Free from fear: Domestic violence supports creating safe and resilient communities   

October is Domestic Violence Action Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Throughout the month of October victim advocates, allies, survivors of abuse, their loved ones, and the surrounding community have come together to raise awareness of domestic violence and its impact on individuals, families, and communities. It has been a time to connect, lift each…

King County awards Purpose, Dignity, Action with a contract to continue the LEAD program in Burien, White Center, and Seattle   

King County Department of Community and Human Services is awarding Purpose, Dignity, Action (PDA) with $4.1 million to continue the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. LEAD is a diversion program that offers law enforcement an alternative to booking people into jail.  The MIDD Behavioral Health Sales Tax Fund invests in LEAD to align with…

Integrating health care systems to support and care for people with substance use disorders  

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are complex conditions that continue to impact people from all walks of life. Like many communities across the nation, King County residents are seeing a rise in substance use disorders and overdoses, particularly with the tragic impacts of the fentanyl epidemic being felt across our communities.    This summer, DCHS published a…

Thanking the leaders of King County’s Best Starts for Kids

A message from DCHS Director, Leo Flor on the outgoing Best Starts leadership team. Since King County voters first approved the Best Starts for Kids Levy in 2015, Sheila Ater Capestany (she/her) and Marcy Miller (she/her) have grown a powerful idea into a cutting edge, nation-leading program that makes a meaningful difference in the lives…

Introducing Susan McLaughlin, our new Behavioral Health and Recovery Division Director! 

King County DCHS welcomes Susan McLaughlin, Ph.D., as the new director of the Behavioral Health and Recovery Division (BHRD). Susan is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than twenty years of leadership experience in health, behavioral health, and social services as a clinician, researcher, and policy administrator.   Her first day on the job will be…

Save the Date! Join us in person on Nov. 20th for the Behavioral Health Legislative Forum.

 Save the date!  King County is excited to announce its annual Behavioral Health Legislative Forum will be held in person once again!    Join us on Monday, November 20, 2023, from 6:00 – 8:30pm at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. The event is free and open to everyone.   The forum will include:   Remarks from King County Executive Dow Constantine.  …