May 2026 Newsletter

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the next few weeks offer an exciting opportunity for all of us to build on our past achievements creating more parity for mental healthcare in California. We kicked off the month with May Day rallies across the state as NUHW-reprsented clinicians joined thousands of working people across the country for “No Work, No School, No Shopping” actions to push back against harmful federal policies.

On Wednesday, May 13, NUHW members and BHAM members will join forces at the State Capitol to advocate for NUHW’s two priority behavioral health bills: AB 2511, which NUHW sponsored to jumpstart the work of addressing the stark disparity in pay and reimbursement rates between behavioral health providers and comparable providers of medical/surgical care; and SB 903, which would regulate how artificial intelligence can be used in behavioral health settings.

Everyone is welcome to join us for Lobby Day 2026 in Sacramento. Participants will receive training, materials, and team support before forming groups to meet with legislators throughout the day.

Behavioral Health News

Refusing to be intimidated, Rogers Wisconsin workers join NUHW

NUHW expanded to Wisconsin this month when workers at two Rogers Behavioral Health facilities voted overwhelmingly to join the union despite the employer’s fierce anti-union campaign.

Mental health clinicians hold major strike with support from Kaiser Permanente nurses, engineers

In March, 2,400 NUHW members at Kaiser held a one-day Unfair Labor Practice Strike alongside engineers and 23,000 Kaiser registered nurses, who share our concerns about Kaiser’s increasing use of artificial intelligence to the detriment of patient care.

Kennedy Forum launches Mental Health Parity Index

A new tool from The Kennedy Forum provides a data-driven look at ongoing mental health parity issues, including lower reimbursement rates and inadequate in-network access for behavioral health compared to physical health care.

What we've been reading and listening to...

Artificial Intelligence in Behavioral Healthcare

Following the one-day Kaiser strike, Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a therapist and member of our bargaining committee, joined Behavioral Health Business’s Ashleigh Hollowell and Isamu Pont, an industry consultant and the founder of The Behavioral Health Fix, to unpack how AI is reshaping labor dynamics and what these tensions mean for the future of care delivery and the workforce behind it. Listen.

Therapists: Let’s Go On Strike! (Oh Wait, We Can’t)

Why can’t private practice therapists unionize or strike for better insurance reimbursement rates? Barbara Griswold breaks down how federal antitrust law treats independent therapists as businesses rather than employees—and explores what mental health clinicians can do to build collective power and fight for fairer pay. See also this longform read by Joel Blackstock, LCSW, for a deeper dive on the same topic.

Organizing for a More Human Mental Health System

In this wide-ranging podcast conversation, Linda Michaels—psychologist, advocate, and co-founder of Psychotherapy Action Network—explores how insurance companies, digital therapy platforms, and corporate consolidation are reshaping psychotherapy and the conditions under which clinicians and patients access care.

A.I. and Emerging Risks for Women Workers

A new report from the National Partnership for Women & Families warns that AI-driven workplace changes could disproportionately harm women workers—especially women of color, who are heavily represented in jobs most vulnerable to automation and surveillance technologies. The report calls on policymakers, employers, and advocates to center women workers’ voices as AI rapidly reshapes working conditions, job security, and economic equity.

New Report Finds Proposition 36 Driving Incarceration, Not Treatment

The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice released a report that finds that Proposition 36’s promise of expanding addiction treatment has largely failed to materialize, while incarceration rates and jail populations have risen sharply across the state. Drawing on statewide data, the report highlights major racial disparities, inconsistent enforcement between counties, and the lack of investment in treatment infrastructure needed to support people struggling with substance use disorders.

Bridging California’s Mental Health Workforce Gap

National advocacy organization Inseparable recently released The Workforce Report: Bridging the Mental Health Care Gap, a comprehensive look at the scope of the national shortage, policy solutions, and state-by-state snapshots of progress and gaps. While California is recognized in the report as a leader in enacting comprehensive policies to strengthen its mental health workforce, significant workforce shortages and access barriers remain, especially in terms of psychiatrist availability and in-network care.