Scores of Kaiser Permanente mental health workers went on strike Tuesday in Santa Rosa to protest what they said are perpetual staffing shortages that are causing major delays in treatment for patients and increasing burnout among therapists, psychologists, social workers and drug counselors.
The strike is part of a larger labor action that started Monday by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents some 2,000 mental health workers at numerous Kaiser facilities in Northern California. The union represents more than 100 workers in Sonoma County, union officials said.
The union is in contract negotiations with Kaiser, and several workers walking the picket line Tuesday said inadequate staffing is one of the key unresolved issues.
George Pulis, who does psychiatric risk assessments in Kaiser’s emergency department, said workers are comfortable with wage and benefits being offered but want some assurance staffing will be significantly increased to reduce appointment wait times for patients, which can be as high as eight weeks.
“What we really haven’t made progress on is the staffing issue,” he said, adding that Kaiser’s Northern California facilities have seen a 17% reduction in mental health staff in the past year.
Kaiser Northern California’’s senior vice president of human resources Deb Catsavas said in a statement that the union was using the strike as a bargaining tactic, a move that “pulls nearly 2,000 mental health professionals away from their patients across Northern California.”
Catsavas said the two sides have been bargaining for more than a year and have come to agreement on wage increases. The remaining issue, she said, is the amount of time mental health workers spend on “administrative tasks,” such as patient documentation and treatment planning.
Workers said they’ll remain on strike until they can reach an agreement. Kaiser said that patients requiring mental health treatment would continue to receive care from “mental health clinicians who choose patient needs over the strike, as well as from our psychiatrists, clinical managers, and other licensed professionals.”
Kaiser said it would expand the use of outside community providers, prioritize urgent and emergency care, and likely reschedule some non-urgent appointments.
Any patient whose appointment may be affected will be contacted directly prior to the date of the appointment to ensure they receive the care they need.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.
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