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 Gov. Jay Inslee and other state leaders celebrated the launch of 988 at a crisis center in Everett. (Governor’s Office Photo Illustration)
Gov. Jay Inslee, Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah, U.S. Health and Human Services regional director Ingrid Ulrey, and other leaders celebrated the launch of the new 988 lifeline with a press conference at a call center in Everett Thursday. The Volunteers of America Western Washington Behavioral Health Call Center is one of three Washington call centers serving the state’s 988 line. Anticipating the demand, the call center quadrupled its staff of trained counselors before 988 activated.
“We went from 35 to 135 counselors. We’re seeing a big increase in calls and we expect even more in the future,” said Susan Gregory, program manager for the 988 Regional Crisis Line. “On average, our callers experience no wait times, and we take all the time they need to listen to their situation.”
Call centers in Washington already report a 50% increase in call volume following the July 16 launch of the 988 dialing code. That means that 988 is already helping more Washingtonians access counseling and care.
Now that 988 has launched, read more here about next steps to improve behavioral health.
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 Cannabis retailers have been targeted by armed robberies. The US Cannabis Council has produced video advertisements to describe the issue and to endorse the passage of the SAFE Banking Act (Video from US Cannabis Council)
Washington state was a pioneer in legalizing adult-use cannabis in 2012. With eight years of legal retail sales now complete, Washington’s system has matured in all but one critical aspect: access to federally-insured banking services and electronic payment processing.
The lack of banking services threatens public safety. Due to reliance on cash transactions, cannabis retailers have been targeted by armed robbers. Earlier this year, a young man was killed while working at a retail store. Clerks have been shot and beaten while on the job. During early 2022, more than 50 armed robberies of state-licensed cannabis retail stores were reported.
On July 27, the state’s Liquor and Cannabis Board Director of Enforcement and Education Chandra Brady joined federal legislators for a briefing organized by the U.S. Cannabis Council. At the briefing, they unveiled new TV ads highlighting the urgency of congressional action on the SAFE Banking Act. The act would give cannabis retailers more options to accept credit card and debit transactions with customers.
Earlier this year, Gov. Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson penned a joint op-ed calling on Congress to act. Together with Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti and Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, they followed with a letter to key leaders in Congress.
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The state will provide approximately $22 million to support Washington’s health care system as providers and hospitals struggle with non-COVID related challenges, the governor’s office announced Friday.
Many facilities are operating at capacity and need more support to discharge patients with specialized needs in a shorter amount of time. Some of those funds will be used to support Harborview Medical Center in its efforts to secure community-based care for patients with complex medical and behavioral needs.
These issues predate the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic did exacerbate them. The governor’s office and state’s Department of Health, Health Care Authority and Department of Social and Health Services have been working with facilities and providers to develop more permanent remedies to ensure people who no longer need to be in a hospital or acute-care facility can be discharged as soon as they’re ready.
Read the governor’s office letter to state health system leaders detailing these efforts.
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Aggressive federal action to reduce emissions and brace for the effects of climate change could be on the horizon. Democratic leaders in the U.S. Senate announced the Inflation Reduction Act, which appropriates $369 billion in clean energy initiatives and would put the U.S. on a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030. The act would also offer tax credits and rebates for residential efficiency measures, tax credits for electric vehicle purchases, and tax credits for clean energy job creation.
Senate leaders are preparing to vote on the legislation as early as next week.
"Time for every one of our U.S. senators to get on the climate bus (electric, of course) and pass the bill. Our nation’s fate is in the balance," said Inslee on Twitter.
The bill also includes provisions to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, reduce the federal deficit, combat inflation, and help the Internal Revenue Service prosecute fraud and evasion.
Read more about the legislation from The Washington Post.
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 Gov. Jay Inslee and state agency leaders hosted a public performance review of projects related to digital equity, behavioral health, and juvenile justice on Wednesday.
The governor’s Results Washington office formed a project team to create agency standards for digital equity. This ensures state agencies prioritize website ease-of-use, language access and translation, and accessibility. The team will develop guidelines by 2022 for state websites and forms to be compatible with mobile devices. The state Department of Corrections shared several advanced digital equity efforts, including the distribution of communications devices and interpretation technology for people with disabilities.
Another project team has been working to update peer programs for justice-involved youth. Community partners Students Providing and Receiving Knowledge (SPARK) offer re-entry programs for justice-involved youth, and help reduce the risk school dropouts, drug use, and recidivism. Other programs are helping justice-involved youth find job training and secure employment.
The meeting was streamed and recorded by TVW.
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The Disability Inclusion Network (DIN) Business Resource Group hosted its first annual Respect, Acceptance, and Dignity of persons with Disabilities (RADD) awards ceremony Thursday. The virtual event was attended by Gov. Jay Inslee and leaders of state agencies. The awards recognized the outstanding actions of individual employees to serve people with disabilities.
Among the award recipients was Department of Social and Health Services employee Joslyn Nelson, named Advocate of the Year. The award recognizes outstanding commitment to disability awareness and a willingness to perform beyond expected duties to advance disability inclusion.
“Joslyn works tirelessly to ensure the voice of people with disabilities is included in all conversations and decisions that impact people with disabilities,” said Dr. Karen Johnson, Director of the Office of Equity. “She truly exemplifies the concept of ‘nothing about us, without us.’”
Inclusive hiring in state government has been a priority for the governor since he took office. The second executive order he signed was to improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities. The first was to promote hiring of and workplace support for veterans.
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