Podcasts about washington association

Host Caitlin Malcuit and Daniel Ford discuss the recent layoffs at The Washington Post.  Suggested reading and resources: "You Can't Kill Swagger" by Sally Jenkins "He Was Laid Off at The Washington Post After Working There 60 Years" by Erik Wemple X thread from Barry Svrluga "The Washington Post Is No Longer Useful to Jeff Bezos" by Jason Koebler Job Sheet from Washington Association of Black Journalists Then literary agent and now author Alia Hanna Habib joins Daniel to chat about her book Take It from Me: An Agent's Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch. To learn more about Alia Hanna Habib, visit her website and subscribe to her substack Delivery & Acceptance. This episode is sponsored by Libro.fm and the Is It Streaming podcast, the newest addition to the Writer's Bone Podcast Network.

Across the country, law enforcement agencies are rethinking wellness as more than just good slogans or EAP brochures. Washington State is leading that shift. Through the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), agencies of every size joined an eight-week wellness challenge that treated health as a professional competency — something measurable, trainable, and shared across ranks. The program upleveled from “self-care” to total readiness: stronger bodies, sharper minds, and more resilience. By combining competition, clear metrics and statewide leadership, it created a blueprint other states could follow. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley talks with Lexipol's Mandy Nice, Camas Police Department Chief Tina Jones, and WASPC Program Manager Terrina Peterson about how WASPC's Wellness Challenge translated that vision into measurable success. The statewide initiative focused on five pillars — physical fitness, mental health, nutrition, peer support and family wellness. It paired clear goals with leadership support, coaching, professional wellness guidance housed in Lexipol's Cordico wellness app, and friendly competition that inspired lasting behavior change across Washington's first responder community. About our sponsor This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by OfficerStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting OfficerStore.com.

In this episode of Highest Aspirations, we speak with Dr. Margo Gottlieb and Dr. Gisela Ernst-Slavit about the powerful concept at the heart of their new book, Academic Languaging. They challenge the traditional view of academic language as a fixed code to be mastered, redefining it as an active, student-driven process that empowers multilingual learners. The conversation dives deep into the crucial role of student agency, exploring how authentic voice and choice can transform the classroom. Key questions we address:What is "academic languaging," and how does it fundamentally shift the traditional view of academic language?Why is student agency essential for developing academic languaging?What are practical classroom strategies teachers can use to foster student agency?For additional episode and community resources:Download the transcript here.Order Dr. Gottleib and Dr.Ernst-Slavit book Academic LanguagingSubscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Community BriefFor additional free resources geared toward supporting English learners, ⁠visit our blog.Margo Gottlieb, Ph.D., has been a bilingual teacher, coordinator, facilitator, consultant, and mentor across K-20 settings. Having worked with universities, organizations, governments, states, school districts, networks, and schools, Margo has co-constructed linguistic and culturally sustainable curriculum and reconceptualized classroom assessment, policy, and practice. As co-founder and lead developer of WIDA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2003, Margo has helped design and contributed to all the editions of WIDA's English and Spanish language development standards frameworks and their derivative products. She has been appointed to national and state advisory boards, served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar, and was honored by the TESOL International Association in 2016 for her significant contribution to the field. In 2025, Margo was inducted into the Multilingual Education Hall of Fame. Gisela Ernst-Slavit (PhD, University of Florida) is a Professor Emerita at Washington State University, where she maintains an active research program focused on academic languaging and the education of multilingual students.A native of Peru, Gisela grew up speaking Spanish, German, and English. She is the author, co-author, or co-editor of 13 books and over 100 articles and chapters. She has been a visiting professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and has also served as President of the Washington Association for English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL affiliate) and held leadership roles in several professional organizations, including the American Educational Research Association, the Council on Anthropology and Education, and TESOL International Association.

