Mental Health Centers

2009 Mental Health Legislative Summary: Enormous challenges, notable wins

Despite our best efforts, the state Legislature has adopted a budget that institutes major budget cuts over the next two years in healthcare, education and social services.

In healthcare alone, the cuts total over $1 billion, including

Community mental health: $51 million in cuts (Medicaid and non-medicaid and innovative programs)
Chemical dependency treatment services: $15 million in cuts
Cuts to programs like the Basic Health Plan and Healthy Options, which serve low and moderate income people without private insurance;
Reductions in payments to hospitals for Medicaid patients and other low-income patients;
Reductions in outpatient services for children and adults
Cuts to in-home care, nursing home care, and adult day services.

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Proposed budget cuts provide opportunity to work together

The release of the governor’s proposed 2009-2011 budget shows just how serious a challenge our state faces. The proposed budget would cut vital services to thousands of Washingtonians. If even a fraction of these cuts were to be
enacted, many of our clients would lose services. They would end up on the street again. Others would cycle into crisis and land in emergency rooms and jails. Families would be devastated. Communities would suffer.

In the coming months, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members will continue to work at the federal level, to increase Medicaid funding to the states; at the state level, to resist any proposed cuts to services; and at the county level, to increase funding through county enacted sales taxes for vital community services.

View our letter to the CEO's of mental health agencies, urging them to join us to oppose these proposed harmful cuts.

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A step forward on housing

The 2008 Washington state budget includes a number of items that will improve the lives of our clients. We're proud of the work we did, along with other advocates, to win:

$70 million in additional monies for the Housing Trust Fund, which supports housing for low-income and homeless people.
$6.25 million in new mental health funding for non-Medicaid clients
$2.9 million in new funding to the RSNs for increased services

You can check out the operating budget details here. See Pages 89-90 for details on the mental health care portion of the budget.

Big win for communities, clients, workers

King County Vote

The King County Council has adopted the Mental Health Tax Ordinance, which will improve mental health care in our community and ensure that workers have the right to organize freely and fairly, without employer interference. On Tuesday, Nov. 13 the County Council voted 5-3 (with another "yes" vote excused) to enact the ordinance, which will fund the County's Mental Health and Drug Dependency Action Plan. The new law will bring in $50 million/year, and will cost the average taxpayer about $25/year.

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"As our community improves the system that cares for underserved people, it's important that we also build a system that's fair for the workers who help them."

The Rev. Dr. Sanford "Sandy" Brown
Executive Director
Church Council of Greater Seattle

Read this religious leader's guest editorial in support of services, workers

Mental health workers win for clients, communities....

Mental Health Workers Win

We took a stand and the Washington state Legislature listened to us.

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Safety for Workers!

Marty Smith

The Marty Smith Law provides the strongest safety protections in the nation for community mental health workers.

Named after our colleague Marty Smith, who was killed by a client in 2005, the new law provides for annual safety training for all workers and ensures that no one will be required to go out on a home visit alone.

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