Argus-Courier launches weekslong mental health series spotlighting faults in local care

The Petaluma Argus-Courier will launch a weekslong story series Friday to spotlight a number of residents and their experiences navigating a local mental health care system they consider problematic.

Before mental health care workers at Kaiser Permanente took to the picket line almost two months ago, local patients already had complaints about the Oakland-based provider’s services.

The state’s Department of Managed Health Care has opened an investigation into Kaiser amid a series of complaints from patients who said they have faced a lack of access and adequate mental health care from Kaiser, both before and during the strike.

The state’s investigation is to assess whether Kaiser has been following practices to supply the lawful amount of access to behavioral health services to all patients in need during the strike, which saw staff take to the picket line beginning Aug. 16 to protest working conditions.

Kaiser has locations in Petaluma and Santa Rosa, as well as across the western U.S.

“The (Department of Managed Health Care) is concerned about the potential for immediate harm to enrollees based on the very serious nature of allegations that the plan is not providing timely appointments to enrollees required by the law,” a department spokesperson said.

On Sept. 25, 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 855 into law to expand health and disability insurers’ coverage obligations to include prevention and treatment of mental health conditions. The law states that providers must give “clinically appropriate” services “in terms of type, frequency, extent, site, and duration” even if such treatment is not “for the economic benefit of the health care service plan and subscribers or for the convenience of the patient, treating physician, or other health care provider.”

The state is currently assessing whether or not Kaiser has violated SB 855.

But Kaiser said its workers’ union, the National Union of Healthcare Workers, has been encouraging therapists not to provide care to patients while negotiations persist, which has contributed to the strain put on the system.

“Our patients cannot afford a proposal that significantly reduces the time available to care for them and their mental health needs,” Kaiser spokesperson Adriann McCall said in a statement. “We remain committed to all our efforts to be able to meet our members’ mental health care needs as well as meet all state requirements for access, using every resource available.”

But the National Union of Healthcare Workers has denied Kaiser’s claims.

“There has never been any request that (therapists associated with Kaiser) stop seeing Kaiser patients during the strike,” union representative Matt Artz said in an email. “They were invited to join Kaiser clinicians on the picket line, but it's clear that the invitation was just to come in support of the striking clinicians — not to stop seeing their patients with Kaiser insurance.”

Kaiser said it continues to offer mental health care through third-party services during the strike, and advises members to call 800-390-3503 if they experience any difficulty getting mental health appointments.

Kaiser also said in the emailed statement that, through patient surveys, the health care provider has found roughly 94 percent of patients expressed satisfaction with their experience with Kaiser.

The union, however, said patient complaints to state regulators “are skyrocketing.”

Amelia Parreira is a staff writer for the Argus-Courier. She can be reached at amelia.parreira@arguscourier.com or 707-521-5208.