S-0813.1
SENATE BILL 5481
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Senators J. Wilson, Chapman, Hasegawa, and Krishnadasan
Read first time 01/24/25. Referred to Committee on Human Services.
AN ACT Relating to providing access to behavioral health services to children using licensed clinicians colocated within the school; adding a new section to chapter 71.24 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. Throughout Washington state, there is a growing need for behavioral health services for children and youth, a crisis made worse by limited service capacity, especially in rural areas. This need is acute in less populated regions where many students come from families of limited means and a high proportion of children's health insurance is delivered through the state medicaid program. Providing behavioral health services in schools is an innovative practice and an efficient method to reach children in need who are often unable to access services due to time, distance, and transportation barriers. Providing services in schools helps establish a more comprehensive integrated framework for support with school staff, reduces the stigma of having behavioral health services in school rather than in a clinical setting, and dramatically increases the attendance rate for medicaid-based services. Many children who do not receive behavioral health services in schools do not get these services. Barriers to engaging children in a timely and accessible manner create missed opportunities which are costly for families and increase risks of rapid decompensation that can affect whole communities. We must do our part to remove barriers to treatment to ensure that the health and wellness of each child, in each of our schools, is supported, prioritized, and comprehended.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 71.24 RCW to read as follows: