Governor announces plan to significantly increase community-based behavioral health treatment system

On Tuesday, December 11, 2018, Governor Jay Inslee announced his plan to increase community-based treatment options for people suffering from acute mental illness. The Governor’s operating budget includes $404 million and the capital budget includes $271 million in investments during the 2019 – 2021 biennium.

The Governor’s budget includes more than $600 million in investments in the next biennium.

Specific investments include:

• $40 million to expand community alternative placements, such as long-term care facilities and state-operated living facilities
• $30 million for community services, such as intensive outpatient treatment
• $35 million in rental assistance for permanent supportive housing services
• $20 million in capital funding in the Housing Trust Fund for persons with chronic mental illness’
• $4 million to address workforce shortages with programs such as scholarships for students who commit to working in high-demand behavioral health fields
• $35 million for community providers to serve patients committed under the Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA)
• $110 million in grants to community hospitals and community providers to help expand capacity and divert and discharge individuals from state hospitals
• $47 million to construct two new wards at Western State Hospital

Finally, the Governor includes in his budget money to predesign and design the following behavioral health facilities:

• Four 16-bed and two 48-bed facilities
• Three 150-bed facilities
• A behavioral health focused teaching hospital at UW
• A new 500-bed forensic hospital

One of AWC’s 2019 Legislative Priorities is to address a failing behavioral health system. Although cities are not behavioral health service providers, they are experiencing the ramifications of an overwhelmed mental health and drug abuse response system. We are advocating for the state to make investments to improve access to these systems and to improve their success across all regions of the state. While funding is critical, it is only the first step. We will be actively engaged in these conversations to ensure that community-based facilities have sufficient financial support and siting decisions have a robust community involvement.