Kaiser Permanente Faces Scrutiny Over Mental Health Care During Strike

Nearly 2,400 mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities in Southern California launched a strike Tuesday amid contract talks, prompting state leadership to demand details of the healthcare provider’s plan to maintain patient care during the work stoppage.

The strike affects some Kaiser Permanente services in Pasadena; it operates mental health treatment facilities in East Pasadena at the Pasadena Medical Offices, located at 3280 E Foothill Blvd.

Its Southern California regional offices are located in Pasadena.

State Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire wrote to Kaiser Permanente Chief Executive Officer Greg Adams about potential disruptions to mental health services.

“We are concerned the strike will negatively affect the well-being of the tens of thousands of Kaiser Southern California plan enrollees who need behavioral health care if a comprehensive contingency plan is not in place,” McGuire stated in his letter.

The strike, involving psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, addiction medicine counselors, and marriage and family therapists who provide behavioral health care for Kaiser Permanente’s 4.8 million members, began with picket lines from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. at facilities in Riverside, Woodland Hills, Irvine, and Baldwin Park. Lunchtime rallies with community and elected officials are planned at all four sites.

The workers’ contract expired September 30.

The walkout comes just one year after Kaiser Permanente’s $50 million settlement with state regulators over inadequate mental health staffing. Union representatives cite persistent staffing shortages, claiming Kaiser Permanente maintains only one therapist for every 3,000 members in Southern California, compared to one per 2,000 in Northern California.

“This is about equity for mental health care. We want to be with our patients, not on a picket line, but we can’t keep working in a system that treats mental health care like an assembly line job and denies us the time and resources to provide the care we know our patients need,” said Jessica Rentz, a Kaiser Permanente therapist in Fontana.

Kaiser Permanente disputes the union’s characterization, stating they have invested over $1 billion since 2020 to expand mental health services in California.

The healthcare provider has offered an 18% wage increase over four years plus enhanced comprehensive benefits and more non-patient time for planning and preparation. Kaiser Permanente maintains the strike is “entirely unnecessary” and claims the union has been “slow-walking the negotiation process” since bargaining began in July.

The contract dispute centers on time allocation for patient care duties. The National Union of Healthcare Workers seeks seven hours weekly for tasks like responding to patient calls and developing treatment plans, while Kaiser Permanente offers four hours. The union claims the provider’s proposal could result in full-time therapists spending 40% or more of their work week not seeing patients. Additionally, the union seeks wage parity with non-mental health workers, who they claim earn 40% more, and restoration of pensions that were eliminated for newly hired mental health professionals a decade ago. The union is pursuing an agreement similar to that reached with Kaiser Permanente mental health workers in Northern California, who went on strike for 10 weeks two years ago.

Kaiser Permanente asserts it will maintain patient care during the strike, stating, “All Kaiser Permanente members will continue to have timely access to individual therapy appointments during the strike.” The provider plans to utilize its network of licensed therapists to meet patient needs.

State law requires Kaiser Permanente to maintain mental health services during the strike, including arranging out-of-network care if necessary to ensure timely access. McGuire’s letter specifically requested Kaiser Permanente’s plan to “ensure that patients keep their scheduled appointments so their care is not compromised.”