Rachel Kaya, a psychologist from Maui, said it’s unusual to see mental health doctors yelling, waving signs, ringing bells and pounding on pavement.
“We are calm, kind people who listen to you; it’s very unusual for us to do this,” she told Maui Now this morning. “You know it’s extreme for us to have to stand in the streets, but they pushed us to do it.”
Kaya, who works at the Kaiser Permanente Maui Lani clinic, is part of a Kaiser Mental Health Physicians State Strike to draw attention to the severe HMO mental health staffing shortage that is leaving Hawaiian patients with dangerously long wait times and poor care.
During the strike outside Maui Lani, signs were posted reading “Patients Before Profits”, “Honk for Mental Health”, “62,000 Patients to 10 Therapists”, “4 Years, 31x Negotiation, 0 Contract” and “Maui deserves better.” clinic today. Vehicles honked their horns as doctors waved and rang bells.
The three-day strike began Thursday at clinics in Honolulu and Kona, moved to Maui and another Honolulu clinic today, and will end Friday at a Waipahu clinic.
Organized by the National Union of Health Care Workers representing the 58 mental health providers of Hawai’i Kaiser, the rally is being called the largest mental health strike in the state of Aloha.
Meanwhile, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii called the strike a bargaining tactic and called the move “unfortunate” and “unjustified.”
A news release apologized for potential patient disruptions and defended the HMO’s operations, pointing to staffing shortages across the country.
“It is especially disappointing that the union is asking our dedicated and compassionate employees to step away from their patients,” Kaiser said in the statement.
However, the union said no patient appointments have been scheduled during the strike.
Mental health doctors who met in Maui said anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions have skyrocketed since the pandemic. But it can take months for patients to get help.
“If someone called Kaiser today and wanted to get an appointment for the first time, that appointment would be more than two months away,” Kaya said. “And that is even if you can communicate with the phone call.”
Grief due to multiple losses, anxiety and panic from trying to make ends meet in a tough economy, and depression as people watch the world around them turn harrowing are all on the rise due to the pandemic, they said. doctors in Maui.
Tami Swonigan, a Kaiser clinical psychologist on O’ahu who is meeting in Maui today, said children especially are struggling.
Sleep disruptions, adjustment problems, anxiety and depression about school, and other issues are cropping up in youth from elementary through high school.
“And yet there are no dates until after school is over,” he said.
Although mental health needs have skyrocketed with the pandemic, Kaiser has a history of patient access issues and staffing shortages, according to Swonigan, Kaya and others.
“I’ve been there 15 years, and it’s been there ever since I’ve been there,” Swonigan said.
He added that therapists don’t get enough support to stay and Kaiser has cut many of the resources needed to operate.
Kaiser currently employs approximately 50 full-time equivalent physicians who provide direct mental health care to the 266,000 Kaiser members in Hawaii, a ratio of approximately one mental health physician for every 5,320 Kaiser members in the state, according to the Union. National Health Workers.
However, Kaiser in a news release said the shortage of mental health doctors and the growing need for services are national problems, not unique to Kaiser.
“In the face of a national shortage of mental health physicians and a growing need for mental health services, Kaiser Permanente continues to actively recruit in Hawaii to ensure care is available to our members,” the statement said. “In the last 12 months, we have hired 21 behavioral health clinical staff members. We have also significantly expanded our ability to deliver virtual care to patients who want it, increasing convenience and access.”
The union said Kaiser reported a net profit of $8.1 billion in 2021 and $56.7 billion in cash and investments. Still, he has rejected proposals to increase staffing and improve patient access.
The HMO’s proposal would result in a wage freeze for more than 60% of its mental health workforce along with cuts in health and retirement benefits that would make it even more difficult for Kaiser to recruit and retain mental health therapists, according to the union. .
Kaiser and the union said no progress was made during a bargaining session Tuesday and the next bargaining session is scheduled for May 31.
Ultimately, Kaiser doctors on strike today said they hope the effort will help improve conditions for residents of Maui and Hawaii.
“We want people to speak up because they deserve better,” Swonigan said. “And we want to defend them, but we want to empower them to defend themselves.”
He encouraged patients to share their stories on Kaiser Patient Portal and in the National Union of Health Workers “Kaiser, Don’t Deny It” website.
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