HONOLULU — Dozens of mental health workers began an open-ended strike Monday in hopes of convincing Kaiser Permanente clinics to address understaffing.
HONOLULU — Dozens of mental health workers began an open-ended strike Monday in hopes of convincing Kaiser Permanente clinics to address understaffing.
A total of 57 psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, medical social workers, case manager nurses and chemical dependency counselors picketed outside of the Kaiser Honolulu Medical Office on O‘ahu, and plan to continue at least through the end of the week at different locations throughout the state.
The National Union of Healthcare Workers reported that, despite Kaiser’s pledges to hire more clinicians, the number of full-time employees providing direct mental health therapy has declined in the state since last November.
This shortage can lead to long wait times for patients, with many clinicians reporting that their schedules are now completely booked well into October.
In a December 2021 response to a National Union of Healthcare Workers complaint, Kaiser attributed the staffing issues to a national shortage of qualified therapists and emphasized its support for mental health worker training programs intended to increase the labor pool.
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