RNs to protest Kaiser Permanente suspending some gender-affirming care

Registered nurses from Kaiser Permanente facilities will hold a vigil at 4 p.m. tomorrow, July 25, in San Francisco, Calif., to honor transgender patients being impacted by Kaiser’s newly announced suspension of some gender-affirming care. Kaiser RNs are represented by California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).

Nurses say the recent decision from Kaiser to suspend some forms of gender-affirming care for those under 19 will impact their patients, but nurses remain committed to advocating on behalf of every patient who needs their care.

Who: Kaiser nurses
What: Vigil for gender-affirming care
When: Friday, July 25, 4 p.m.
Where: 2425 Geary Blvd. (front of the hospital), San Francisco, Calif.

“Kaiser’s own foundation has put out research on the efficacy of this care. The evidence is there that this care is safe and effective,” said Sydney Simpson, RN in interventional radiology at Kaiser San Francisco. “What’s unsafe and ineffective is caving to political pressure that puts our patients at risk. We won’t stand for it, and it’s why we’re taking action together.”

CNA represents nearly 25,000 registered nurses at Kaiser facilities and is an affiliate of NNU, the country’s largest nurses union.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.