Over 90 representatives from 22 Washington counties gathered in Ellensburg on Thursday, September 24 for a conference on mental health and substance abuse issues. Attendees grappled with questions of how to fund and implement programs in a year of declining revenues. Challenges facing counties include issues such as homelessness and adequate resources for inpatient hospitalization, substance abuse services, and the provision of treatment options as an alternative to costly stays in jail and emergency rooms.

The conference allowed county leaders to proactively discuss methods of serving their communities as they struggle with addressing mental health and substance abuse problems.

One of the main topics addressed at the conference was the mental health and chemical dependency sales tax, which is available to all Washington counties. The State Legislature provided authority to counties in 2005 to increase the sales tax by one-tenth of one cent – equivalent to a penny on a $10 purchase.

Since the legislature authorized it, 14 of Washington’s 39 counties have implemented the revenue option. The counties that have passed the one-tenth of one cent sales tax are Clallam, Clark, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Okanogan, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Wahkiakum, and Whatcom.

The conference covered a wide variety of issues, including topics such as building political and community support in order to secure funding; developing effective and efficient programs; performance measurement and evaluation; assessing legislative impacts on funding; and strategies for the current budget climate.

Conference Materials:

Agenda (PDF, 59KB) (subject to change)

Speaker Bios (PDF, 168KB)

Fact Sheet (from implementing E2SSB-5763 in Washington State Counties by Anne Strode)

The Development of King County's Mental Illness & Drug Dependency Action Plan (PDF, 122KB) (slideshow presentation by King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Director Amnon Shoenfeld)

Planning & Implementing Services in Jefferson County (PDF, 876KB) (slideshow presentation by Jefferson County Commissioner Dr. John Austin)

Overcoming the Stigma: A Personal Story of Recovery from Mental Illness (PDF, KB) (speech by Randy Revelle, Senior Vice President of the Washington State Hospital Association)

Planning & Evaluation: Using State Databases to Measure Performance (PDF, 118KB) (slideshow presentation by Snohomish County Human Services Director Ken Stark)

Feedback Form (PDF, 140KB)

Correspondence:

Putting the Pieces Together Conference - Invite (PDF, 100KB)

Putting the Pieces Together Conference - Save the Date Card (PDF, 36KB)

Councilmember Ferguson's 2008 letter to county officials (PDF, 49KB)