CCHCS Employee Health Teams (EHTs)
On January 29, 2021
Our Union met with California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) to continue discussing the formation and implementation of an Employee Health Team (EHT) at each institution throughout the state.
Some of the major details from the Meet-and-Confer include:
CCHCS was asked to explain the overall, general status of the Employee Health program and any other relevant information, and they responded with the following updates:
- Approximately 200 contractors were brought in by the
Governor’s Office to assist CCHCS with the COVID-crisis, and the
contractors are not being paid by CDCR/CCHCS.
- The long-term outlook for the Employee Health Program is to
maintain the reporting structure through the headquarters office
and not delegate reporting down to the institutional level.
- The Employee Health Team nursing vacation scheduling process
will be a separate process and will not be mixed with the
institutional front line nurses.
- In light of shortages with the vaccine administration by
contractors, Employee Health Team Nursing may be asked to
administer the COVID vaccine to employees only, if a shortage
occurs within an institution. However, front-line institutional
nurses will not be redirected to assist with the administration
of the vaccine.
- Our Union advocated for the maintenance of safety retirements
for members of the Employee Health Team. CCHCS stated that EHT
members are currently still receiving safety retirement and
discussions are still ongoing as to the future of the
benefit.
- Our Union held the table open to continue to address questions as this program implementation moves forward.
If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to reach out to your bargaining unit via email at either unit1@seiu1000.org, unit17@seiu1000.org or unit20@seiu1000.org