Kaiser Permanente's Mental Health Crisis: A Strike That Won't End

STRIKE, STRIKE, STRIKE! The mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California are on their sixth month of protesting, and the situation is getting dire. The Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) just dropped an 88-page report that's a BOMBSHELL! Kaiser Permanente has failed to fix 19 out of 20 violations in its mental health services. Patients are waiting MONTHS for appointments, and the situation is only getting worse.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS? It means that Kaiser Permanente is still violating state mental health laws, and patients are suffering. The report reveals that Kaiser has made one patient wait 16 weeks for an initial intake appointment and forced others to wait "upwards of four months" for autism services. This is UNACCEPTABLE!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! The strike is not just about pay and benefits. It's about the LIVES of patients who are being denied timely mental health care. The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) has been fighting for better conditions for over a decade, and it's clear that Kaiser Permanente is still not taking this seriously.

SO, WHAT CAN YOU DO? You need to STAND UP and demand better from Kaiser Permanente. This is not just about the workers; it's about the patients who are being left to suffer. The DMHC report is a WAKE-UP CALL for Kaiser Permanente, and it's time for them to take action.

BUT DON'T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT! The report shows that Kaiser has failed to correct all but one of the violations that were found in 2022. This includes failing to ensure that non-urgent mental health or substance use disorder appointments are offered within 10 days after the initial request, failing to promptly reschedule appointments, and failing to ensure that patients are offered urgent care appointments within 48 hours.

THIS IS A CRISIS, AND IT'S TIME FOR KAISER PERMANENTE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. The strike is not just about the workers; it's about the patients who are being left to suffer. The DMHC report is a WAKE-UP CALL for Kaiser Permanente, and it's time for them to take action. DO THIS NOW!