Mental health workers to strike at Kaiser Vacaville on Thursday

labor organization said it wants clinicians to have more decision making power in how often patients are seen and whether group therapy options should be considered. Kaiser disputes the notion that the strike has anything to do with concerns over care, saying the union is asking for salary and benefit increases for workers it claims are already among the highest-paid in the nation. Kaiser said those demands would decrease, not increase, the quality of care for patients. “It’s particularly disheartening that union leadership would call this strike during the holiday season, when many of our patients with mental health needs may be at their most vulnerable,” Kaiser said in a press release. Kaiser said it worked to mitigate the impact on non-urgent care appointments after learning about the strike. Despite the event, those with urgent mental health needs will still be able to get care at Kaiser, the medical service said.]]>