By: Jodi Daly, Ph.D., President and CEO
As we celebrate 50 years of service to our communities, we balance our thoughts between gratitude for the past and hope for our collective future. Even with the world-shifting pandemic of the last two years, the resilience of our communities has proven to stand the test of time, and it’s become increasingly evident that the strength of our communities depends on the strength of our community behavioral health system.
Community behavioral healthcare providers continue to be integral to our collective health as record numbers of community members struggle with mental health and substance use disorders, home and food insecurities, as well as the public health implications that come along with being homeless. While Comprehensive Healthcare does everything we can to expand access to high-quality care, broader systemic funding issues are contributing to historic workforce shortages and presenting road blocks to care for people who need it most.
Thankfully, we’re not in this fight alone. As one of the four organizations that makes up Fourfront Contributor, we’re encouraging legislators to invest in our futures through the state of Washington’s implementation of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs). This would make care easier to access and create standard access to care – so everyone can get the care they need, when they need it.
As we look to present and future work at hand, it’s important we also take time for joy and celebration as a community. We hope you’ll join us for events, classes, and trainings throughout the year as we celebrate our 50th anniversary.
We’re also excited to celebrate the thousands of community members who were able to receive services last year – our telehealth numbers continue to rise along with visits to receive substance use disorder treatments. Though we know it is challenging to embark on treatment, our communities are stronger when everyone gets the care they deserve.
Lastly, we’re excited to share that on February 1, 2022, we expanded our services to Columbia County, in order to help in meeting the needs of those communities.
Thank you for joining us in a new year of community together. We’re glad you’re here.
