ELECTIONS 2024: Mental Health Awareness Month (DAVE PAUL)

State Representative Dave Paul (D-Oak Harbor) sent out the following email from his campaign account on Sun., May 26, 2024.

Dear Friends,

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s an opportunity for us to come together to prioritize mental wellness, reduce stigma, and foster support for one another.  

This is a deeply personal issue for myself and my family, as we’ve lost family members, friends, and colleagues to suicide. We’ve also seen the positive impact of mental health treatment—with family members, friends, and coworkers benefiting greatly from medical help. 

It’s also clear that this is an important community priority. In my conversations with you and neighbors, the need to prioritize mental health treatment is raised again and again.  

Over the last six years in Olympia, I’m proud of the work we’ve done to improve mental health outcomes in our community and other rural regions of our state.  

This includes the establishment of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to help connect those in crisis with trained mental health professionals. 

I worked with local officials, medical professionals, K12 educators, young people, and non-profit organizations to secure funding for the Social Outreach, Adventure, & Resilience (SOAR) Program. This innovative partnership focuses on youth mental health outcomes, and by all accounts is making a difference in our community. I’m committed to continuing its funding in the 2025 budget. 

Finally, I’ve championed the need to prioritize the building and staffing of behavioral health treatment facilities. I’m very pleased to report that the 2024 capital budget included three important local projects that help address behavioral health outcomes in Island County, Skagit County, and Snohomish County.  

Looking ahead, I’m committed to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and fostering a culture of openness and kindness—and I’ll spend this spring, summer, and fall working with community members and healthcare providers to develop priorities to improve local mental health outcomes for the 2025 legislative session. 

Sincerely, 

Dave 

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