HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence - BOCC (002)January 28, 2021
GRANT COUNTY
OFFICE OF THE
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
P 0 Box 37
EPHRATA WA 9BB23
(509) 754-2011
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
2021 Mental Health Awareness Training Grant
Review Committee Members:
Please accept this Letter of Commitment from the Grant County Board of Commissioners along with Grant
Integrated Services to apply for the 2021 Mental Health Training Grant through SAMHSA.
We support the request of $125,000.00 per year for up to 5 years for Grant Integrated Services to expand
mental health promotion and suicide prevention within Grant County. Collaboration would be met through the
Grant County Suicide Prevention Taskforce that involves diverse organizations and communities within our
county.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented our rural communities with challenges that need behavioral healthcare
and support. In Washington State, December 2020 reports show that Emergency Departments had an increased
number of visits for psychologic distress that was higher than 2019's by 150 per 10,000 ED vists (CDC
National Syndromic Surveillance Program). Looking at just our county, the Grant County Crisis System
recieves an average of 130 monthly referrals for services (NCWA Data Dashboard). Also, in 2020, there was a
total of 14 deaths by suicide within our county (2020 Coroner Report).
It is very important to the people of Grant County to address the needs of mental health issues and improve the
coordination of services. Grant Integrated Services is the hub and leading organization for specialty mental
health and substance abuse services.
Grant County Board of Commissioners support the effort to promote local training opportunities, build system
linkages, work with our emergency service partners, and highlight available resources within our county and
state.
Sincerely,
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
1
CCm,Chair Danny . Stone
bjv
Cc: Grant Integrated Services
Danny E. Stone Rob Jones
District 1 District 2
Cindy Carter
District 3
"TO MEET CURRENT AND FUTURE NEEDS, SERVING TOGETHER WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES, WHILE FOSTERING
A RESPECTFUL AND SUCCESSFUL WORK ENVIRONMENT."