Current mental health care is a key factor in the strike by Kaiser Permanente workers.

A California law that took effect in July requires health plans to provide periodic follow-up appointments for mental health and addiction patients. That’s a point of contention in the open strike at Kaiser Permanente clinics in Northern California, which say staff shortages have burdened them with heavy workloads that make it impossible to provide adequate care.

KP said that he was trying his best to increase his staff but he was suffering from shortage of manpower. Therapists — and the National Health Care Workers, which represents them — contend that the managed-care giant has trouble attracting clinics because of the poor reputation of its mental health services.

The controversy comes amid rising demand for mental health. In the United States, the proportion of adults with symptoms of depression and anxiety may have quadrupled. during the covid-19 pandemic.

of New law State-mandated health plans are required to provide return appointments no later than 10 days after a past mental health or substance abuse episode — unless the patient’s therapist allows more frequent visits.

The union-sponsored bill was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October and includes a grace period for health plans to be covered.

Sal Roselli, president of the Health Care Workers Association, which represents more than 2,000 KP mental health clinics in Northern California, said he was not honored. “It’s really getting worse,” he said. “Thousands of people don’t get the care that clinics say they need.”

The association and its members said patients often have to wait two months for follow-up appointments.

As Kaiser Permanente said Online statement HMO

KP has strengthened its mental health care capacity. Adding about 200 clinics Starting in January 2021, it will expand virtual appointments and offer more mental health services through its primary care providers, said Deb Katavas, vice president of human resources for KP’s Northern California division. She also said KP has launched a $500,000 recruiting campaign and is investing $30 million to “build a pipeline of new culturally diverse mental health professionals throughout California.”

But the picketing clinics, which began their strike on August 15, said they are constantly facing obstacles in their work due to what they described as a constant shortage of staff.

Alicia Moore, a KP psychologist in Vallejo who leads group therapy sessions in the intensive outpatient program, said her patients may have trouble maintaining the progress they’ve made after the program ends because they have to wait for follow-up appointments. In the year “Our program does a pretty good job of helping people who are in crisis right away, but there’s no medical appointment to get them out,” said Moore, who voted Aug. 16 in front of KP Oakland Medical Center. “You need an appointment, and it’s been two months.”

Not only are therapists running out, but many new providers don’t want to work for KP, she says. “We have a number of open positions in our clinic, but I think it’s very difficult to do a good job on the mental health staff because it’s very difficult to fill Kaiser positions. I don’t have appointments to offer patients,” Moore said.

The union says KP also has an abuse problem.

Mickey Fitzpatrick, a psychologist who worked at Kaiser Permanente for 11 years, said he quit this year because he couldn’t care for patients “the way we were trained in graduate school, in line with my passion.” PsychotherapyIn a way conducive to healing.

The union argued that KP had the money to fix the problem if it wanted. 8.1 billion dollars net profit Last year and sat About 55 billion dollars In cash and investment.

The two sides also disagree on how much time clinics should have to deal with patients’ issues outside of treatment sessions.

Katsavas asked the union to reduce the time the clinics spend with patients to give more time than KP is willing to provide for administrative tasks. This demand goes against the union’s “pledge to improve access to mental health services,” she said.

The union said clinics need time for non-administrative tasks that are an integral part of care — such as meeting with parents, school officials and social service agencies for juvenile patients and returning emails and phone calls from distressed adults — appointments can be six to eight weeks in advance.

The strike “reduces access to our care at a time of unprecedented demand,” Katavas said. “There are not enough mental health professionals in the country to meet the growing demand for care,” she said. “This has created challenges for Kaiser Permanente and mental health providers everywhere.”

as if August 15 statement, the California Department of Managed Health Care urged KP clinics to adhere to current access and clinical standards even if they are on the picket line. “DMHC is closely monitoring Kaiser Permanente’s compliance with the Act during the strike,” the statement said.

Rachel Arrezola, a spokeswoman for the agency, said the state has received 10 complaints related to the new law so far — all against Kaiser Permanente.

Katsavas said more than 30% of KP clinics continued to provide care to patients during the strike, and KP psychiatrists, clinical administrators and outside mental health providers stepped in to help.

KP’s mental health problems date back many years. It was the organization. He was fined $4 million. In 2013, the state failed to provide timely mental health treatment. He has since been cited twice for failing to address the issues and is currently being investigated by regulators, with mental health complaints at KP up 20% in the last year.

Barbara McDonald of Emeryville said she tried to get help at KP when her 19-year-old daughter engaged in self-destructive behavior. Several attempts with Kaiser Permanente over the past two years have failed to get her daughter the help she needs, and McDonald says she has spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to get her diagnosed and treated elsewhere. She has bipolar and borderline personality disorder, as well as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, McDonald said.

McDonald once spent three days in KP Hospital after her daughter cut her own throat.

“The irony is that when mental health issues go untreated, they end up with physical issues as well,” she says. “You can’t tell me that keeping my son in the hospital for three days is worth less than regular treatment.”

This story was prepared by KNto be published California Health Linean editorially independent service California Health Care Foundation.