The following information comes from a 2019 NAMI Washington State legislative report.
​View the full report here.

Overview

The 2019 legislative session provided a more direct focus on behavioral health policy than any session in recent memory. In 2018, Governor Inslee made clear his intent to move most civil commitments into smaller community-based settings and turn Western State Hospital into a Forensic Center of Excellence, focusing on the needs of patients involved in the criminal justice system. In addition, the Trueblood case required the legislature to take action to address and prevent the warehousing of people living with mental illness in our state’s jails. Working with the governor’s office, legislators, and other advocacy organizations, NAMI Washington helped to enact key pieces of legislation to move our mental health system toward one of prevention and early intervention, and away from the historical emphasis on acute crisis hospital care.

2019 Priority Bills

Youth Mental Health, SB5903 (passed the legislature): Requires coordination and training on
behavioral health for school district staff, requires the state to provide infant and early childhood mental health consultations to parents, and creates the development of a statewide plan to develop school-based supports for students.

Trueblood bill, SB5444 (passed the legislature): creates and expands diversion programs to give law enforcement the tools necessary to keep people living with mental illness out of the criminal justice system when possible; establishes a forensic navigator (FN) position to help people who need competency evaluations find their way through the process; improves access to outpatient treatment in the community, and, in some cases of minor crimes, cases could be dismissed and people would be referred to services instead of the criminal justice system.

Increase HEN Funding: The HEN program provides essential items and rental assistance for people who are unable to work for 90 days because of a disability, with more than 75% of program participants having a diagnosed mental illness. $14,500,000 was allocated to expand the HEN program.

Fully Fund the Behavioral Healthcare System: Invest in community-based placements for patients in long-term care and new intensive behavioral health facilities, investments in peer support services, and the provision of funding for the forensic navigators and the Trueblood settlement. The legislature dedicated $455,681,000 to behavioral health programs, which is a more substantial investment than in years past and starts us down a path toward improving our neglected system.