Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Behavioral Health Reach Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Spokane County ASO outlines REACH youth navigation, multisystem meetings and regional steering
Summary
Spokane County’s behavioral health administrative services office described REACH, a free regional resource-navigation program for children and adolescents, and detailed multisystem team meetings and quarterly steering committees used to coordinate care across six counties.
Jessica Thompson, integrated behavioral health care quality supervisor at the Spokane County Regional Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization, described the REACH program on Dec. 18, saying it provides resource navigation, multisystem team meetings and a regional steering committee to link youth and families to behavioral health supports.
Thompson said REACH’s mission is “to create a safe, welcoming, equitable, and valued resource for youth and families in need of support and connection to behavioral health resources.” The program serves youth of all ages but targets kindergarten through 12th grade and accepts referrals regardless of insurance; families do not receive bills for REACH services.
The program’s core work is resource navigation: a REACH team meets with referred youth and families, identifies needed services, provides education about available supports, makes warm handoffs to chosen providers and follows up to confirm connections were effective. Thompson described multisystem team (MST) meetings as weekly, virtual, 90‑minute gatherings held Thursdays at 11 a.m., in which case presenters (usually the family or referring clinician) give a brief history and multidisciplinary members make recommendations. She said the MST facilitator documents recommendations and follows up to assist families in connecting with the chosen services.
Thompson said REACH also convenes a regional steering committee quarterly to summarize trends and gaps seen across the six‑county Spokane Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization region (Spokane, Adams, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry and Lincoln counties) and to develop regional action items.
Referrals can be made via an online portal on the REACH website, by email to the REACH team, or by contacting Thompson directly. Thompson identified core REACH staff: Taryn Kovac, case manager, and Serena Lewis, peer support specialist and navigator.
The presentation closed with Thompson inviting questions and offering to provide slides and contact information to attendees.
