Kaiser, Don't Deny
Patients need access to timely and consistent mental health services
Struggling patients feel abandoned by Kaiser
Published Wednesday, December 8, 2021More than 1,400 Kaiser mental health patients have shared stories at kaiserdontdeny.org of care delayed or denied, and the stories keep coming in. Here’s a recent story from another patient in distress who feels abandoned by Kaiser.
Iv’e been with Kaiser off and on for a while now dealing with severe depression and anxiety. I cannot get an appointment with a therapist and have to see and pay for an outside therapist. When I came back to Kaiser, it was a three month wait to get an appointment with a psychiatrist. I was ALLOWED four weeks of disability due to the severity of my symptoms. I have feelings of suicide every day and needed someone to come and stay with me for my safety. My doctor knows this. I asked for additional disability time as I cannot function until my new meds start to work and I can hopefully get things under control. Kaiser has a new rule: a FMLA board has to approve all disability requests. Mine was denied. The nurse left me a message letting me know. Now I am in a position of losing my home. Added stress and anxiety. I wonder what it takes to actually get mental health care? I thought I was being brave reaching out for help. I don’t know what to do. Kaiser health care has basically left me for dead.
Colleen
Santa Ana