How the Washington State Health Care Authority is excelling in addressing the children and youth behavioral health crisis
Due to youth mental health escalating into a national crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, Washington Governor Jay Inslee declared a statewide youth mental health crisis in March 2021. He directed the Health Care Authority (HCA) to immediately begin work on supporting the behavioral health needs of children and youth, and to address the full spectrum of rising pediatric behavioral health needs.
HCA leadership knew it needed to invest in new partnerships that would address this emergency by providing preventative and effective behavioral healthcare to high-risk youth and their families. HCA selected Carelon Behavioral Health as its partner due to Carelon’s strong reputation for providing community-based support for youth. HCA saw significant results in less than a year.
