April 23, 2021
By: Patrick Evans and Tom Sebastian
After the pandemic’s impact on our economy and workforce, it’s clear that our state lawmakers will be navigating a range of challenges in an attempt to revive our communities and build a system that supports our collective recovery.
One way to achieve a sustainable future is to invest in key local economic drivers: community behavioral health providers.
Throughout Washington, nonprofit community behavioral health agencies are responsible for the mental wellness of our most vulnerable community members, providing services to support recovery and encourage growth. Our impact extends beyond the clients we serve, generating returns for local businesses and economies by promoting a stable environment to conduct business, supporting our clients’ employability and creating jobs and driving efficiencies of care that ease the burden on hospitals, law enforcement and other members of the public safety net.
However, as we face impending mental health and substance use crises due to the pandemic, our organizations are also grappling with a devastating workforce shortage crisis, putting our clients and communities at risk.
Read the full article here.