[editor: The following email from a former Kaiser Permanente Northwest employee who suffered racial discrimination in her position at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, was received by us quite some time ago, but somehow got lost in our inbox. Our apologies to Ms. Bell. In other news, the Margaret McIlroy pregnancy discrimination case went to court in Honolulu on February 14, 2006 after the judge wondered why Kaiser wanted to settle out of court for a pittance. Never forget who is paying for Kaiser to defend these lawsuits: Member premiums and co-pays.]

Dear Sirs (Mesdames):

I am pasting on to this message an article/commentary that I submitted to Portland IMC regarding my experience as a Black female with a disability, having suffered (along with other professional level minorities) often overt bias and illegal discriminatory treatment while employed at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, from 1999 until 2001 — an entity, I soon learned, that never has and still does not exist (thus ‘it’ can not be sued, nor defended).

Corporate racism and other forms of discrimination against a number of minority groups is a longstanding and flourishing industry within itself in Oregon. Agencies like Kaiser NW (or whatever they call themselves) reap the advantages of their placement in inner North and Northeast Portland. The Research Center is continually seeking to examine Blacks and other minority ’specimens’. However, within the organization they have little to no interest in interacting with those groups on an intellectual or academic level. I hope that the concept and integration of Civil Rights has not lost its value in Oregon and America in the wake of all the discussion of securing democracy in Iraq and other remote or rhetorical diversions. In all, thank you for this opportunity to speak.

With regards,
Marcia Bell, MPA:HA

PS - “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you… (Matt. 5:44)

Direct link to article:

Is Racism ‘Business as Usual’ at Kaiser NW?

author: Fired Black Employee

At the Kaiser Center for Health Research, although reported racist behavior of supervisors and decision-makers have been acknowledged by its direction, the organization readily expends unlimited finances to maintain a virtually all white professional level staff.

The author of this article has been embroiled in a longstanding (albeit losing) battle with this corporate giant who, rather than confront the reported perceptions of minority employees who have reported concerns of racist attitudes, actions and behaviors of its managers and supervisors, by even its Direction, it elects to spend countless thousands of dollars, hours and energy defending them - and in turn their racism.

Neither the EEOC, BOLI or the Federal Courts appear much interested in a minority’s, especially,a Black’s perception of bigotry and its accompanied discrimination. The author worked for Kaiser CHR for two years. In that time she, and a Mexican American colleague suffered through continuous intimidation, threats and micromanagement. Within this period neither of the two were hired or promoted into any of the collective 50 positions for which they applied (for a number of peculiar though always feasible reasons - namely incompetence; the Black was (the only) Master’s level staff with 12 years of professional clinical experience; the Mexican received a Bachelors with Honors, “but those people can’t…). However, their blond colleague of 22 years, still in graduate school managed to be promoted to a management position with three months of hire.

The description of unceasing abuses including scapegoating, confidentiality policing, unreasonable schedule flexibility, and production standards, and signing of pre-disciplinary contracts inflicted during the summer of 2000 could fill volumes. After all staff but she left the department, Project Investigator, Dr. Greg Clarke, and Project Manager, Stephanie Hertert, refused to provide backup assistance to that who complains. When she requested ‘reasonable accommodation’.

Due to depression she was asked to quit. After she reported her ‘perceived’ concerns to Human Resources, no wrong-doing was found. Effectively, nor so by the EEOC, BOLI or the Courts. Therefore, one may reasonably say that racism is a protected commodity and surely ‘business as usual’ at Kaiser NW, Oregon. (Please see Federal Civil Case ‘Bell vs. Kaiser’ [03-35876] for further info).