“The mission of the Mental Health Division is to promote recovery and safety.”
Legislative Information
To view information regarding legislation, you can search the Washington State Legislature’s website by bill number or key word at: http://www.leg.wa.gov/wsladm/billinfo1/bills.cfm
Mental Health Task Force
The Mental Health Task Force was established during the 2004 Legislative session in order to carefully examine many of the issues impacting the delivery of public mental health services. The task force began their meetings in June 2004. The last meeting of the Task Force prior to the January-April legislative session was December 8, 2004. At the December meeting, final findings and recommendations related to inpatient psychiatric hospital and community residential beds in both the public and private sectors and services and funding for Medicaid and Non-Medicaid recipients were presented. To view the final findings and recommendations, please visit the Legislature's website for the Mental Health Task Force and click on "Committee Reports and Presentations"
During the 2005 Regular legislative session, the Task Force's recommendations helped shape legislation that addressed many of the issues brought before the Task Force. The resulting legislation was E2SSB 5763 and E2SHB 1290.
E2SHB 1290 includes a provision to continue the existence of the Mental Health Task Force into June of 2007 when it's second set of final findings and recommendations are due to the Legislature.
Task Force Legislation as signed into law by Governor Gregoire
E2SSB 5763 Legislation relating to Community Mental Health Services, changes to the RSN structure, and the procurement of mental health services at the community level.
E2SHB 1290 Legislation relating to the treatment of mental health and substance abuse disorders, establishing treatment pilot programs (also known as the "Omnibus Mental Health/Substance Abuse Treatment Act."
To view additional information regarding the Procurement Process as established by House Bill 1290, please visit the Mental Health Division’s webpage devoted to Procurement here
To Subscribe to the electronic agenda updates for this committee, please click here , or send an email to mailto: listserv@listserv.wa.gov with the command "subscribe waleg-House-HC" in the body of the e-mail (without quotes).
Task Force Members
Pat Thibaudeau (D) WA State Senate Member, District 43 Linda Parlette (R) Co-Chair WA State Senate Member, District 12 Eileen Cody (D) Co-Chair WA State House of Representatives Member, District 34 Barbara Bailey (R) WA State House of Representatives Member, District 10 Kari Burrell Executive Policy Advisor, Governor's Office Mike Shelton (Dave Gossett, Snohomish Co. Council, backup) Island County Commissioner
Robin Arnold-Williams (MaryAnne Lindeblad, Interim MHD Director, backup)
Secretary of Department of Social and Health Services
Information on Previous 2005 Task Force Meetings
The agenda for the June meeting can be viewed here
The Mental Health Division provided an overview of Washington's application for a federal Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant and that presentation can be viewed here
You may view additional information on the Division's application for a Transformation Grant here
Listen to an audio recording of this and other previous meetings at TV Washington
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files and you can download it for free. If you do not have an application that can display Microsoft Word documents (.doc), you can download a free Word Viewer.
For more ways to get in touch with the Department of Mental Health Services, go to the DSHS Contact Information Web page. Mental Health Related Questions Contact:
