Employees at Cornerstone Cottage alerted state officials to the dangers, only to be fired themselves Cornerstone Cottage opened in 2016 in Post Falls, Idaho, a booming bedroom community 25 miles… Continue Read More
Wildfires can be frightening and result in overflowing emotions. Fear, anxiety and even depression can arise before, during and after these natural disasters, but specialists say there are still resources to cope with the trauma that environmental emergencies can cause. Read More
In Yakima, some organizations use art to promote mental health. After-school activities and events help people to explore self-expression and creativity to improve their emotional and social well-being. Continue Reading Art is a tool for enhancing mental Read More
Providers say education, building trust among communities and building out mobile response teams are top priorities Continue Reading Northwest health providers reflect on first anniversary of 988 hotlineRead More
As the United States sees an increase in the number of anti-gay, anti-trans laws, one group of LGBTQ+ people on the Palouse is making its own space for queer joy and community Continue Reading Palouse Gay Baseball: A queer space of one’s ownRead More
Photo courtesy of Melyssa Andrews Listen (Runtime 1:23) Read When COVID-19 reached the Inland Northwest, few people could have predicted how profoundly it would change their lives. NWPB’s Rachel Sun… Continue Reading What we learned from COVID: Melyssa Read More
When COVID-19 reached the Inland Northwest, few people could have predicted its profound changes. NWPB’s Rachel Sun interviews local residents about how the pandemic changed their mental health, lives and perspective. This is the first in a four-part mini series. Read More
Farmworkers are among the groups disproportionately affected by stress and anxiety. Researchers and healthcare providers say the pandemic increased economic struggles and job pressures. Still, agricultural workers are not always aware that it could impact their mental health. Read More
Native and Strong crisis counselor Robert Coberly is blanketed by Mia Klick, Native and Strong Lifeline coordinator on the left, and Vicki Lowe, executive director of the American Indian Health… Continue Reading Read More
What do you really know about psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms? Research on the substance has lagged behind in the U.S. but, recent grassroots movements and a non-profit in… Continue Reading Psilocybin: Psychology, Policy and Read More
Photo via Pixabay Listen (Runtime 1:32) Read While police continue to search for the killer of the four University of Idaho students who were murdered in Moscow last month, local… Continue Reading Mental health Read More
Kennewick General Hospital Credit: Washington State Department of Ecology, Flickr Creative Commons Listen (Runtime 1:08) Read Benton County is closer to opening a Behavioral Health Recovery Center after purchasing the… Continue Reading Benton County Read More
Courtesy SAMHSA Listen (Runtime 1:59) Read Since July of this year, people experiencing a mental health crisis have been urged to call 988. When they reach it, an automated message… Continue Reading Providers explain what to expect when calling Read More
Photo courtesy CHAS Health Read LEWISTON — Residents of the Lewis-Clark Valley could have access to more behavioral health care services by this spring. CHAS Health will open the first… Continue Reading CHAS Health to open behavioral Read More
Janet Schroeder puts on protective gear for COVID precaution before heading into a patients room at the Pullman Regional Hospital Emergency Room on Saturday, Sept. 24. Photo courtesy August Frank/the… Continue Reading Pullman Regional ER staff say Read More
Sarah Zabel is focused during the interview with Sueann Ramella. This interview of Traverse Talks was recorded on March 15, 2022 at the Spokane Public Radio station. Sarah Zabel is… Continue Reading Is Your Brain Like A Computer? ‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 34 – Read More
Sarah Zabel is a retired U.S. Air Force major general and former vice director of the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency. After witnessing one of her best friends experience a… Continue Reading Is Your Brain Like A Computer? Read More
Franklin County Commission Meeting July 5th, 2022 Listen (Runtime 2:25) Read There was contentious dialogue at the Franklin County Commissioner’s regular business meeting in the Tri Cities this week as… Read More
Benton County Image Listen (Runtime 1:44) Read Benton County Commissioners purchased the old Kennewick General Hospital, l K–G–H building. The Three Rivers Behavioral Health Recovery Center is to become the… Continue Read More
A new report by the pharmaceutical provider NiceRx ranked Washington and Idaho sixth and seventh respectively for states with the highest prevalence of mental health problems. It ranked each state… Continue Reading Analysis Ranks Read More
Randy Brooks, a University of Idaho professor and extension forestry specialist, poses for a portrait in the College of Natural Resources building. Zach Wilkinson/The Lewiston Tribune Listen Randy Brooks, a… Continue Read More
Cornelia Kirchhoff is the assistant director at the Washington State University Psychology Clinic. She’s noticed a significant increase in the number of people seeking ADHD testing in the past year. Continue Reading Long Wait Times, Provider Shortages Read More
Matthew, a 14-year-old who is autistic and nonverbal, watches YouTube and holds a fidget device. After being removed from his group home last September, Matthew was stuck in a hospital… Continue Read More
Social support for middle-aged Native Americans goes a long way in mitigating the physical effects of mental health problems. Continue Reading Social Support Associated With Native American Health OutcomesRead More
Franklin County Commissioners voted to raise taxes a tenth of a percent to fund mental health and drug treatment. Continue Reading Franklin County Votes To Raise Taxes For Mental Health and Drug Treatment ProgramRead More
Benton County Commissioners approved to move forward with a new sales and use tax. Continue Reading Benton County Approves Tax For Mental Health ServicesRead More
Since 2000, more than 200 people have died by suicide in Washington and Oregon jails putting the Northwest states above the national average for jail suicides, according to a new report by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. Read More
