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 Former Speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives Frank Chopp and the University of Washington?s director of state relations Rashi Gupta cut the ribbon to open a new behavioral health teaching hospital in Seattle on May 15, 2024.
Wednesday marked the opening of the University of Washington?s Center for Behavioral Health and Learning, an innovative new teaching hospital in Seattle.
The facility is a cutting-edge behavioral health hospital with 150 beds that will go to use right away. Gov. Jay Inslee proposed the hospital in 2018 as part of a long-term strategy for transforming Washington?s behavioral health facilities. Every amenity was designed to accommodate hard-to-treat patients with acute medical and behavioral health conditions.
East-facing hallways end in large picture windows pleasantly framing Mount Rainier. Every doorknob and piece of furniture was intentionally designed to prevent self-harm. Modern therapies will treat people who have moderate severe disorders, like a transcranial magnetic stimulation helmet that relieves depression and addictions.
The opening is the latest in a string of expansions of the state?s behavioral health capacity. Last year, the state purchased and converted a Tukwila hospital for use as a behavioral health facility. Olympic Heritage Behavioral Health is now serving over 70 patients and will add more in the future. Expansions at Eastern State Hospital, Western State Hospital, and Maple Lane have opened even more beds. The state will have opened a total of around 600 beds by the end of this year since 2022.
But the new facility in Seattle is important for a second reason: it?s a teaching hospital. Medical students from the University of Washington will train there and work with real patients as they prepare to enter the field of psychiatry. After all, beds don?t cure people; people cure people.
?This facility expands the University of Washington's capacity to educate and train the desperately-needed professionals who will serve those patients and fill key gaps in our state's behavioral health workforce,? said UW President Ana Marie Cauce. "The physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, pharmacists who need to go out and who will go out to serve every community in Washington state will be educated right here.?
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 The yellow area shows a 575-acre swatch of forest land recently protected thanks to Climate Commitment Act funding.
Along the shores of Lake Whatcom, mighty Douglas Firs stand 200 feet tall and measure 28 feet around in circumference. The larger ones have stood for half a millennium. Douglas Firs, especially older and larger specimens, are prolific oxygenators and carbon sinks. The Climate Commitment Act is helping the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) protect a 575-acre swath of mature forest for good. In total, DNR plans to conserve 2,000 acres of forestland statewide.
?We manage our forest lands under the principles of climate-smart forestry, which means that our forests not only capture and store more carbon over time compared to conventional practices, but we also manage for climate resilience and adaptation and habitat benefit,? said DNR policy director Csenka Favorini-Csorba.
Mature forestlands are habitats for wildlife. They help attenuate floods, landslides and drought, all of which are becoming more common due to climate change. They also contribute to drinking water quality for Whatcom County residents.
The Douglas Fir is desirable for another reason: it makes for great lumber. For centuries, Washington?s towering forests have been hewn to build America. Clear-cut areas and timber access roads are prone to erosion, so those soils and the chemical fertilizers they carry wander into watersheds. Logged areas around Lake Whatcom have caused persistent drinking water quality issues for more than 100,000 Whatcom County residents. The lake was first listed by the state as a polluted water body in 1998, and it remains so today.
But recent county interventions and forest land purchases are healing the lake and surrounding forests. Lake Whatcom is the primary spawning area for Kokanee salmon within the state, and recent Kokanee populations around the lake have been healthy. That?s a sign of rebounding water quality. Recent studies have noted declining phosphorous levels and other hopeful signs. The permanent conservation of local forests will help these areas return to a natural, verdant state.
Old-growth forests mitigate the impact of climate change. They churn out oxygen and store away carbon. They harbor birds and animals. They make for beautiful scenery. They protect against erosion and support water quality. They help keep salmon alive and drinking water fresh. And thanks to the Climate Commitment Act, a huge patch of these proud firs will stand tall forever.
According to Whatcom County?s lead park ranger Tom Chisholm, ?The thousands of acres the state and county are conserving here were old growth once, and they will be again.?
