This spring has marked a season of uncertainty for many of us, in unforeseen ways. Here at Sound, we’re working hard to remain a source of consistency and strength for those we serve, and for our partner organizations across King County, Washington State and nationally.
While we continue to serve our community, we’re also advocating strongly to ensure the funding and infrastructure that we rely on remains intact, so that we can continue to meet growing behavioral health needs.
As our state leaders work to finalize the next biennium’s budget in the coming weeks, we hope that they’ll maintain the support they’ve demonstrated for community behavioral health in recent years. Maintaining current Medicaid funding levels is critical, as it compensates Sound for most of the work we do. We recognize that hard decisions lie ahead, but cutting compensation for behavioral health services would be a step backward – a step that we, as a county and state – can’t afford.
Our services help drive efficiency and better outcomes across our county and state by easing burdens on first responders, law enforcement, and local hospitals. Through preventive and crisis care, we’re able to redirect individuals that might otherwise end up in an emergency room or jail to our treatment programs, where they can receive tailored and sustainable care. So, not only do we support people in need – we save money and support better outcomes system-wide.
For these and many other reasons, we’re encouraging state lawmakers to act as a steadying force in protecting existing Medicaid funding rates for behavioral health, even as economic uncertainty and federal policy changes continue to muddy the waters. Beyond public funding, this environment of uncertainty also highlights the importance of funding and support from business and community leaders, for which we are extremely grateful.
Continued investment in Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) is also key to building a more modern, integrated, and accessible behavioral health system in Washington. Through models like CCBHC and programs like our Mobile Rapid Response Crisis Teams, we are meeting people where they are with care that is responsive, coordinated, and lasting.
Thank you for standing with Sound and with the communities we serve. We remain committed to doing the next right thing—for our workforce, our clients, and our community.
Sincerely,
Katrina Egner
SOUND President & CEO
At SOUND Behavioral Health, we are inspired when young people step up to make a difference in our community. A group of students from Mercer Island High School —Levi Jones, Ronan Buckley, and Connor Flume — have done just that with their initiative, 988 Find Your Peace.Through T-shirts and sweatshirts featuring the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 988, these students are helping normalize conversations about mental health and letting their peers know that support is always available. All profits from their apparel go directly to SOUND, helping us provide critical counseling, crisis intervention, housing support, and recovery services throughout King County.
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When SOUND clinician Marlene Andrews began volunteering at the Sammamish Animal Sanctuary, she noticed something unexpected. The animals, many of them rescued or recovering from neglect, required patience and consistency to build trust – much like the people she supported in her work at SOUND Behavioral Health. That realization planted the seed for what would become SOUND’s Animal Sanctuary program. In partnership with the Sammamish Animal Sanctuary, SOUND’s program is now a thriving part of the organization’s Child and Family Services offerings.
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Just a few short weeks ago, SOUND Behavioral Health welcomed more than 400 community members, partners, and supporters to Fremont Studios for the annual SOUND of Hope Gala — an evening dedicated to expanding access to mental health and substance use services across King County.
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