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The Washington State Mental Health Summit

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Exciting work is being done all over our region, but the work is only as effective as it's reach. Much of the promising work in the world of Mental Health is siloed geographically or organizationally and it is part of the mission of Chad's Legacy Project to help create a new network and action-based plan for collaboration and execution to maximize the potential of all work, current and future, being done in our state and beyond. The first formal event on October 5th, 2017 was underwritten by the CLP and hosted by the University of Washington.

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The 2017 Summit was a smaller "Washington State Change Agent" event where action plans, goals and benchmarks have been developed. This event was held at the Cambia Grove/Cambia Health Solutions in Downtown Seattle. Each opening workgroup was comprised of 10-12 of Washington State's leading individuals in their field, encompassing private insurance companies, public, education professionals, healthcare providers and county and state legislative representatives and the Washington State Healthcare Authority. 
A larger presentation and working event with networking and participation opportunities for the broader Washington State Mental Health community was held at the University of Washington HUB Ballroom May 8th, 2018 where 400 stakeholders attended and enlisted in participation toward action.

 

The third annual event was held on October 29th, 2019. Prior, a Summit Advisory Council was formed of state-wide Mental Health leadership, the the first convening of the Advisory Council and met for the first time on November 5th, 2018 to finalize a formal Vision/Mission statement, finalize Summit initiative criteria and the initiative selection process. Following November 5th, the Washington State Mental Health Summit Advisory Council was introduced and the path to initiative selection announced. The October 2019 event was attended by 600+ stakeholders from around the state and offering their participation in moving 16 new initiatives forward into a transformative state-wide model. The Summit, now having been held five times since 2017 is an eighteen month cycle,

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For a detailed look at the current workgroups, initiatives and future events, go to www.wamhsummit.org

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Advancement of Mental Health Education Schools

Learn all bout our efforts at www.mentalhealthinstruction.org

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Broad Mental Health First Aid Implementation in Washington State (funds temporarily unavailable)

The CLP goal is to create awareness and availability of this training to the same level as CPR training, providing easy access to peer and family support individuals and the general public interested in being ready to effectively help an individual in crisis.  CLP has partnered with Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland and Seattle Childrens Hospital and is proud to see them become the first Washington State hospitals to offer Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid to the general public as a free resource to potential peer and family support. The CLP mission for 2019 is to expand this success beyond King County and into all parts of Washington State.

 A newly created CLP fund will help provide manuals to instructors in rural areas outside King County where the cost of materials is overly burdensome.

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Expansion of the Certified Peer Counselor Workforce (funds temporarily unavailable)

We recognize the critical importance of introducing a member of the provider team into the chain of care early in the process that can effectively develop a relationship of trust with a new patient/client. Certified Peer Counselors with lived experience provide that bridge to trust, continued care and positive outcomes. This workforce can also help reduce the need for limited and more expensive services when a patient/client fully accepts help at onset of symptoms. CLP has created a fund by which those seeking to become a Certified Peer Counselor can apply for a scholarship grant when affordability of attending the week-long training is of issue. 

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Fostering Utilization and Engagement of Mental Health Advance Directives

In 2003, extensive work was done in Washington State to develop a document and laws providing a vehicle of self-determination for care during mental health crisis moments. Despite the best of intentions, the document and law became underutilized and subsequently forgotten. As part of a renewed effort to provide a tool for trust building between patient/client and provider, new work began in late 2020 to address challenges in implementation and provide a path to widespread utilization. The projected benefit is reduced forced hospitalization, increased early care and reduced pressure on the healthcare system, as well as a more positive care path experience.  Chad's Legacy Project coordinated new communication between leaders in this arena from Washington, California (the Saks Institute, USC Gould School of Law) and Texas (Texas RioGrande Legal Aid) to develop a system by which this key document of self-determination can become a well-utilized tool for those that suffer from serious mental illnesses.

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The work led by Chad's Legacy Project now moves to a 2024 fiscal year legislative workgroup led by the Washington State Healthcare Authority and Chad's Legacy Project for systems implementation. This new workgroup is expected to begin work August of 2024.

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