OptumHealth, the for-profit company administering mental health care in Pierce County, today announced the names of three agencies that will replace Pierce County as providers of crisis triage and evaluation and treatment mental health services here. I don’t have time for a full article today, but here’s the press release:

N E W S R E L E A S E

OptumHealth Announces IMPROVEMENTS TO PIERCE COUNTY
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS RESPONSE system
System Will Enhance Services for Community Members in Crisis, Earn More Federal Funding
TACOMA, Wash., August 21, 2009 — OptumHealth Inc. today announced details of an enhanced mental health crisis system for Pierce County residents. Working with the State of Washington, OptumHealth has developed a system that will provide people in crisis with rapid response, 24-hour services and a complete range of inpatient and outpatient support services that create paths to recovery.

The new system allows the state to qualify for higher levels of federal mental health funding than it has achieved in the past, which is significant in the face of current state budget limitations.

“These changes will give people, regardless of the severity and complexity of their mental illness, services that can help lead to recovery and a meaningful life,” said Cheri Dolezal, executive director for OptumHealth Pierce County based in Tacoma. “The enhancements represent one piece of OptumHealth’s commitment to the State of Washington, and the citizens of Pierce County, to continue finding ways to transform mental health services, even during difficult financial periods.”

OptumHealth was retained in July 2009 by the State of Washington to improve and coordinate mental health services for Pierce County residents. With feedback from the community, OptumHealth developed a mental health crisis system that maintains and enhances existing essential services, while adding new, proven treatment options to support recovery. The effort identified and recruited providers with strong track records in community-based mental health crisis programs, and experience in operating facilities in ways that meet federal funding requirements.

Currently, three service providers are expected to participate:

• Recovery Innovations Inc., for a Crisis Triage Center using the “Living Room” model — a new system approach for Pierce County that combines traditional medical and psychiatric care with a home-like environment, and help from peer support specialists who have lived through similar experiences.

• MultiCare Good Samaritan Outreach Corporation and a coalition of local mental health agencies, for 24-hour mobile crisis outreach services, a planned 16-bed Evaluation and Treatment Center and community crisis respite beds. Pierce County residents will be able to call a single, centralized toll-free crisis line.

• Telecare Mental Health Services of Washington, for a 16-bed Evaluation and Treatment center. Telecare specializes in serving those with serious, complex mental illness, and provides a full spectrum of services, including inpatient care, crisis support, residential programs and outpatient services.

=> Read more!

A lawsuit filed this week seeks to force Pierce County to change the ballot language on three charter amendments voters will consider in November.

Sherry Bockwinkel, a term-limit supporter, and Kelly Haughton, a supporter of ranked choice voting, filed a lawsuit late Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks to prohibit the county auditor and prosecuting attorney from publishing ballots and the voters pamphlet with the current language.

Bockwinkel and Haughton say the ballot language for the amendments is inappropriate and that the county did not provide them adequate opportunity to challenge it. County official say the ballot language and the process used to develop it are proper.

Voters will consider three amendments to the county charter in November:

• Proposition 1 would move the election of the county executive and council to odd-numbered years by 2015 and increase term limits for those offices from two consecutive four-year terms to three consecutive four-year terms.

• Proposition 2 would move the election of auditor, assessor-treasurer and sheriff to odd-numbered years by 2015.

• Proposition 3 would eliminate ranked choice voting and restore the primary and general election system for all county elected offices.

Bockwinkel will help write the voters pamphlet statement against Proposition 1. Haughton will help write state statement against Proposition 3.

Both say the language used to describe the charter amendments on the ballot is inappropriate.

=> Read more!

The Sixth Avenue Business District is sponsoring a "meet the candidates" forum for contenders for Tacoma city office on Thursday (Aug. 27). Expected are mayoral candidates Jim Merritt and Marilyn Strickland, at-large council candidates Keven Rojecki and Victoria Woodards, along with Councilman Jake Fey, who's running unopposed.

The forum starts a 7:30 p.m., following a 30-minute social time. It will be at Epworth LeSourd United Methodist Church, 710 S. Anderson St.

A good laugh to start your weekend over at Feed Tacoma. R.R. Anderson pens a spot-on tribute to John Hathaway. We're big Tacomic fans here at Political Buzz. Mr. Anderson's satiric cartoons are sometimes over-the-top, but always well-drawn, opinionated and frequently funny. (Not that talking worms aren't funny.)

Here is the Associated Press story on the latest federal court ruling on the legal challenges to the Top-Two primary.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A federal judge in Seattle has refused to dismiss a legal challenge to Washington’s top-two primary system.

Secretary of State Sam Reed had asked the court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties.

Even though the state’s top-two primary was upheld last year by the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge John Coughenour ruled Thursday the parties can continue to challenge how the primary is conducted.

The secretary of state’s office says the ruling means a new round of litigation that could change how candidates are listed on the ballot or in the voters’ pamphlet.

State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz said the ruling means the state will have to amend the current law.