Twenty years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina—still the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history—made landfall in New Orleans. Many mark the storm as the transition point to a new age of extreme weather impacts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency more than tripled the size of its Disaster Relief Fund going forward as a result of Katrina and two other major hurricanes in 2005.  Yet two decades later, disasters of this scale have become so common that FEMA has been on track to run out of its Disaster Relief Fund for the second year in a row, unless Congress issues an emergency aid package.  And in this anniversary week, more than 180 FEMA employees have endorsed a letter submitted to members of Congress, urging their defense of the agency's continued operations in spite of the President's stated intent to eliminate or severely curtail its funding. The 36 co-signers that opted to use their names have been placed on administrative leave until further notice, The New York Times reports.  This is the context for today's conversation with the host and co-creator of the Peabody Award-winning podcast miniseries “Floodlines”, Vann R. Newkirk II.  Vann traces the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina as a demonstration of the ways a community's risk exposure and recovery assistance are often determined by race and class.  These disparities became nationally visible both in the immediacy of the disaster and long after, as some New Orleanians were able to return and recover their homes and livelihoods, while for many others such recovery still remains out of reach.    Duke and Vann also look at Hurricane Katrina's invigoration of a national and federal movement for environmental justice. Now that this work is being targeted and dismantled, they discuss how to maintain focus in the face of such dramatic reversals and the implications for the next major storm.   Be sure to tune in again next week when we look further into the post-Katrina recovery period with one of its primary leaders, HR&A President and CEO Jeff Hébert, who formerly served as first deputy mayor for the City of New Orleans, executive director of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, and as one of the first chief resilience officers appointed under Rockefeller's 100 Resilient Cities initiative.  Relevant content from Vann R. Newkirk II Listen to the “Floodlines” podcast series, including “Part 9: Rebirth”, released five years later  “Why the EPA Backed Down” (The Atlantic, September 2024)  “What America Owes the Planet” (The Atlantic, June 2024)  “The Coronavirus's Unique Threat to the South” (The Atlantic, April 2020)  “Climate Change is Already Damaging American Democracy” (The Atlantic, October, 2018)   Relevant articles and resources  “Banks accounts for $20B climate program frozen amid Trump administration scrutiny” (The HillI, February 2025)  “The Color of Coronavirus: COVID-19 Deaths By Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.” (APM Research Lab, October 2023)  “An Exodus Unlike Any Other: Why Half the People in This Community Moved Away After Hurricane Katrina” (ProPublica, December 2022)  “Flooding Disproportionately Harms Black Neighborhoods” (Scientific American, June 2020)  “Hurricane Flooding and Environmental Inequality: Do Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Have Lower Elevations?” (Socius, 2017)  “Remembering Katrina: Wide racial divide over government's response” (Pew Research Center,  August 2015)  Related Ten Across Conversations podcasts  Catherine Coleman Flowers: A National Voice for Rural and Unincorporated America  Financing Our Future: Justice40's Legacy Beyond November  Envisioning a Just Future for All with Dr. Robert Bullard  Credits:Host: Duke ReiterProducer and editor: Taylor GriffithMusic by: Hanna Lindgren, Lupus Nocte, HushedResearch and support provided by: Kate Carefoot, Maya Chari, Rae Ulrich, and Sabine Butler  About our guest:Vann R. Newkirk II is a senior editor at The Atlantic and is host and co-creator of the 2021 Peabody Award-winning podcast miniseries “Floodlines,” which documented Hurricane Katrina, and of the 2023 podcast miniseries “Holy Week”. He is an ASU Future Security Senior Fellow, Fellow of the New America Political Reform Program, and 2022 Andrew Carnegie Fellow. In 2024, Vann was named Journalist of the Year by the Washington Association of Black Journalists.

Washington State ranks last in the nation for police staffing, according to new FBI data and the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs (WASPC). With just 1.36 officers per 1,000 residents—far below the national average of 2.31—the state has held the bottom spot for 15 consecutive years.

 Last week, stakeholders from the Upper Mississippi River toured the Columbia and Snake River to see what is similar and different from the two water systems. Last year, stakeholders from the Pacific Northwest visited the Mississippi in this continued collaboration between the two rivers. Michelle Hennings is the executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. Gary Williams is the executive director of the Upper Mississippi Waterway Association. They both join us to share what the Columbia and Mississippi River can learn from each other. 

