King County launches new effort to prevent youth suicide, invites you to join

September is coming around the corner, and we are preparing for September Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.   King County DCHS partnered with Rescue Agency to develop a countywide Youth Suicide Prevention Campaign to help prevent youth suicide during Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September, including a Suicide Prevention Week of Action that will take place September…

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.  …

The Newcomer Club: a Youth Healing Project building community for recently immigrated young people

Photo provided by the Newcomer Club. This was originally posted on the Best Starts for Kids blog. In the World School library, in one of the rare quiet corners of Capitol Hill, a group of high school students gather, cracking jokes and giggling, after the last school bell rings. They sit on a mismatch of…

MIDD 2022 Data Dashboard and Summary Report are Live! 

King County is pleased to announce that the MIDD Behavioral Health Sales Tax Fund has released its data dashboard and Summary Report.  The Summary Report provides an overview of the MIDD’s performance in 2022 and the complementary online MIDD data dashboard provides more comprehensive results and initiative-level details.   King County’s MIDD Behavioral Health Sales…

Substance use prevention and early intervention: Key steps to reduce harm and prevent use before it starts  

Substance use disorders continue to impact people from all walks of life. As the understanding and science of addiction evolves, so too does our understanding of ways to prevent substance use disorder and increase support for communities. As a follow up to the blog post on substance use disorder treatment, we are taking a closer…