By Tony Hicks –
There aren’t enough doctors in the Contra Costa County health system and the problem will only get worse next year, according to the union representing county doctors and dentists.
The Physicians’ and Dentists’ Organization of Contra Costa (PDOCC) released a statement Thursday saying the high number of doctor vacancies in the county system “is negatively impacting patient care and is expected to get much worse in the next year.”
PDOCC is currently negotiating a new contract with the county.
The union said that according to county data, 83 out of 285 employed positions are listed as vacant in Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS), a 29 percent vacancy rate.
The union said that includes 27 vacant positions in family medicine and primary care adult medicine, five vacant dentist positions and five vacant OB/GYN positions. With 19 vacant psychiatrist positions, the union said 27 percent of employed psychiatry positions are currently filled.
It also said there are 11 vacant positions in the emergency department — half of the department’s employed positions, a development the union said “means the county is unable to safely staff the emergency room.”
CCHS spokesperson Kim McCarl said health systems across the country are struggling to recruit and retain medical staff at all levels. She said Contra Costa County is no different.
“It’s important to note that a physician vacancy does not mean that there is a clinical vacancy, nor that care is compromised,” McCarl said. “We are confident that the right provider is caring for the right patient in the right way at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Health Centers every day.”
PDOCC officials said that since November, five emergency department doctors have left the Contra Costa system, and the county interviewed and offered positions to 21 new applicants, but the offer was declined by every one.
“The problem is expected to get a lot worse in 2024 when Contra Costa County will need an additional 40 primary care providers to care for 30,000 new Medi-Cal patients being added to the county’s health services due to an agreement between the county and California’s Department of Health Care Services,” PDOCC said, in the statement.
McCarl said CCHS provides flexible work schedules, emphasizes proactive care, and recruits and retains doctors who want to practice in an integrated environment.
“It’s not uncommon for our physicians to be experts in many areas of clinical medicine which our system values,” McCarl said. “We value physicians who embrace our mission and choose to work for Contra Costa Health on a full-time, permanent basis but we also welcome doctors who take a less traditional approach to their careers by working part time or in partnership with other health care entities.
“These approaches help to alleviate the burnout that has been so costly to hospitals and healthcare systems since the height of the pandemic,” McCarl said.
The union said the county has averaged filling three primary care doctor vacancies annually over the last three years.
“The shortage of employed physicians in the county health system impacts patient care and creates a serious public health concern,” said Dr. David MacDonald, PDOCC president. “Over the last three years, Contra Costa’s frontline doctors, dentists, optometrists and other healthcare heroes worked tirelessly to keep our communities healthy and safe. With the County’s inaction, we see worsening morale among our physicians and dentists, high turnover rates, and an inability to recruit the talented medical and dental professionals we need for a thriving public health system.”
McCarl said CCHS is one of the highest-rated family medicine training programs in the country. “We recruit well-trained physicians who are familiar with our system from each graduating class,” she said. “Recruitment and retention of physicians is a top priority at Contra Costa Health. We will continue to explore ways to fill every clinically relevant vacancy across our healthcare system.”
20 comments
Do you know what also makes it worse? Providing free care to illegals and backing the system up with their care. Why are we providing free care to people who don’t belong here???
The union is great at stating a problem and never really coming up with a solution. It shouldn’t be about dollars when you see one city in the county is spending 5.4M for a ‘unhoused’ solution plan (piece of paper).
How many doctors, nurses, technician and other personnel did Contra Costa fire for not getting their Covid shots?
I don’t know. How many?
DEMs passed legislation last year that allows nurse practitioners to treat patients.
No word on rates of misdiagnosis.
Work harder and smarter quit complaining or move on.
Quite a number of health care professionals in this country have left the profession because they didn’t want to buy into the COVID narrative. They knew it was wrong.
Sounds like the hours works/salary ratio is out of whack and the county needs to offer better compensation packages.
OR they could decrease the work by refusing to treat illegals and have all the welfare rats actually pay something to see a doc.
Heard of horrific stories about the current medical system. I would clean up your lifestyle, get healthy, and improve your lifestyle to stay healthy to avoid the system, for at least 5 years.
Instead of taking some experimental mandatory medications to go into the restaurant, I’ll take my chances with horse paste if I came down with that malady that was discussed about 3 years ago.
I know two people who work at the hospital in Martinez. They say the vast majority of patients are Latino and many speak no English, which means they prefer to hire bi-lingual staff. That limits their hiring options. The pay for doctors in uncompetitive and they are expected to work long hours. The story above doesn’t differentiate between licensed MDs and those still in training, but my friends say the patients primarily see residents, with the licensed MDs checking in from time-to-time.
If anyone wants to see what socialized, single-payer health care looks like, look no further than CCHS. Long hours, marginal pay, massive waste.
I worked there too. MASSIVE waste. They encourage overspending because then it “shows” the need for more. The patients get everything for free and so clog up the ER relentlessly. THEN they have to nerve to complain and DEMAND more, even though they are not paying a cent! I could not work there anymore. All the gimmie people are incredible.
Many Left this State because they refused to go along with California’s covid tyranny policy………don’t you dare speak out against Pfizer – or you’ll lose your license!!!!
My friend in FL, licensed RN left entirely. She opened food truck to help feed homeless.
They also contract out many services vs hiring County employee. The COO for Health Services is an outside contractor making nearly $50K PER MONTH on an Auto Renewal Contract, meaning it doesn’t come back before BOS to approve the renewal that most have. This contract has been in effect for over 30 years. It once paid 2 high end financial folks. One retired in like 2012. The last time it went to Board was to increase contract because they were asked to help Doctors Medical in Richmond. This has been closed how long? Why isn’t contract reduced for only providing one staff person vs two & no longer dealing with the other entity? They are treated far better than any poor county employee. They never have time card to fill out & can come & go as they please. They have as much vacation, sick leave, or time away whenever they need it. There are even folks they pay to fly in back & forth.
BINGO!👍
Time for a grand jury investigation.
No there aren’t but having NPs practice help… the problem is the excessively high negligence insurance and lack of decent compensation for Medicare and Medical….. the insurance companies are allowed way too much profit – premiums are high now and should not be increased for years the way things are…
Doctors need a union? Really???
Too many illegals allowed into the state taking up space, clinics, food, parking, roads, more noise, garbage, less supplies available,…
Some doctors quit and nurses rather than take harmful jabs.
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