health care

Health officials and hospital operators want to see further action to help patients with conditions like dementia and mental health disorders transition into long-term care and behavioral health facilities.

Frontier Behavioral Health, call center for six eastern Washington counties, has handled call volumes well so far, but Frontier's director of crisis response services says the bugs of being part of the national system are still being worked out.

The expansion is part of Washington’s Medicaid Transformation Project 2.0, an agreement between the state and the federal government that allows Washington to use federal Medicaid funds in new Apple Health programs.

At least 144 people experiencing homelessness in the Inland Northwest have died this year. Today the community gathered to remember them, and to call for compassion and understanding for those still living unhoused across the region.

Daybreak Youth Services, a teen mental health and addiction service provider in Spokane, may have its license suspended. A staff member is accused of behaving inappropriately toward underage patients and an administrator is accused of obstructing the state’s investigation into the issue.

Reports of adult abuse have been steadily increasing since 2012 as baby boomers reach retirement.Washington State Department of Health leaders say they are concerned by the drop in reports during the pandemic, saying elder abuse was still likely occurring.

Board members said they were concerned about schools’ ability to implement such a requirement, the changing nature of the virus, and pushback from parents.

A new program at Providence’s Holy Family Hospital, called Perinatal RISE, or P-rise, will help pregnant, new parents with behavioral health services.

Washington clinics are already seeing more patients from Texas, where state law allows people to sue anyone who helps someone obtain an abortion, and Idaho, which is considering a law that would allow family members of patients to sue. They expect the influx to grow if the Supreme Court overturns Roe versus Wade.

Showers, haircuts, court services, housing and vaccinations will all be available at the Spokane Convention Center.