox-ys-buttons" style="font-size: 16px;">
		
<a
					data-ebox-prevent="0"
		data-ebox-cmd="close"
				target="_self"
		href="https://www.citywatchla.com/donate"
		rel="noopener"
	
	
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#2ec664;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Yes
	</a>
<a
	
	
			data-ebox-cmd="close"
		href="#"
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#ef2345;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Not Right Now
	</a>	</div>

	</div>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>