Mental health House, Senate committees OK youth mental health bill

Feb. 12--OLYMPIA -- The House Appropriations and the Senate Ways and Means committees both passed bills related to increasing access to mental health services for children. House Bill 2439 and Senate Bill 6494, will be scheduled to be debated on the House and Senate floors respectively.

The bills would create a work group to review barriers that exist in diagnosing and treating mental health issues in children, with a particular focus on children aged 0-5. This work group would report to the Legislature by Dec. 1, 2016.

Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Seattle, primary sponsor of the House bill, said access to mental health services in the state is very small compared to the need.

"This bill will enable us to find out, and figure out, why utilization is so low and how we can get services and support to children and families when they need it," Kagi said.

The two bills would direct the Health Care Authority and Department of Social and Health Services to identify issues managed care organizations (MCOs) might have with providing timely access to care and services to children.

The bills would also require medical assistance programs to cover annual universal screenings and provider payments for depression for children aged 11-21.

Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, is a co-sponsor of the House bill. Dent expressed concern over the high rates of suicide and depression in youth.

"This is the kind of bill that I would prefer not to have to support," Dent said.

HB 2439 and SB 6494 would create a pilot program in a rural region to provide additional support for primary care providers for mental health care.

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee would be directed to take an inventory of mental health service models available in schools, and report the findings to the Legislature by Oct. 31, 2016. Dent said he felt the cost of the bill would be worth the results.

"I think it's important that we do what we can do," he said.

HB 2439 passed out of the Appropriations Committee with a vote of 26-6, with 1 excused. SB 6494 passed out of the Ways and Means Committee with a vote of 12 yeas, 9 absent or excused.

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