Kaiser, Don't Deny

If I die, Kaiser is 100 percent at fault

I am lucky to get one appointment per month. Kaiser will refer you over and over again to group classes instead of one-on-one care. Recently, my health has been declining and I asked to be referred to one of the groups called Wise Minds at the Kaiser Oakland facility. The group has over a month wait to join. My therapist can no longer provide me with the EMDR therapy that I have been seeing him for, because his schedule doesn’t have the availability for it anymore. He expressed to me his frustration, saying that Kaiser forces him to see a ridiculous number of new patients per week, causing neglect for returning patients’ care. I have recently begun self-harming again, and I am fearful of what might happen if I can’t get access to regular care. I cannot afford a private therapist. I was recently put on SSI/disability and began Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy, yet am told my illness does not deserve consistent access to therapy. The message Kaiser is sending to patients is that we don’t matter. I am afraid no one will pay attention unless I am hospitalized again (which is extremely traumatic), or end up dead. If I die, Kaiser is 100 percent at fault. I have been treated for mental health by Kaiser since I was 13 years old (I am 23 this year) and I can whole heartedly say they have done nothing but make me feel WORSE.

Morgan
Oakland