In September, Fourfront Contributor participated in State of Reform’s Inland Northwest Health Policy Conference in Spokane, connecting with other healthcare leaders, lawmakers and policy experts to highlight the most pressing issues across the spectrum of behavioral health and medical services. Tom Sebastian, CEO of Compass Health and member of Fourfront Contributor, joined Jane Beyer, senior …
September 25, 2023 – Washington’s community behavioral health system continues to face unsustainable pressures. Systemic funding issues have resulted in record workforce shortages impacting access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment for low-income individuals and families and other vulnerable community members. Fortunately, this past legislative session, the Washington state legislature included a 15% …
Fourfront Contributor is deeply saddened to share news of the passing of Jeff Thomas, CEO of Frontier Behavioral Health, and a deeply respected colleague and member of our organization. A champion of behavioral health, Jeff dedicated his entire career to improving access to care across Washington state, especially in the Spokane region. In the more …
July 28, 2023 – This week, the federal government announced a proposed rule change to the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, intended to improve access to mental health services by addressing barriers to care – including cost of treatment and accessibility of services. As community behavioral health providers, we understand that both mental …
National Conversations Surrounding Mental Health Read More »
July 13, 2023 Recently, Frontier Behavioral Health (FBH) leadership and staff came together with luminaries in Spokane, Wash., to personally thank Washington State Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, Reps. Marcus Riccelli, Timm Ormsby and Leonard Christian as well as Senator Mike Padden and other state leaders for their historic support for community behavioral health. In …
June 1, 2023 The 2023 Washington state legislative session has concluded, and we want to thank legislators for approving increases in Medicaid and non-Medicaid rates for community behavioral health. This funding is crucial for us to continue providing essential mental health services and substance use treatment to our communities, maintaining access to care as we …
April 13, 2023 It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic and its ripple effects caused an unprecedented workforce shortage. For community behavioral health, this shortage has reached crisis levels. In Washington, the vacancy rate for behavioral health professionals with advanced degrees was an astounding 29% in 2022, with a turnover rate of 32%—trending up from …
April 6, 2023 For Tom Sebastian, President and CEO of Compass Health, the number one issue facing Washington healthcare is the behavioral health workforce shortage. He noted that three-quarters of Washington’s providers are placing some form of limitations on care due to these shortages. During a recent “What They’re Watching” interview, he discussed what his …
What They’re Watching: Tom Sebastian, Compass Health Read More »
April 6, 2023 By Jeff Thomas, Jodi Daly and Tom Sebastian Over the past three years, we’ve all faced COVID-related challenges that have caused serious disruption to our daily life and wellbeing. And across our communities, the impact is becoming increasingly evident. More adults and children are suffering from anxiety, depression and other behavioral health …
April 4, 2023 By Tom Sebastian, Jeff Thomas and Jodi Daly Community behavioral health is key to the health and wellbeing in Washington state. In the aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic, this couldn’t be more apparent. As a mental health crisis looms, we, as community behavioral health care providers, are on the front lines, working …
The Everett Herald: Community mental health services are in acute need Read More »
