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HomeMy WebLinkAbout080926 email - Public Comment for 8_10_26 BOCC meetingALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them. Commissioners, I am writing to urge you to reconsider the proposed 2027-2028 1/10th funding allocations, specifically the decision to eliminate funding for jail-based behavioral health assessments and case management. This decision comes at an especially concerning time for the Jefferson County Jail. On August 4, 2026, we were notified that Washington State's Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) funding has been reduced dramatically. The State received an award of approximately half of what it received in previous years. Because the available award is insufficient to maintain the three existing RSAT sites in Washington, we were advised that programs may experience significant reductions in funding, up to and including a complete pause in funding beginning October 1, 2026. We do not yet know what the final reduction will be. What we do know is that the funding currently supporting behavioral health services within the Jefferson County Jail is suddenly at significant risk. At the same time, the County's proposed 1/10th allocation eliminates funding for jail-based assessments and case management. Together, these circumstances create a very real possibility that the Jefferson County Jail population could lose access to these services entirely. Jail-based behavioral health services reach a population that is extraordinarily difficult to serve through traditional community-based systems. Assessments completed while an individual is incarcerated allow needs to be identified and services to be coordinated before release. Case management provides the bridge between incarceration and community treatment, helping individuals connect with behavioral health care, substance use treatment, housing, benefits, medications, and other resources upon release. Without that bridge, we risk releasing people back into the community with the same untreated needs that contributed to their involvement with the criminal justice system in the first place. I understand that the 1/10th committee was working with limited funding and was required to make difficult decisions among many worthwhile proposals. However, circumstances have materially changed since these applications were submitted. The potential loss of RSAT funding was not known when these funding requests were developed. I am asking the Commissioners to reconsider the proposed allocation in light of this new information. Before these awards are finalized, we need to ensure there is a plan to maintain behavioral health services for the jail population. If there is no other funding available to sustain these services, I urge the County to preserve 1/10th funding for them rather than risk leaving this population without services entirely. The consequences of eliminating these services will not remain inside the jail. Individuals will return to our community. Ensuring that they leave incarceration connected to treatment and support is an investment in behavioral health, recovery, public safety, and reduced future involvement with the criminal justice system. I respectfully ask the Commissioners to consider the potential loss of RSAT funding as a significant change in circumstances and reconsider the 2027-2028 allocation before the awards are finalized. Thank you for your consideration, Gabbie -- Gabbie Caudill SUDP, LMHC-A Substance Use Disorder Professional Licensed Mental Health Counselor-Associate Believe In Recovery 3051 West Sims Way Port Townsend, WA 98368 Office 360-385-1258 Fax 360-343-9093 CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.