 The forested hills around Lake Whatcom are covered in huge Douglas Firs, often hundreds of years old and standing 100-200 feet tall. (Photo courtesy of the Whatcom County Parks Department)
 On Wednesday, May 15, Gov. Jay Inslee joined a Seattle event to celebrate the WA Cares program at the home of Markos Worku (bottom-left).
The WA Cares Fund, Washington?s new long-term care insurance program, launched last year. Seven in 10 Americans will require long-term care at some point, and WA Cares provides flexible benefits that workers can use if they have an illness, accident, or other need for care later in life.
Legislators improved the program this session by making WA Cares benefits portable. Now, Washingtonians who paid into WA Cares can still benefit should they move away.
Marcos Worku was a nurse when he experienced a stroke at age 47. He suffered brain damage and mobility loss in his hands and legs. He recuperated in a nursing home for five years, slowly regaining his strength. He?s finally able to live independently again, but he needs a little help. The WA Cares benefit would help a lot in situations like Worku?s.
?Washington is a state that cares for people. We lead the nation on worker protections, paid leave, and now long-term care insurance,? said Gov. Jay Inslee. ?WA Cares is there for people when they start to need help with daily functions. And now that we?ve approved portability, your benefits are there for you even if you?re not here in Washington anymore. This is a great program made better this session.?
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Plan ahead for Memorial Day traffic
Plan ahead if you plan to travel over Memorial Day weekend. WSDOT?s travel charts show where the state expects to busy holiday traffic.?
One year in, state leaders review Climate Commitment Act?s progress
The Climate Commitment Act launched last year, putting the state on course to slash emissions by 95% by 2050. The state also sold carbon allowances over five auctions since February 2023, raising more than $2 billion. Five new ferries are being financed by the CCA. So are wildfire prevention programs in Eastern Washington. So are rebates to make EVs affordable to low-income residents. So are electric buses and transit systems in communities across the state. So are heat pump installations inside homes, schools, and residential long-term care facilities. Public transit is now free for kids.?
Monday?s Results Washington public performance review highlighted the positive impact of the program.
800 projects in and counting in WA thanks to Biden Administration infrastructure investments
The Biden Administration is leveraging public and private investment capital to rebuild America?s infrastructure and global competitiveness. Across Washington state, more than 800 projects are in the works, from replacing lead pipes to building clean energy sources through entities like the new PNW Hydrogen Hub.?
Utilities warn of potential power shutoffs in wildfire areas
Some of the state?s largest utilities are making plans to help prevent wildfires this summer. Contingency plans include the ?last resort? option of enacting preventative blackouts in fire-prone areas. Some of the nation?s largest wildfires in recent years have been sparked by utility-owned power lines. Avista, Pacific Power and Puget Sound Energy have each announced their wildfire prevention measures. Contact your local utility to subscribe for emergency updates, especially if you rely on refrigerated medication or powered medical devices.
Federal grants boost housing affordability and construction across the Northwest
President Biden announced this week that the federal government will provide WA with $192 million in grants to build more affordable housing. The move comes as the state continues to struggle to build enough housing to meet current and projected demand. Commerce released a report this week calling the state?s shortage of affordable housing ?critical?.
New 988 Lifeline website launches, offers mental health resources
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) launched a new 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline website. 988 is the nationwide, three-digit dialing code that connects anyone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis with a trained counselor. The 988 Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24/7/365 via phone call, text, or online chat.
HCA takes a new step to eliminate hepatitis C
The Health Care Authority (HCA) is partnering with the Department of Health (DOH) and AbbVie US LLC, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, in an effort to eliminate hepatitis C (HCV) in Washington State by 2030. The state is currently working to reach individuals who are not yet treated, educate healthcare workers about screening and treatment; and address barriers to care. Gov. Jay Inslee issued a directive in 2018 establishing an approach to eliminate hepatitis C within the state by 2030.
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