Integrated Community Behavioral Health Plan framework

The Crisis

• Washington State is 48th out of 50 states when looking at the prevalence of mental health services compared to access of care, particularly when it comes to inpatient capacity.
• The national average is 26.1 per 100,000 residents – Washington State averages 8.3 beds.
• Pierce County is even worse and ranks at the bottom of all urban counties, with 2.8 beds per 100,000. The fact is Pierce and South King County have the great distinction of being one of the worst areas in all of the United States for mental health beds.
• We are in a local mental health crisis in Pierce County. Currently we treat the mentally ill on the streets, in our shelters, in the emergency rooms of our hospitals and in our jails – none of which are the right place for people to receive the behavioral health care they need.
• We simply must create additional behavioral health capacity throughout the continuum of in patient, outpatient and community based care.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF TACOMA-PIERCE COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH STUDY 2016

Pierce County Behavioral Health System Study

County’s behavioral health (mental health and chemical dependency (substance use disorder)) system has contracted with the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) to conducting a study of the behavioral health (mental health and substance use) system in Pierce County. The aims of the study are:

1. Identify behavioral health needs
2. Catalog available behavioral health resources
3. Determine behavioral health resource gaps
4. Provide recommendations for ensuring a comprehensive, cost-effective, and recovery-oriented behavioral health system that meets the needs of the Pierce County community

As part of the study, we are interested in meeting with members of the community to identify guiding principles that should inform this project and the implementation of its recommendations.

Michael Transue, Project Coordinator, Pierce County Behavioral Health System Study
Pierce County Council
253-798-7779

Pierce County Ad Hoc Behavioral Health Committee

The Pierce County Community Connections Department created a short-term ad hoc Behavioral Health Committee. The purpose of this Committee is to develop an Integrated Community Behavioral Health Plan framework that responds to the needs of the citizens of Pierce County.

Despite the effectiveness of mental health prevention and treatment, not all individuals are getting the help the need. Lack of insurance, physical limitations, stigma, and strict access to care standards are some reasons individuals might not be accessing services. In some cases, the resources aren’t available.

• As the rate of mental illness increases, the amount of state-funded resources continues to decrease. For example, between 2000 and 2010, the number of involuntary treatment act-certified beds in Washington State decreased by 36%.
• The Centers for Disease Control reports that only half of children with mental disorders received treatment for the disorder in the past year (Center for Disease Control, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey).