Re: “The Times recommends: Approve King County Proposition 1, the Crisis Care Centers Levy” [March 31, Opinion]:
The $1.25 billion-dollar behavioral well being levy is flawed and ought to be rejected. The levy prioritizes the creation of 5 new regional behavioral well being “disaster” care facilities. Specializing in the disaster as a substitute of prevention of the disaster is placing the cart earlier than the horse.
The levy doesn’t totally tackle the underlying points behind our behavioral well being disaster, which is a scarcity of preventive behavioral well being care providers that purpose to determine and tackle potential behavioral well being issues earlier than they develop into extreme. Offering early intervention and help helps people keep away from the extra pricey behavioral well being disaster providers proposed by this levy.
Preventive providers ought to embody funding for diversion into tiered providers together with one-on-one counseling, group counseling, outpatient therapy, inpatient therapy, aftercare therapy, residential care, vocational coaching, group properties and different absolutely staffed residential providers.
My viewpoint is predicated on my expertise as somebody who has struggled with psychological sickness and has skilled homelessness. I’m additionally a former board member, advocate, educator and facilitator of help teams at a psychological well being nonprofit.
By first prioritizing preventive providers, we are able to start to dig out of this disaster. Please reject this levy and ask your lawmakers to supply one which prioritizes prevention first.
David Combs, Redmond
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