Starting in mid-2022, people in Washington will be able to dial 988 instead of 911 to access different types of services in a mental health crisis. Continue Reading Washington’s New Suicide Prevention Program Read More
The pandemic has taken a massive toll on people's mental health. But a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms what many of us are seeing and feeling in our own lives: The impact has been particularly devastating for parents and unpaid caregivers of adults. Read More
While Washington’s system has been strained for years, state officials and disability rights advocates say it effectively ground to a halt during the pandemic. Continue Reading Stuck In Jail, Waiting For Psych Bed: How Read More
Under Washington's new Mental Health Sentencing Alternative, judges will have the option to sentence a person to community supervision and treatment in lieu of prison. Continue Reading Alternative To Prison Will Be Read More
The 500-student Lapwai School District takes an all-bases-covered approach to student well-being, including leveraging partnerships with the Nez Perce tribe and local community to address youth mental health. The small North Idaho district is among only nine rural districts in the state to provide four key behavioral health supports for all of its students, according to an Read More
In recent months, many suicidal children have been showing up in hospital emergency departments, and more kids are needing in-patient care after serious suicide attempts. "Across the country, we're hearing that there are increased numbers of serious suicidal attempts and suicidal deaths," says Dr. Susan Duffy, a professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Brown Read More
As 2020 came to a close, we asked artists and authors about the songs that helped them survive a strange and devastating year. We also posed that question to you, and compiled a playlist of 101 songs that you played over and over again this year. Some songs offered an escape. Some infused joy and despair. Read More
As we find ourselves in the coldest, darkest days of the year during the worst-case surge yet, it can feel like a herculean task just to take a daily walk around the block. Some studies found that even little five-minute outdoor excursions can benefit our health — but 20 to 60 minutes is even better. Read More
It stands to reason that all the stress, anxiety and isolation of the pandemic could lead more people to take their own lives. But newly obtained data for Washington and Oregon show this is one bad thing that 2020 has not delivered. Public health agencies and suicide prevention groups have been keeping an eye out since spring for a possible rise in suicides. Read More
A rule going into effect in the new year will allow only trained and certified dogs to accompany people with disabilities on commercial airline flights. Continue Reading No More Emotional Support Peacocks As Feds Crack Down On Read More
Catherine Perusse is a counselor in Sandpoint, Idaho, who knows first-hand about the devastation of suicide: Two of her sons died of self-inflected death six years apart. In this episode of StoryCorps Northwest, Catherine and her daughter, Ali Bretthauer of Moscow, Idaho, share how the deaths changed their lives. Read More
The British author writes beautifully of her own recent bout with a personal winter, a period when she felt low and overwhelmed — and aims to help others to embrace their winters. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: ‘Wintering,’ Read More
Tens of thousands of Americans die every year from gun suicide, and some of hardest-hit areas spend the least on prevention. In the Idaho Panhandle, some small-town residents are stepping in where the government has failed. Read More
Skagit County Sheriff's Office Detective Anne Weed broached the idea for a partnership months before the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police ignited the national debate about reform. Weed said two existing mental health clinicians from Compass Health are now being "embedded" with regular patrol deputies. They get assigned the 911 calls involving people acting out Read More
The disruption in the illegal opioid trade had varying impacts around the country. As stay-at-home orders lift, that creates different risks of overdose that public health is trying to manage. Continue Reading Changes In Opioid Supply Read More
Nearly a year-and-a-half after a series of vicious patient-on-staff attacks, including one that cost a nurse part of her ear, Western State Hospital is poised to open a new unit to treat its 10 most violence-prone patients. Read More
Depression symptoms dropped significantly in a group of young adults who ate a Mediterranean-style diet for three weeks. It's the latest study to show that food can influence mental health. Continue Reading Study: Changing Diet Can Help Boost Read More
The Trump administration is trying to legalize indefinite detention of migrant families. But detention can be emotionally crushing for kids, leading to long-term mental health problems like PTSD. Continue Reading Lengthy Read More
The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) announced the contract terminations Tuesday, the same day the state placed Aacres Washington LLC (Spokane) and Aacres Washington LLC (Spokane County #2) on provisional certification status “based on serious non-compliance with the law and regulations.” Read More
Strong majorities of Americans from across the political spectrum support laws that allow family members or law enforcement to petition a judge to temporarily remove guns from a person who is seen to be a risk to themselves or others, according to a new APM Research Lab/Guns & America/Call To Mind survey. Read More
There's a rise in cyberbullying nationwide, with three times as many girls reporting being harassed online or by text message than boys, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Continue Reading Girls Are Bearing The Brunt Of A Rise Read More
No figures on wildland firefighter suicides are available because federal agencies often track only fatalities that occur during work hours, and families don’t always release a cause of death. But lang management agencies are concerned about an increasing number of suicides, and seeking to address ways to help. Read More
Seattle is grappling with a crisis of what is sometimes called "visible homelessness" — people who live in the street and struggle with mental illness or drug addiction. It's a population that often commits small crimes, such as disorderly conduct or shoplifting to pay for drugs. And public frustration is growing. Read More
