Four thousand California-based mental health workers with Kaiser Permanente went on strike this week to call attention to the need for more clinicians and better scheduling for patients.
For some enrollees with Kaiser, it can take weeks to get an appointment with a therapist, according to a press release from the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW). It is one of the nation’s largest medical group owners in 2018.
Union workers from Kaiser hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and other locations began the planned five-day strike on Monday, Dec. 10. The protest will shut down mental health services at more than 100 Kaiser clinics and medical facilities.
The protestors hope to highlight an increase in the diagnoses of major depression as well as the rate of suicide. Insufficient funding and inadequate staffing leaves patient without help for weeks, they argue.
“The situation inside Kaiser's clinics is untenable,” Kenneth Rogers, PsyD, a Kaiser psychologist, said in a statement. “We don’t have enough staff and enough hours in the day to see all of the patients who need care. Patients are suffering and unable to access clinically appropriate care, while Kaiser sits on billions of dollars, refusing to fix the problem.”
Kaiser, an Oakland, California-based managed care company, has come under fire recently for its lengthy wait times for patients needing mental healthcare services. It was fined $4 million in 2013 after investigators found the provider was illegally delaying mental healthcare for thousands of patients, according to NUHW.
The provider stated its hospitals and medical offices are open during the strike, which it said was a “disheartening” decision by union leaders. Kaiser also pointed to its improvement efforts to recruit more mental healthcare workers.
“We have been hiring therapists, increasing our staff by 30% since 2015––that’s more than 500 new therapists in California––even though there’s a national shortage,” the company said in a statement. "We’ve invested $175 million to expand and improve our mental healthcare offices, to provide environments that offer our patients convenience, comfort and privacy.”
Kaiser also argued the union’s demands would not improve care or access for patients.
Kaiser Permanente did not return a request for comment from HealthExec prior to publication.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."