Kaiser: Don’t Deny

Kaiser, don't deny my patients the help they need to recover from trauma. -- Clement Papazian, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Kaiser Oakland

Kaiser, don't deny my patients the chance to rebuild their lives. -- Amy Dinovo, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Kaiser Lancaster

Kaiser, don't deny my patients timely, responsive mental health care services. -- Andrea Santana, Medical Social Worker, Kaiser Orange County

Kaiser, don't deny my patients the chance for a healthy, happy life. -- Jennifer Harber, Children's Psychiatric Social Worker, Kaiser Laguna Hills

Kaiser, don't deny my patients consistent, reliable mental health care. -- Matt Zils, Child Psychologist, Kaiser San Francisco

Kaiser, don't deny my patients the chance to effectively deal with trauma. -- Julio Moran, Health Educator, Kaiser Los Angeles

Kaiser, don't deny my patients access to consistent, reliable family therapy. -- Jason Lechner, Marriage and Family Therapist, Kaiser Union City

Kaiser, don't deny my patients the care they need, deserve, and pay for. -- Kari Duenas, Registered Dietitian, Kaiser Riverside

Kaiser, don't deny my patients the psychiatric care they deserve. -- Michael Fitzpatrick, Clinical Psychologist, Kaiser Pleasanton

Kaiser, don't deny my patients consistent, reliable mental health care. -- Marirose Occhiogrosso, Eating Disorders Case Manager, Kaiser West Los Angeles

Kaiser, don't deny my patients treatment for chemical dependency. -- Marty Needleman, Psychiatric Social Worker, Kaiser Montclair

Kaiser, don't deny my patients consistent, reliable mental health care. -- Ronna Spiegel, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Kaiser West Los Angeles

Kaiser, don't deny my patients the help they need to rebuild their lives. -- Ken Rogers, Psychologist, Kaiser Elk Grove

Kaiser, don't deny my patients a full recovery from opioid addiction. -- Stacy Cohen, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Kaiser Los Angeles

Kaiser, don't deny my patients timely access to evidence-based mental health care. -- K. Benjamin Knipe, Psychologist, Kaiser Pleasanton

Kaiser, don't deny my patients the right to timely mental health care. -- Kathy Ray, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Kaiser Walnut Creek

Kaiser, don't deny my patients a full recovery from opioid addiction. -- Michelle Fogle, Marriage and Family Therapist, Kaiser San Diego

Kaiser, don't deny my patients help with grieving a loss. -- Anne Rose, LMFT, Adult Case Manager, Kaiser Laguna Hills

Kaiser, don't deny my patients the right to steady, reliable therapy. -- Natalia Salinas, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Kaiser West Covina

Kaiser, don't deny my patients access to high-quality mental health care. -- Marlen Jimenez, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Kaiser West Covina

Kaiser, don't deny my patients timely access to mental health care services. -- Miranda Buxton, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Kaiser Oakland

Kaiser, don't deny my patients timely treatment for bipolar disorder. -- Deborah Silverman, Psychiatric Social Worker, Kaiser Wateridge

Kaiser, don't deny my patients timely treatment for anxiety disorder. -- Yashica Budde, Psychiatric Social Worker, Kaiser Thousand Oaks

Kaiser, don't deny my patients respectful, culturally competent mental health care. -- Diana Bennett, LMFT, Behavioral Health Case Manager, Kaiser Thousand Oaks

Kaiser, don't deny my patients treatment for anxiety and depression. -- Kathryn Membreno-Gallardo, Marriage and Family Therapist, Kaiser Chino Grand

Kaiser, don't deny my patients family mental health care in a timely manner. -- Samnit Singh, Psychologist, Kaiser Oakland

Kaiser, don't deny my patients treatment for post-partum depression. -- Susan Whitney, Marriage and Family Therapist, Kaiser Bakersfield

Kaiser Permanente mental health services:

Care delayed is care denied

Five years after California fined Kaiser Permanente a record $4 million for violating the state’s mental health parity law, Kaiser is still denying patients access to consistent, reliable mental health services.

Last year, the state found that Kaiser was still in violation of California law by not providing its members with timely access to mental health treatment. Patients with serious mental health conditions are forced to wait weeks or even months to see their therapists or receive treatment. Kaiser pledged to improve its services or face up to $1 million in additional fines.

As Kaiser mental health clinicians, we know firsthand that Kaiser still isn’t fixing the problems.

State and federal mental health parity laws require that patients get the same care for mental health issues as for physical health issues. But Kaiser, which reported a $3.8 billion profit last year and has $42 billion stashed away in cash and investments, still isn’t complying.

That’s why we recently staged the largest mental health care worker strike in U.S. history to demand that Kaiser finally end long waits for appointments, and start treating mental health patients with the same urgency and respect it provides to patients with broken bones or diabetes.

Click here and here to learn more about our Dec. 10–14 statewide strike. And click here for videos of the strike and our community forum on achieving true mental health parity.

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