SEIU-United Healthcare Workers employees stage a protest at Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center in 2018. File photo

Kaiser Permanente and the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) jointly announced in the early hours of Oct. 18, they had reached a tentative agreement for a new contract, bringing the 10-week strike by mental health therapists in Northern California to a conclusion.

The new 4-year agreement will benefit Kaiser Permanente patients and drive collaborative efforts aimed at improving access to mental health care, while at the same time recognizing and better supporting mental health therapists in their important work, according to a news release.

Nearly 2,000 Kaiser Permanente therapists, represented by NUHW, will participate in a two-day ratification vote starting Tuesday evening, after which more details about the agreement will be available. NUHW and Kaiser Permanente wish to thank Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg for mediating and helping to bring negotiations to a close.