Kaiser, Don't Deny

Patients need access to timely and consistent mental health services

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Patient Stories

Kaiser patient since birth

Published Saturday, December 29, 2018

I have been a Kaiser patient since birth. My father was a Kaiser doctor for 25 years. The care that I have received has always been good EXCEPT for mental health care. I was diagnosed with severe depression 20 years ago, and the care was barley adequate back then. Now it is a nightmare. Long, long waits for any kind of appointment. Your only option for crisis care is the ER, which is also very understaffed, or an outside agency that generally doesn’t want to help when they find out that you have insurance. You can never get anyone on the phone. My doctor is always way too rushed and stressed to do anything for me. There are no therapeutic services available after 5pm. It seems to me that the people who actually care about patients don’t last very long. Its a horrible nightmare that people in with mental health issues can not handle. Remember Barbara Ragan because I could well be next if things don’t improve.

Virgil
Santa Rosa