Friday, Jan. 20, 2023 DSHS Office of Communications Tyler Hemstreet tyler.hemstreet@dshs.wa.gov (564) 201–0027 (OLYMPIA) — The Department of Social and Health Services will cut the ribbon at the state’s first-ever civil residential treatment facility during a ceremony starting at 11 a.m. Jan. …

OLYMPIA - This July, workers begin contributing to the WA Cares Fund, a new program that will give working Washingtonians affordable access to long-term care coverage. Workers will contribute 0.58% …

As we celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. state and national holiday on Monday, it’s important to remember the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister and civil rights activist who played a crucial role in the American civil rights movement. In honor of…

January 6, 2023 DSHS Office of Communications Tyler Hemstreet Tyler.hemstreet@dshs.wa.gov (564) 201–0027 OLYMPIA — After more than three years of progress in implementing Trueblood Contempt Settlement programs to expand forensic behavioral health services, Washington state and Disability Rights Washington announced their recommendation for extending programs to five additional counties in…

In what has become an annual event, youth at DSHS’ Child Study and Treatment Center participated in a special holiday card art contest over the past month to create hand-drawn holiday greeting cards for DSHS. Dozens of youth participated and four winners were nominated by CSTC to be included in…

Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 DSHS Office of Communications Tyler Hemstreet tyler.hemstreet@dshs.wa.gov (564) 201–0027 LAKEWOOD — A large piece of Washington state’s vision of transforming behavioral health includes constructing a therapeutically designed hospital on the Western State Hospital campus with 350 beds to care for forensic patients in a modern facility. …

Monday, Dec. 5, 2022 DSHS Office of Communications Lisa Pemberton lisa.pemberton@dshs.wa.gov (360) 902–7844 OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services announced this week that it will close a portion of Rainier School by July 31, 2023. The decision impacts Program Area Team C, or PAT C…

Streamers, laughter, and the smell of popcorn filled the gymnasium at the 2022 Fall Festival, held Oct. 26 at Western State Hospital’s Gage Center of Forensic Excellence. Staff and patients enjoyed a safe, fun, and therapeutic carnival-themed event. This year’s festival was especially significant to patients and staff because it…

OLYMPIA — Washington state honors more than 860,000 unpaid family and kinship caregivers every November. Caregivers are the backbone of our long-term services and supports. Every year, they provide countless hours of essential help to loved ones, friends and neighbors with chronic illnesses, disabilities and other special needs. In a…