Nearly 2,400 Kaiser mental health workers are heading into the fourth week of an ongoing strike with little to no progress made at the bargaining table.
What’s more, the National Union of Healthcare Workers and Kaiser disagree on whether patients are getting the proper care as the work stoppage rolls on.
The union said it’s concerned that Kaiser’s plan for patient care during the strike isn’t good enough.
But in a statement to LAist, Kaiser Permanente said its plan was “working well.”
“Intense and careful attention to detail has gone into every aspect of our preparation for this work stoppage,” Kaiser said.
Thousands of Southern California Kaiser mental health workers are demanding more time outside of therapeutic appointments to handle patient charts and other duties, better pay and pensions.
Fred Seavey, a researcher with the National Union of Healthcare Workers, told LAist there is a disconnect between Kaiser’s message to regulators that it has “comprehensive plans in place to minimize potential disruptions” and what he’s hearing from patients and Kaiser employees as the strike goes on.
Seavey said he’s aware of some problems, including at least one patient whose appointment was canceled without immediate follow up from Kaiser, and another patient who logged into a virtual therapy appointment, but the therapist didn’t show up.
In October, Kaiser provided a three-page plan to a regulatory body that oversees managed health care plans. The plan laid out the company’s strategy for communication, appointment rescheduling and oversight during the strike.
The plan says Kaiser will notify patients about how they can receive behavioral…
Read the full article here