Seattle city leaders were met with some less than ideal news this month: the city is facing a $241 million dollar budget shortfall over the next two years. And maybe you’re thinking, hey didn’t city council use the Jump Start tax to fill the $250 million budget gap this year? Surprise: that was a whole other budget deficit. But Seattle is far from the only municipality facing a shortfall. King County is facing a $150 million gap. Tacoma? It had to fill a $24 million hole late last year. Spokane County? $20 million short. Yakima? $9 million. Cle Elum is filing for bankruptcy (a very rare move that has only happened once in the history of the state). So what is going on with local governments across the state? Guests: Candice Bock, director of government relations at the Washington Association of Cities John Rennie Short, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Related stories: A fiscal crisis is looming for many US cities - The Conversation Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Erica Loewe was Recognized as one of The Root 100's Most Influential Black Americans, Essence Magazine's Power 40, ColorComm's 28 Black Women in Communications Making History Now, the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.'s 50 Under 40 and the Washington Association of Black Journalists Excellence in Communications recipients, Erica Loewe has over a decade of experience at the intersection of media, politics and entertainment. Erica recently served as Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff in the White House Office of Public Engagement, where she was responsible for making the White House accessible to as many Americans as possible. She was previously President Biden's Director of African American Media. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, she was Deputy Communications Director to House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and a key advisor to Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), serving as Press Secretary on the House Financial Services Committee. Before working in Congress, Erica served as Director at one of Washington's top government and public relations firms where she worked closely with clients to develop and execute strategic messaging that advanced their priorities. In 2024, she was featured in “The Sixth”, a documentary produced by A24 and Change Content that chronicled her experience in the United States Capitol during the January 6th attack. Erica joins us on The Vault to discuss how to cope with stressful times in a world where things feel out of control. We talk about how to reclaim joy through advocacy. What is advocacy? How can you reclaim joy through advocacy and action? What are ways to stay connected through advocacy work? What are the tools to cope with stressful situations? What are the signs of High Functioning Depression? How to Cope with High Functioning Depression.Follow Erica Loewe: Erica Loewe Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ericaploewe/ Erica Loewe LinkedIN  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericaloewe/ Erica Loewe Website https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/ope/meet-the-team/erica-loewe/Follow Dr. Judith:Instagram: https://instagram.com/drjudithjoseph TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drjudithjoseph Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjudithjoseph Website: https://www.drjudithjoseph.com/Sign up for my newsletter here: https://www.drjudithjoseph.com/newsletter-sign-upDisclaimer: You may want to consider your individual mental health needs with a licensed medical professional. This page is not medical advice.

What does it truly mean to lead with intention in today's fast-paced educational landscape? In this powerful episode of Aspire to Lead, I'm joined by Michael D. Nelson and Peter DeWitt, authors of Leading With Intention: How School Leaders Can Unlock Deeper Collaboration and Drive Results. Together, we explore how school leaders can move beyond just checking off tasks to reconnecting with their core purpose and fostering meaningful engagement in their work. We dive into practical strategies for setting personal and professional goals using success criteria, building deeper academic and social-emotional connections within school communities, and overcoming common barriers that hinder intentional leadership. This conversation is packed with insights to help you reignite your passion, strengthen collaboration, and drive impactful change in your school community. About Michael D. Nelson: Michael Nelson co-facilitates coaching, keynotes, and workshops with Peter DeWitt. He is co-author of the best-selling book, Leading With Intention: How School Leaders Can Unlock Deeper Collaboration and Drive Results (Corwin. 2024) that he wrote with Peter DeWitt. Michael is the co-host of Corwin's Leaders Coaching Leaders podcast, and the co-author of the Finding Common Ground blog for Education Week. He created the Instructional Leadership Network for the Washington Association of School Administrators. Read more about him here.  There is no more noble profession than that of an educator was what Michael Nelson's mom said almost every day while he was growing up. For almost 40 years,  Michael has been an educator. His mom would be pleased.   Even though Michael still considers “teacher” as his primary title, he has served in roles of principal, district instructional leader, superintendent, and currently as assistant executive director developing programs and initiatives for superintendents and district leaders in the state of Washington.   One foundational leadership value in which Michael leads is the development of a kind, compassionate, and empathetic culture rooted in belonging and equity. He describes his leadership work as building human connectedness, recognizing you must always model what you lead as you build teams of individuals supporting students in their learning. The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe awarded him with their official blanket for building a collaborative partnership between the Tribe and school district, the highest honor of the Tribe and the first non-Tribal member to receive this blanket. Michael has received many state and national awards during his time as a principal and superintendent. As a principal, he was acknowledged by Pacific Lutheran University as its Outstanding Recent Alumni in 1997. At the same time, the school he was leading as principal received the National Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education.    As a superintendent, he was named Washington state's 2019 Superintendent of the Year. During his tenure as superintendent, Michael was elected President of the...

