Inslee approves $30 million to ease psychiatric boarding

Aug. 23--Gov. Jay Inslee approved $30 million Friday to fund treatment for psychiatric patients being warehoused in hospital emergency rooms or other non-mental health facilities across the state while they wait for long-term beds to open up.

Earlier this month, the state Supreme Court issued a ban on the last-resort practice known as psychiatric boarding, which is set to go into effect Aug. 27. The state determined that about 200 people were being boarded in Washington.

While mental health officials praised the decision, many worried that patients would be released without proper treatment if they couldn't round up more beds by next week's deadline.

The state Attorney General has also filed a motion asking the high court to suspend its boarding decision for 120 days, which would give the state more time to put Inslee's funding to use.

"The request for more time in no way puts the task at hand on hold," said Jane Beyer, assistant secretary for behavioral health for the Department of Social and Health Services, which filed a declaration in support of the Attorney General's motion. "We have already identified and secured funding for up to 145 beds, thanks to Gov. Inslee and his support of mental health treatment."

In the next 20 days, 50 of those will be available, said Beyer. The remaining 95 will be ready in the next 120 days.

Andy Mannix: amannix@seattletimes.com

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