By Peter Maiden
Kaiser mental health workers with the National Union of Healthcare Workers struck throughout California the week of Dec. 16–20 to improve the standard of care for mental health patients in the Kaiser system. They have been without a contract since their last strike a year ago.
On the picket line, therapist Christine Cogan-Mesa said, “I’m here because patients need to know that their healthcare is going to give them adequate services for mental health and Kaiser just isn’t doing that. Patients are waiting four, five, six weeks in between their appointments.
“If you talk to any therapist out in the community, in private practice, they would be appalled to hear that patients are waiting a month in between appointments, and that’s fairly routine [at Kaiser].”
Learn more at www.kaiserdontdeny.org.
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Peter Maiden is the photo editor for the Community Alliance newspaper. He studied media at UC Berkeley. Contact him at maidenfoto1@gmail.com.