President Elect Donald Trump has promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants on day one of his administration. Removing the approximately 11.7 million people living in the United States without authorization would take a massive operational effort -- and likely require cooperation from both state and local governments. Right now, most Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in the U.S. happen because of a hand off from local law enforcement. But that kind of cooperation is restricted in Washington state. 2019’s Keep Washington Working Act broadly limits state and local law enforcement from assisting with federal immigration proceedings. But Trump allies are already ramping up the pressure on local leaders in places like California and D.C. with similar sanctuary laws in place: Stephen Miller’s America First Legal Foundation announced last month that it had identified hundreds of elected officials in sanctuary jurisdictions who it claimed could be held civilly liable for obstructing federal immigration enforcement. As the new Trump Administration takes office, Washington state’s elected sheriffs will be among those officials feeling the squeeze between federal agencies, and state law. Guest: Steven Strachan, Executive Director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Relevant Links: WASPC Statement on local law enforcement involvement in immigration issues Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the debate continues over whether to remove dams on the Lower Snake River, the stakes are high for the future of farming in Washington state. Michelle Hennings, a WA wheat farmer and the Executive Director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, joins Dillon with more detail on the devastation that breaching the dams would cause, and why it's so important for farmers to speak out against their removal.

What’s Trending: Kamala Harris participated in a CNN town hall last night and it didn’t go well. Republicans are doing surprisingly well in early voting. // Guest: Executive Director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Steve Strachan gives his reaction to his recent interview with Bob Ferguson. // Kamala Harris is traveling to Houston tomorrow with Beyonce to campaign. Meanwhile, Trump will be on Joe Rogan’s podcast before heading to a rally in New York.

Since the 1963 Gideon decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, the right to a lawyer has been guaranteed to defendants facing criminal charges – even if they can't afford to pay.  Advocates say that guarantee is in  jeopardy in our state because of a lack of personnel. Washington State public defenders are in short supply and that's having cascading effects on the criminal legal system.  The Washington State Bar Association is recommending a counterintuitive solution to the shortage: they want to cap the number of cases that public defenders can take on in a year, but the plan has its detractors.  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.  Guests: Jason Schwarz, Director of Snohomish County Office of Public Defense and Chair of the Washington State Bar Association, Council on Public Defense Russell Brown, executive director of the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys Relevant Links: Washington State Standard: Can smaller caseloads help Washington fill its public defender ranks? Seattle Times: WA's public defender system is breaking down, communities reeling See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Violent crime is down across the nation. It's a rare bit of good news these days. But here in Washington, it seems we're not getting the memo. Instead, we're charting our own course — and it's not a good one. According to FBI data analyzed by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), violent crime nationwide has decreased by 4.1% over the past five years. That's murders, rapes, robberies, assaults — the big ones. But in Washington, violent crime has surged nearly 20%. Murders alone have jumped by a staggering 80.8% from 2019 to 2023.

In this live episode, Nick Smoot interviews Harry Amend who is a highly respected figure in education with over 41 years of experience. Throughout his career, Harry has served as a teacher, coach, counselor, principal, and superintendent, primarily in the Spokane Valley, Washington area. He played a key role in Washington's education reform during his tenure as President of the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) in the late 1990s, collaborating with the state's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Teri Bergeson, and Governor Gary Locke. Beyond Washington, Harry's leadership extended to school districts in northwest Montana and North Idaho, where he championed school reform initiatives for a combined nine years. Known for his focus on at-risk and special needs students, Harry introduced innovative programs like the "School within a School" model and the Bridge Academy dropout retrieval high schools in both states. His commitment to education earned him recognition as a finalist for Superintendent of the Year in Washington (1998) and Idaho (2007). In addition to his educational career, Harry spent 20 years as a major league baseball scout for the Philadelphia Phillies, a role that reflects his love of sports and mentorship. Now residing in Twin Lakes Village, North Idaho, with his wife Sandy, Harry enjoys spending time with their children and grandchildren, all of whom live nearby in the Spokane area.

