In the midst of what the U.S. Surgeon General has called “a teen mental health crisis,” there’s a massive shortage of mental health clinicians. The situation is particularly acute at major health care provider Kaiser Permanente, where patients are waiting months to see a therapist.

According to a Sacramento Bee article, Sacramento resident Jasmin Hakes whose daughter has attempted suicide several times has not been able to get regular therapy appointments at Kaiser.

“We were told multiple times that they did not have a therapist that she could see regularly and she was given pamphlets for meditation and sent home and told to go to the emergency room if it got worse,” she explained.

Kaiser has recently found itself in the hot seat. In May, the California Department of Managed Health Care looked into company practices after an increase in patient complaints.

The situation has also attracted the attention of legislators. State Senator Scott Wiener, D- San Francisco, co-authored Senate Bill 221, “which beginning Friday, mandates that health care plans provide patients with follow-up appointments within 10 business days if a therapist recommends subsequent sessions.” He’s currently carrying another bill “that would increase fines against the companies by tenfold if they don’t meet the mandated timetable for appointments.”

“You can’t give someone a first appointment and then make them wait two or three months for the second and subsequent appointments because that completely undermines effective mental health treatment,” said Wiener.

What Kaiser Is Saying

Kaiser is defensive, pushing back against what they call “a public pressure campaign” by the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) to gain an advantage in contract bargaining.

In an official statement, Kaiser leaders asserted, “There is a national shortage of mental health clinicians that was already a challenge before the pandemic, and over the past 2.5 years, the demand for care has increased everywhere.”

“We have been taking action to address the shortage of caregivers and to ensure care is available to our members. We have the greatest respect and gratitude for our mental health professionals and are committed to supporting them in their vitally important work,” the statement continued.

The company currently has over 300 open mental health clinician positions.

What Union Leaders Are Saying

NUHW President Sal Rosselli asserts that the problem is not merely general, but specific. According to him, Kaiser’s mental health system is not suffering because of an industry-wide shortage of mental health clinicians but because not enough therapists want to work for Kaiser or subcontract with Kaiser.

He asserts that Kaiser officials are “not saying that the reason they have so many openings is because clinicians are leaving Kaiser in record numbers. In the 12 months between last June and the end of May, 668 clinicians have left Kaiser, approximately double the amount of clinicians who left each of the previous two years.”

What Employees Are Saying

Employees are calling out the dire situation on the ground. Said one Kaiser employee, Sarah Soroken, “I work as a triage therapist where I help people in crisis and those needing linkage to an initial appointment. Many of the calls I receive are from patients who have been waiting weeks or months for their individual therapy appointments. In many cases, their mental health has worsened since their last appointment.”

According to Soroken, in Sacramento patients are waiting 2.5 months to see therapists after the initial intake appointment, and three months in Manteca. “In San Mateo, there wasn’t even an appointment available to schedule. In this situation patients are placed on a waitlist for an appointment or are told to call back later, meaning patients will wait more than three months for their first therapy appointment.”

Patients Are Caught in the Middle

So patients with urgent conditions find themselves waiting for mental health care. Jasmine Hakes said her family has been struggling for three years to get adequate care, while her daughter has been in and out of the hospital for depression and suicidal ideation, eventually landing in the ICU due to an overdose. Unable to wait any longer for the promised follow-up mental health care, Hakes turned to private fundraising to afford services for her daughter.

Anderson, Cathie. “Kaiser mental health patients waiting months for appointments in Sacramento-area, employees say.” The Sacramento Bee, 30 June 2022, https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article263070053.html.

CASSY provides professional, on-campus mental health services to students and their families free of charge. Our therapists are on the front lines of the teen mental health crisis, in the schools, where the kids are. We are able to provide such critical care due to generous donations by our supporters. If you would like to partner with us in this vital work, click here.