Title
An ORDINANCE approving the mental illness and drug dependency service improvement plan to guide the investment of mental illness and drug dependency sales tax revenue, in compliance with Ordinance 17998.
Body
PREAMBLE:
In 2005, recognizing the need for additional mental health and chemical dependency programs, the state Legislature authorized counties to implement a one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax to support new programs.
The one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax supporting new or expanded chemical dependency or mental health treatment programs and services and for the operation of new or expanded therapeutic court programs and services, known as the mental illness and drug dependency ("MIDD") sales and use tax, generates between fifty and sixty-five million dollars annually for King County.
King County council levied the one-tenth of one percent MIDD sales and use tax in Ordinance 15949, which was enacted November 26, 2007.
The intent of the sales tax is to support new or expanded mental health and substance abuse programs, now referred to as behavioral health programs, reflective of the integration of mental health and substance use disorder programs and services; and the operation of the county's therapeutic court programs.
In March 2014, the Washington state Legislature passed Senate Bill 6312, which became Chapter 225, Laws of Washington 2014, calling for the integrated purchasing of mental health and substance abuse treatment services. Implementation of this law has brought about changes to how mental health and substance abuse treatment services are described and administered and delivered in King County. An integrated behavioral health system allows more flexibility to deliver holistic care especially for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. One change initiated by behavioral health integration is the evolution of terminology used to define and describe the mental health and substance use disord...

Click here for full text