OHSU's Failure to Support Employees' Mental Health and Wellness
Guest post from David Casey, social worker and bargaining team member.
On September 23rd, OHSU presented their latest economic proposal, and this included some important take-aways with how OHSU views and prioritizes the wellness of its staff in general, and its support for mental health professionals more specifically.
Many of you are likely aware of the mental health services that have become available through Occupational Health over the last year or so. This program has been widely utilized by OHSU staff, both unionized and unclassified, addressing a broad range of work-related issues affecting the emotional wellness of employees. In a hopeful move, OHSU voiced its desire to continue this program and to also add another clinician. This would be a great win for all of OHSU. Further, OHSU expressed a desire to provide some support for the Social Work Council, which played a critical role in the development of the Occupational Health program. Having a formally supported Social Work Council would provide our Union with a complimentary body of mental health experts and advocates to help advance solutions to issues affecting our membership at-large, while also providing professional collaboration opportunities for Social Workers across the institution.
However, OHSU’s proposal comes in notably short in some other very important areas: professional credential differentials and renewal support (affects ALL licensed/certified AFSCME members), and recognition of the emotional burdens of the work many of us perform every day. Without any rationale, OHSU’s economic package rejects the Memorandums of Understanding (MOU’s) for:
Trauma intensive healthcare roles
Advanced Professional Certification Differential Pay
Certification and Licensure Renewal Program
Since the start of COVID, mental health across our communities has been notably declining and access has not been able to keep pace with need. This is also true for those of us providing the mental health care. The burdens of our work have grown at unprecedented rates as we support communities that are sicker than they’ve ever been while our fellow employees struggle to manage their own mental health, in a world with inflation growing faster than wages. Everywhere we turn, even when we face the mirror, everyone one we see is just trying to survive.
These proposals in support of mental health professionals and the wellness of our staff are not major economic asks. Funding these proposals would certainly not overburden OHSU, and they would provide some much-needed relief for the people carrying the emotional weight of this institution. With the exceptions of the credential renewal program and the professional certification differential, many of you may not benefit directly from these proposals. However, investing in these proposals will help keep our entire institution healthier.
As a Social Worker and a bargaining team member, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our Union and to advocate for issues like these. I ask you all to join with me and stand firm in support of these proposals and of each other. It is only through our collective power that we can create a culture that inspires us to continue our chosen careers and fields of work. And it is only through our individual actions that our Union gains collective power. So please, get involved and get others involved. Our efforts with this contract will define the quality of the next three-years of your life.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for all you do every day. In solidarity,
-David J. Casey, LCSW, CADC III