Child mental health gets attention

OLYMPIA – In the wake of the pandemic, Seattle Children's Hospital reports an increasing number of children need outpatient mental health treatment, but not enough providers exist to meet the demand.

“The devastating consequence of the inability to access outpatient care is that you’re likely to get worse and need emergency department or crisis level care,” said Kashi Arora, from Seattle Children's Hospital.

House Bill 1800, now under consideration in the state Legislature, creates a behavioral work-group to identify barriers to behavioral health services for families. It also helps develop a...