Kaiser looks to avoid disruption as mental health workers prepare to strike – The Mercury News

As an estimated 4,000 Kaiser Permanente mental health workers prepare to stage a five-day, statewide strike, the Oakland-based healthcare provider is lamenting union leadership that would allow them to walk away from their patients.

The National Union of Healthcare Workers announcedlast month it would protest staffing shortages and lagging patient appointments with a walkout scheduled to begin Nov. 11.

The employees comprised of psychologists, social workers, therapists and other healthcare professionals plan to picket at more than 100 clinics and medical facilities across California.

In a complaint filed this week with the state, the union referenced a Kaiser executive who acknowledged staffing shortages in Orange County and that the current model was unsustainable.

Still, the healthcare company said a strike isnt the appropriate move.

This planned strike does not make sense given that were offering generous wages and benefits and taking important steps to help address the nations crisis in mental health care, Kaiser spokesman John Nelson said in a statement released Tuesday.

Nelson said Kaiser has contingency plans in place to ensure continued patient care during the walkout. Union members said no additional bargaining sessions have been scheduled between now and Nov. 11.

Kaiser presented its last, best and final contract proposal to the employees in September. It addresses the concern of therapists who allege they dont have adequate one-on-one time with patients and often struggle to attend to other patient-care activities because of inadequate staffing.

Kaiser said it hired more than 400 new mental health clinicians throughout California this year in addition to building dozens of new treatment facilities and investing millions of dollars to help more people enter the mental health industry.

The contract proposal also includes a 3% salary increase for the first year of the agreement. Raises drop to 2% the following two years with a 1.5% cash payment each year.

NUHW President Sal Rosselli said those concessions signal progress, but employees are still overworked and patient appointments continue to lag, sometimes for months.

Mental healthcare cant wait, Rosselli told employees at a rally last month. Its time for Kaiser to treat behavioral health just like it treats cancer, diabetes and countless other medical illnesses with urgency.

On Monday, NUHW filed a complaint with the state Department of Managed Health Care regarding Kaisers staffing shortage in Orange County.

The complaint contains an email sent by Miguel Oportot, Kaisers director of behavioral health in Orange County, to department administrators at each of the healthcare providers behavioral health service sites across Kaisers Southern California region.

In his message, Oportot says Our ability to provide our members intake appointments within standard has been significantly reduced by various medical leaves and turnover, as well as an unprecedented increase in demand for services.

The current model is unsustainable, he said, adding that Kaiser is looking to course correct in the near future.

In the meantime, please let us know of any staff who might be willing to travel to OC to earn extra hours, Oportot wrote in his email.

In 2013, Kaiser agreed to pay a $4 million fine for deficiencies in its delivery of mental health services. Despite ongoing staffing shortages, Nelson noted Tuesday that the California Office of the Patient Advocate recently awarded Kaiser the highest possible rating for its mental health care services.

This marks the 12th consecutive year that we have stood apart as the only plans to receive OPAs top ratings, and serves as a reflection of the exceptional work being done by our mental health providers and our substantial investments in this area, he said.

Each year, a sample of HMO and PPO members is contacted by mail or phone to complete a Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. The survey asks members about their experience with the care and services offered by the health plan. Usually, about 33% of members who are contacted complete the survey.

Kaiser announced Nov. 1 that it forged a new four-year labor agreement with more than 84,000 employees in California and the nation.

Those workers which range from optometrists, X-ray technicians and licensed vocational nurses, to surgical technicians, phlebotomists and housekeepers are represented by theCoalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions. Their labor contract runs through Sept. 30, 2023.

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Kaiser looks to avoid disruption as mental health workers prepare to strike - The Mercury News