April Gottman on the right.
Started Kaiser Permanente in December of 1970, was terminated December of 1993.

In the late eighties after years of frustration with the job as a receptionist for the Laboratory and Radiology Departments, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure which was never taken care of properly because the prescriptions were not helping.  I developed anxiety attacks more often as throughout the work day I could feel what I felt as my blood pressure gaining on me as I was under stress most of the time from having to take care of an unusually high number of patients while working understaffed.  Anxiety would grow when I was unable to accommodate the patients needs, such as getting them X-Ray appointments within a decent time limit.

In the early nineties I filed an injury report on my back, neck and I included stress because of having anxiety attacks that went from getting one or two a month to having one almost everyday.

I had many nightmares because of the blood pressure medicine.  Besides seeing spiders a lot there was one night I was dreaming that I was in a hotel, and someone broke in.  If I would of had a gun near me at the time I believe I would have shot the person that was entering the room.

The back and neck pain developed over the time of having to work behind a new desk that was made without anything having to do with the functions of the job.  My first time behind the desk showed that someone very tall designed it because it came up to my eyeballs, and then on each side of the receptionists were two or three feet columns that blocked our views of the patients.  After a few years of straining my neck while sitting in a chair that also was not fit for the desk I would come to work feeling okay and then twenty minutes later I felt like someone was sitting on my shoulders and at that time whatever medications I was given made it impossible for me to function as I should on the job.

The other two receptionists were suffering most of the time from back and or neck problems and the stress from working short staffed added to the physical pains.  We started begging for help but the story we got from the Union ws that Kaiser was going through bad times and after being told that my stress took on a deep depression, one that I would never get over.

A time study was done by two engineers out of Kaiser's Oakland Office.  I could not understand why the study was being done during the Christmas Season but as it turned out it did not matter.  One of the engineers told me that no matter what the figures were in the final report they would be subject to change depending on the agenda of the ADMINISTRATORS.

A time study had been done in the early 1980's by an outside firm and the study showed that the job required three and a half people.  Then Kaiser hired another firm and their results came to three people.  Eventually the third receptionist was hired.

There was never any added help after all the years.  A Lab Tech Supervisor was hired in addition to the one Lab Tech that was all that was needed for the Clinic.  The Supervisor ws hired to help out at the Reception Desk but that seldom happened since Supervisors are always at meetings or conducting some other projects that have nothing to do with waiting on patients.

My co-worker of sever years ws terminated because first of all she agreed to learn how to draw blood, that being a sign of a good employee but after she learned which was like everything I have witnessed at Kaiser, there is no learning via training.  It is always a do it yourself course and she ws far from comfortable with the whole thing.  yet the new Supervisor made her give up her work area at the desk and forced her to draw blood.  In the mix of things the receptionist was found to be allergic to the latex gloves and she developed eczema on most of her fingers.  She was sent home instead of getting her real job back and ws written up for refusing to do her job as a Plebotomist.  She went out on a Disability and that lead to her termination.

Work ws always down to two receptionists with more of a work load and yet less help than ever.  The help that was given when patients were having to wait hours between X-Rays and Lab Work was always someone from the Hospital Lab who did not know a thing about X-Rays so I would always have patients passed on tome who would be lining up in another line just for my help.  I do not know how I was able to take the pressure for so long, especially when I developed a fear of dying behind the desk.

It was my turn to depart.  Those last couple years are more of a blank than when I first started in 1970.  I remember crying a lot while waiting on the patients.  I remember my doctor yelling at me when I went to him for help and asked for some time off.  He was well aware of what was going on at my job plus with my health, he had recently detected my having a heart murmur.

I went out on an Industrial, and for six months stayed in the fetal position on the couch.  No one from kaiser contacted me and I was unable to find help.  I could not call my Supervisor, for I know that going back to that particular job would not work.  I could not even get myself to walk back in there just for a day so that I could restart my disability.

I was terminated by telegram.

The day I was terminated my son was admitted for a burst appendix.

A month or two before that happened I had applied for a part time job in the Home Health Department.  A few days later I was told that the job was taken by someone in the Department.

During my sons hospitalization which was three weeks, I slept and spent most of my time there but one time around lunch I made a trip home which is just a few blocks away and as I entered the house the phone was ringing.  I found myself talking to the Supervisor of Home Health.  She told me that I got the job which made me gasp for air.  She was very short with me and said that if I wanted the job I had to take a typing test and a medical terminology test as soon as possible.  I told her that my son was very ill and in the hospital so I would not be able to take any tests right away.  She commented that there was no time to waste because they needed to fill the position right away.

Since I have been terminated, Kaiser does not recognize me as having been employed for twenty two years and as having to leave the job because they are not recognized by the ADA Laws.

Sincerely,