Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times (TNS)LOS ANGELES — More than 2,000 unionized psychologists, therapists and other mental health professionals at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California are preparing to strike Monday amid complaints that the massive system has failed to address problems with how it provides mental health care. The planned walkout falls one year after Kaiser reached a sweeping settlement with California regulators, who faulted it for failing to ensure timely access to mental health care. Under the agreement, Kaiser acknowledged it didn’t have enough mental health care providers, which “resulted in excessive wait times” for therapy. The health care organization says that in recent years, it has invested more than $1 billion in mental health, expanding its Southern California mental health workforce by more than 30% in four years. The clash comes two years after Kaiser mental health therapists in Northern California went on strike for 10 weeks.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 18, 2024 18:43 UTC