The Kaiser strike highlights issues regarding access to mental health treatment and waiting times. Share on Pinterest. Last month, employees at Kaiser medical centers in San Francisco walked out of their jobs in protest against the wait times for patients. Getty Images Wait times for mental health services are increasing in the United States.But there’s no easy solution in sight.
The strike by mental healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente last month in San Francisco is indicative of the problems that exist across the country. Their walkout was a protest against the increasing wait times for mental health services. According to the people who were striking, some had to wait between four and six weeks to see a mental health specialist.
Clement E. Papazian was a licensed social worker in the psychiatry section at Kaiser Oakland. He was involved in this strike.He told Healthline, “the strike we just conducted is part of five years’ worth of struggles against Kaiser to get them to acknowledge this issue.This isn’t their first strike. In 2015, Kaiser agreed to improve its patient-therapist ratio after a similar
Kaiser was also slapped with a $4 million fine by the state in 2013 for not providing adequate mental health care to patients. There have been improvements. According to a Kaiser statement released last month, it has increased the number of therapists by 30 percent—bringing 500 new ones to California alone—and invested $175 million to improve mental infrastructure and access.
Critics say that despite the company’s efforts to become “the nation’s best mental health care and addiction program,” it may not be able to achieve its goals. They’ll say that we’ve hired 500 therapists since the agreement. It’s true.”Yet their demand is far outstripping what therapists they currently employ; however, we believe a company with $28 billion in reserves could find ways to address this challenge.”said Papazian.
Long waiting times and limited access
Kaiser is not the only one with access problems or wait times. According to a study by the National Council for Behavioral Health and the Cohen Veterans Network, 96 million Americans waited more than a week for mental healthcare treatment. This is just the tip of a very large iceberg. A story published in October by the Chicago Tribune revealed that some clinics leave patients waiting anywhere from three weeks to one year before they can see a psychiatrist or specialist.
Linda Rosenberg serves as president and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health (NCBH). She told Healthline that there was a greater demand for services than there were available. We worked hard to make people feel comfortable discussing addiction and emotional problems. Right? I believe we have been successful. “So everybody is talking, and now people want to get treatment. There aren’t enough clinicians available,” she said.
Increased willingness to seek treatment
Although the stigma surrounding mental health has decreased and more Americans are seeking treatment, there haven’t yet been any increases in therapists working at hospitals and health systems. Rosenberg says that millennials, and those younger than them, are particularly open to seeking and discussing mental health treatment. Veterans are increasingly seeking mental health professionals.
Rosenberg asked, “What are we going to do now that you have populations we did not plan for?” The striking Kaiser employees demanded, among other things, that more mental health workers be hired. According to them, a better ratio of therapists to patients will lead to better access and quality care, as well as shorter wait times.
Mental health workers do not just appear to take away anxiety. They need schooling, training, and pay. Rosenberg said, “I don’t think there are enough people, and the lower pay in the medical field hasn’t drawn many people.” “I believe that as the pay increases, more people will enter this field. This is going to take some time. The rates haven’t increased yet, and they should.”
What you can do now
There are some things that you can do in the meantime for those who are waiting a long time to receive mental health care:
- Get help in times of crisis.
- Learn about mental health and resources. Research and learn more about the options available to you within and outside the healthcare system.
- Search for online therapy options. Telepsychiatry is an easy way to talk with a mental healthcare professional from the comfort of your home.
- Work around the healthcare system. Rosenberg said, “Be assertive and put pressure on the insurance companies to cover it even if you are using a provider who is not in the network.”