skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump stands behind Hegseth after attack plans shared in second Signal chat; Pollution exemptions granted to AR coal plants; Coping with OR's climate change-fueled pollen season; Federal funding cuts could hit MT harder than other states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Defense Secretary Hegseth faces calls to resign for discussing battle plans in a second Signal chat. Indiana denies students the use of college IDs to register to vote, and the White House signals the U.S. might stop trying to end the Russia-Ukraine War.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Money meant for schools in timber country is uncertain as Congress fails to reauthorize a rural program, farmers and others will see federal dollars for energy projects unlocked, and DOGE cuts threaten plant species needed for U.S. food security.

Physicians’ Union Approves Strike Against MultiCare Indigo Urgent Care

play audio
Play

Monday, September 14, 2020   

TACOMA, Wash. -- Doctors at MultiCare Indigo Urgent Care clinics say their union has authorized a strike, citing unsafe working conditions, lack of Personal Protective Equipment and concerns over how patients are scheduled and seen.

There are 22 MultiCare Indigo Urgent Care locations in the Puget Sound region, plus five clinics in Spokane and the inland Northwest. MultiCare physician Brian Fox said the company's 12-hour work shift policy and mandate that all patients who enter a clinic's door must be seen have exhausted doctors, with an uptick in volume during the pandemic.

"If a dozen patients walk in at 7:55 p.m., according to our policy, we're obligated to stay until all of those patients are seen," Fox said. "You know, after an exceptionally long day of seeing 40 or 45 patients in a shift, we wanted to have the option for patients that weren't as ill to say, 'Can we please reschedule you for tomorrow morning?'"

In a written statement, a spokesperson for MultiCare said they remain committed to the negotiation process and are working hard to negotiate a fair labor contract, and said its urgent-care clinics offer a number of shift options.

President of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists Dr. Stuart Bussey said doctors have reached a breaking point after a year of contract bargaining. He argued MultiCare's management hasn't taken its providers' concerns seriously enough.

"Doctors need a voice, an unimpeded voice, to advocate for the patient," Bussey said. "We still have the duty to take care of the patients as much as we can, without the interference of a profit-minded entity, called 'the employer.'"

Bussey added large healthcare corporations often are determined to see as many patients as quickly as possible, to increase revenue. He contends this makes for stressful and unsafe working conditions for staff, and less quality care for patients.

"It's now behind the military, the expenditure of this government - 19% of our gross product - is for health care, over $3 trillion," he said.

According to a Medscape survey, two-thirds of U.S. physicians report worsening levels of burnout and loneliness in the pandemic. The American Medical Association has developed some new resources to help physicians handle the increased stress and anxiety.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The National Library of Medicine reports that many schools are incorporating mental health awareness into their curricula to reduce stigma and help students recognize and manage emotions. (Rido/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A national report card finds that even with a $150 million budget threat last year, Michigan still made solid progress in staffing up its school …


Social Issues

play sound

Mississippi's decade-long focus on early literacy has transformed the state. According to the Mississippi Department of Education, the state's …

Environment

play sound

The "Make Polluters Pay Superfund" bill goes before the California Assembly Natural Resources Committee Monday. The bill would direct the California …


It has been widely reported the Social Security Administration has moved more than 6,000 names into its "death master file," although the taxpayers are not deceased. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

President Donald Trump continues his pressure campaign on immigrants -- both documented and undocumented -- disrupting the lives of many in Virginia…

Environment

play sound

A new report found 122 million Americans drink water with high levels of cancer-causing chemicals, frequently from runoff at livestock factory farms…

Mushrooms and other psychotropic plants have been used in healing, spiritual and ceremonial contexts by cultures around the world for thousands of years. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Kate Ruder for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Service…

Social Issues

play sound

Parents of students killed or injured in school-zone crosswalks are backing a measure in the Ohio General Assembly to increase the penalty from a misd…

Social Issues

play sound

North Dakota's legislative session is scheduled to end in May, and the issue of using public funds for what's called school choice remains unresolved…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021