2,400 Kaiser mental health professionals strike in Northern California over AI concerns

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — About 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental health professionals went on strike in Northern California on Wednesday over concerns that the healthcare giant will replace therapists with artificial intelligence.

Kaiser says the union’s claim is false and that AI will not replace human assessment or make care decisions for patients. The company said the facilities were open. The two sides have been negotiating a new contract since last summer.

More than 23,000 Kaiser nurses also participated in the one-day strike by mental health workers. Therapists, including social workers and psychologists, provide mental health and addiction medication treatment to an estimated 4.6 million patients in the San Francisco Bay Area, central valley and Sacramento regions.

Oakland-based Kaiser isn’t currently using AI for therapy, but the National Union of Healthcare Workers fears the technology will become good enough to become an attractive option for the company.

D., a psychiatrist and union representative at Kaiser in Vallejo. The union also dropped demands that management reduce the time spent responding to patient notes or patient messages, Emma Olsen said.

“They’re trying to take all this time away from us. They really just want us to see people back to back, see more people in less time with fewer resources,” he said.

Katy Roemer, an adult and family medicine nurse, said the California Nurses Association shares concerns voiced by mental health professionals and wants to enable people to provide care to other people.

“Will AI benefit patients? Will AI benefit the people who work for Kaiser Permanente? Or will AI benefit the company’s bottom line?” he said. “So we want transparent AI that allows people to do their jobs.”

In a message sent to employees this week, management said they were hiring more mental health workers.

“We see technology, and AI in particular, as a way to support you in managing your practice and provide tools that make it easier to access care and connect with patients,” reads the message, sent on behalf of Lionel Sims, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, and Priya Smith, Chief Human Resources Officer, The Permanente Medical Group.

In 2023, Kaiser agreed to a $200 million settlement with the California Department of Managed Health Care for violations of state mental health laws.