State and local health officials are investigating complaints that Kaiser Permanente has dangerously reduced mental health staff at Santa Rosa’s emergency department, despite a large number of patients being admitted to psychiatric hospitals. increase.

Unions representing striking mental health workers said the cutbacks in emergency departments have left many psychiatric patients without care or supervision from midnight to 6am.

Unions have asked states and counties to investigate reports of at least two suicide attempts in emergency departments over the weekend.

Kaiser officials dismissed the complaint as a labor tactic amid current contract negotiations. He said that there is an obligation to consider

But the National Union of Health Professionals, which represents striking mental health workers, claims the complaints are genuine and that Kaiser has failed to provide 24/7 mental health care in its emergency departments. Union members say he has been on strike for a month.

In some cases, psychiatric patients are held overnight in the emergency department until a qualified mental health professional can perform a psychiatric evaluation in the morning, according to union research responsibilities. Writer Fred Seavey said:

According to Seavey, when the strike began on Aug. 16, Kaiser relied on a “skeleton crew” of on-call psychiatrists and administrators to keep psychiatric patients in the emergency department at night and early in the morning. was processing. When that didn’t work, they took more drastic steps in late August, he said.

“Instead of doing the right thing and finding staff, we just suspended their care from midnight to 6 a.m.,” he said.

Seavey said Kaiser then “lowered the level of care” by reverting to a virtual or “telepsycho” service from 6:00 a.m. to 7:59 a.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. ‘ added.

Screenshots of communications obtained by the union from emergency department managers describe those periods, listing the period from midnight to 5:59 a.m. as “no mental information.” The product is dated September 1st.

A company official said they would not comment on internal communications.

Emergency department staff reported that over the weekend of Sept. 9, the number of psychiatric patients in the emergency department reached more than a dozen and they were not receiving adequate care or supervision, according to union officials. .

“Two patients reportedly attempted suicide early Saturday morning[September 10]while they were in the (emergency room),” Seavey said. A related situation was documented: one apparently hanging and a second having his throat slit, all of which raised concerns about the proper staffing of emergency room psychiatric personnel. increase.”

An emergency department employee, who requested anonymity for fear of potential retaliation, said two incidents occurred at once, even though there were security guards on hand but no mental health professional at work. I have personally confirmed this.

Kaiser countered that it was not uncommon for hospital emergency departments to receive patients undergoing psychiatric emergencies and that the number of patients at any given time did not depend on staffing. will only make the situation worse.

“Instead, the increased volume is being driven by the crisis of soaring mental care needs in our communities, a shortage of mental health care providers across the state and nationally, and the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. 19 is exacerbated by the pandemic and the aftermath of wildfires in our communities,” the company said in a statement.

Over the past few weeks, the union has asked the California Department of Managed Health Care, which oversees the HMO, to investigate Kaiser’s staffing levels in the emergency department. On September 11, the union expressed concern about the reported suicide attempt to the Behavioral Health Division of the Sonoma County Health Service.

Health Services director Tina Rivera said last week that county officials have not received reports of suicide attempts from sources other than the union.

In an email, Rivera said, “We are in discussions with Kaiser leaders who have brought these allegations to local, state and national leaders.” increase.”

The State Administration of Health is conducting a review of Kaiser’s mental health care services in response to previous union complaints that Kaiser was not providing timely mental health appointments during the strike. Spokeswoman Rachel Arezola said the state’s “enforcement investigation” included complaints about ambulance staffing.