Setting the record straight

The truth and the proof:

We have been working to build a better model of mental health care, leveraging the power of our integrated system and the expertise of our physicians and therapists to deliver excellent mental health care as an equal and essential part of a person’s overall health care.

A key issue in our negotiations with NUHW is the amount of time our therapists spend caring for patients. NUHW is proposing that full-time therapists spend nearly half of their work time — at least 19 hours per week — not seeing patients. This would reduce the number of critically needed appointments we could offer our Southern California members by about 3,750 per week, or 15,000 a month. This is unacceptable for our patients.

We’ve invested $1 billion to provide mental health treatment for our members

We have increased our staffing and facilities to help meet the growing need for high quality mental health and addiction medicine care. Since 2020, we have invested an additional $1 billion to provide mental health treatment for our members. We have hired more than 1,000 licensed mental health clinicians and expanded our networks to include thousands of high-quality licensed therapists. We have invested nearly $200 million in new clinical facilities that include hundreds of mental health provider offices. In Southern California, we have hired more than 200 call center staff to help improve patient access to mental health and addiction medicine care.

We’ve grown our mental health workforce by 30% — and we’re still hiring

We have approximately 3,000 mental health professionals and physicians who support mental health and addiction care in Southern California (about 2,600 and 365, respectively). We have grown this workforce by more than 30% in the last 4 years and we are still hiring. We also leverage an extensive network of highly qualified licensed therapists to further ensure we meet our members’ needs for timely access to mental health and addiction medicine care.

Kaiser Permanente is committed to consistently meeting or exceeding California timely mental health care access standards. According to the 2024 National Committee for Quality Assurance Report Card, Kaiser Permanente in Southern California rated highest in the state for behavioral health care coordination and behavioral health access, monitoring, and safety.

We have made many enhancements to our mental health care delivery system, and we know there is still work to be done to ensure our interventions and therapies are aligned with our members’ expectations.

The truth and the proof:

Kaiser Permanente pays employees better than what they could earn at most other places. Our philosophy is to pay wages that are at or up to 10% above market.

It's certainly the case for our mental health professionals, whom we offer great pay, excellent benefits, and paid time to plan and prepare for their patients.

Our employees represented by NUHW in Southern California:

• Make about 18% more than their peers at other organizations.
• Enjoy some of the best benefits in the country, including health care coverage that costs virtually nothing with no deductibles and low copays, a generous retirement savings plan, and funds to cover medical costs after they retire.

And our offer in contract bargaining will make all these financial benefits even better.

Wages: Our mental health professionals' pay in Southern California currently exceeds what others pay by 18% on average. Our offer in contract talks with NUHW increases our employees’ above-market position even more, with another 18% wage increase over the 4 years of the contract: 5% increase (year 1); 5% increase (year 2); 4% increase (year 3), and 4% (year 4). In addition, we also added a longevity step of 2% at 25 years of service and our employees continue to be eligible for an annual incentive bonus of up to $5,000.

Protected time for planning and preparation: Our proposal provides up to 6 hours per week for activities such as planning, preparation, charting, and training, with 4 hours of it designated as protected time. These 6 hours are in addition to 2 hours set aside for meetings and 10 minutes of documentation time after each session (amounting to 5 hours).

Retirement medical benefits: Most companies do not cover retiree medical health benefits. We do. Kaiser Permanente provides our employees a Retiree Medical Plan that helps pay for medical coverage once they retire. And we have proposed substantial increases that add even more value to this already excellent retiree medical benefit:

• Health Reimbursement Account in the amount of $2,500 per year of service for retirees after 1/1/2025 (up from $2,000).
• HRA supplement of $15,000 at age 85 for retirees after 1/1/2025 (up from $10,000).
• This amounts to $72,500 total value for an eligible retiree after 23 years of service (average years of service of our retirees).

Retirement income: We offer an industry-competitive retirement savings plan that is nearly double the national average. Kaiser Permanente contributes an amount equal to 6% of an employee’s annual salary, with no employee contribution required. We also match employee contributions up to an additional 3%. This makes Kaiser Permanente’s total contribution 9%, which is almost double the 5% contribution, on average, provided by employers across the country. This retirement plan isn’t new — it has been in place for 10 years.

See details of our current offer for NUHW-represented employees in Southern California. 

The truth and the proof:

To say there is not a shortage of mental health professionals is simply incorrect. Government agencies like the Health Resources and Services Administration and national advocacy groups like Mental Health America study workforce trends and confirm there is a national shortage of therapists. In California, it is estimated that by 2028, the state will have about half of the psychiatrists needed, and 28% fewer psychologists, social workers, and counselors than necessary to meet the projected demand for care.

Despite this shortage, we’ve grown our Southern California licensed mental health and addiction care workforce by 30% in the last 4 years — and we are still hiring.

375 mental health positions filled in the past 10 months

In Southern California, over 375 mental health positions have been filled so far this year. Hundreds of candidates apply for our open mental health and addiction medicine roles, and we have a 96% acceptance rate on offers. The average tenure for our Southern California mental health professionals is 8 years and, importantly, fewer than 10% choose to leave Kaiser Permanente each year. That is well below the industry average of 16% turnover in this vitally important field.

We know there is still more work to do to expand the mental health workforce. This is why we’re continuing to invest in robust strategies to grow and strengthen our mental health and addiction medicine workforce.

Our Mental Health Scholars Academy provides critical tuition, mentorship, and training support to help our employees earn their master’s degrees and transition to a mental health therapist career in California. Nearly 250 employees are currently enrolled, and the academy has already produced 149 new graduates. We are proud that 97% of graduates have chosen to work at Kaiser Permanente.

In partnership with our Mental Health Scholars Academy, the Southern California Kaiser Permanente Behavioral Health Training Institute provides clinical training opportunities for students before they complete their master’s degrees, focusing on the required supervised clinical hours, while also providing essential clinical support to our service areas and members. We employ associate therapists who are trained by highly skilled licensed supervisors which means that graduates do not have to find their own clinical rotations. In 2023, there were 23 training institute graduates and 63% were hired into psychiatry and addiction medicine positions in Southern California. 

The truth and the proof:

Providing mental health care and addiction medicine care is more than a job, it’s a calling. That’s why we reward our therapists with among the best pay, benefits, and working conditions in the country.

Lower turnover and higher tenure rates than average

Turnover and burnout among mental health professionals is high across the industry. But it’s much lower among our Kaiser Permanente therapists. Despite high turnover in mental health roles nationwide, the average tenure for our Southern California mental health professionals is 8 years and fewer than 10% of our mental health professionals in Southern California leave Kaiser Permanente, well below the industry average of 16%.

We know our mental health professionals need appropriate time and support to focus on providing high-quality care. Our proposal provides an increase in time spent away from patient care for activities such as planning, preparation, and professional development. This offer balances the needs of our mental health professionals with the needs of our patients for timely access to appointments.

Why so many people come to work and stay here

The false story of terrible working conditions isn’t true. Kaiser Permanente is a unique and special place to work. Our mission-driven culture, commitment to equity, compensation and benefits, rewards programs, and career opportunities are key reasons so many people come to work and stay here.