Conferences will focus on mental-health services

Oct. 02--EAST WENATCHEE -- The future of mental-health services in North Central Washington will be on the table Oct. 13 during two video conferences.

One conference will involve officials from Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan and Grant counties, said Ken Stanton, Douglas County commissioner. They will talk about the possible formation of a four-county regional support network to handle mental-health services.

The other conference will involve officials from Chelan, Douglas and Spokane counties. They will be talking about ways to merge services with the Spokane County Regional Support Network.

State officials have told officials with the Chelan-Douglas RSN that their service area is too small to support a one RSN.

The RSN board will discuss the video conferences at its regular meeting on 3 p.m.Oct. 14 at Columbia Station in Wenatchee, on the third floor. Columbia Station is at the corner of Kittitas and Columbia streets.

During a meeting Monday, Chelan-Douglas RSN officials met with service provider Catholic Family and Child Service to discuss sharing costs of excess bed usage at Eastern State Hospital. Currently, Catholic Family is scheduled to accept the total excess bed costs after Jan. 1. The two counties now can use 15 beds at Eastern without paying $560 a day per patient overcharge fees.

Reach Dee Riggs at 509-664-7147 or deeriggs@wenatcheeworld.com.

___

(c)2014 The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.)

Visit The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.) at www.wenatcheeworld.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services