Mental health workers, Kaiser Permanente reach accord to end strike

A 10-week strike among 2,000 mental health clinicians at Kaiser Permanente facilities in Northern California drew to a close when the two sides reached a deal on Oct. 21, Healthcare Dive reports. They agreed on new contract terms with measures to help make clinicians’ workloads more manageable and to reduce wait times – union concerns that catalyzed the strike and prompted a state investigation into whether the HMO was giving patients timely access to appointments under state law.