  Visit the Instructional Leadership Collective website www.instructionalleadershipcollective.com Follow Mike on X @SuitguyMike Follow Peter on X @PeterMDeWitt About The Authors Dr. Peter DeWitt is the founder and CEO of the Instructional Leadership Collective. He hosts the Education Week blog Finding Common Ground and is the author of 9 books.   Michael Nelson is a past president of the Washington Association of School Administrators, and an award-winning principal and superintendent. He currently serves as Thought Partner at the Instructional Leadership Collective.

Brett Davis from The Center Square Washington discusses the Washington Association of School Administrators' call for increased state spending on K-12 education, despite significant funding increases following the McCleary decision. Learn more about the financial challenges faced by school districts and the debate over adequate funding by visiting https://tinyurl.com/4dj3h2v7 on www.ClarkCountyToday.com. #Vancouver #SchoolFunding #McClearyDecision #StateSpending #K12Education #ClarkCounty #WashingtonState

Original Air Date: August 16, 2022 Join Lisa as she welcomes Cary Hamilton, an extraordinary expert in play therapy and neurodiversity, for an insightful conversation aimed at transforming how you support parents and caregivers of children with neurodiverse or sensory processing challenges. Cary Hamilton, the Director of Play Therapy at Antioch University in Seattle, owner of Olympia Therapy, and President of the Washington Association for Play Therapy, brings over a decade of experience as an author and international presenter on these topics. Additionally, Cary offers practical guidance through her educational platform, Playful Wisdom, designed to help parents rediscover the joy of parenting. In this episode, discover how to guide parents and caregivers from feelings of overwhelm and confusion to a state of curiosity and deep connection with their child. Cary and Lisa share their lived experiences while covering: Supporting parents/caregivers in trusting their intuition about their child's needs and empowering them in the healing process. Engaging parents/caregivers when they feel shut down, hopeless, or scared, including an amazing question from Cary that fosters complete support and acceptance. Addressing systemic family challenges such as differences in understanding between partners, sibling perceptions, and marital stress. Trusting the child's innate ability to regulate their own dysregulation. Gain a deeper understanding of neurodiversity and sensory processing challenges, and take away invaluable insights from this heartfelt and honest conversation. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey  Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

The annual Crime in Washington 2023 report found that overall violent crime went down, but hate crimes and vehicle thefts increased. The report, with data from 225 law enforcement agencies across the state, was presented Tuesday by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. The numbers of murders, other violent crimes and property crimes went down compared by 2022, but in many areas of the state, residents are still victimized at alarmingly high rates compared to other states.

People caring for loved ones often aren't aware of the help that's available from their local Area Agency on Aging. Cathy Knight is State Director at Washington Association of Area Agencies on Aging and in this video, she walks you though the services you can use, often for free, and how to find them. Help includes adult day services, caregiver support, case management, elder abuse prevention, health maintenance and promotion, information and assistance, legal support, nutrition, senior centers and transportation. When you don't know where to turn, your local Area Agency on Aging can make a difference with services you didn't know existed. Learn more about caregiving in Washington at https://aarp.org/caregiverswa

On this podcast episode, you will get a “state-of-the-union” of naturopathic medicine. Karolyn is joined by 3 naturopathic medicine experts: Natural Medicine Journal Editor-in-Chief, Tina Kaczor, ND, FABNO; Executive Director of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), Laura Farr; and the President and CEO of the Institute for Natural Medicine (INM), Michelle Simon, PhD, ND. All 3 experts provide different perspectives on naturopathic medicine, specifically regarding consumer education, research, legislation, and future goals. About the Experts Laura Culberson Farr has served as Executive Director of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians since 2017 and has worked with the naturopathic profession since 2005. A political organizer by training, her advocacy work as a grassroots organizer and consultant spans over 28 years. She has a deep knowledge of the complexities of healthcare reform, and has become an expert on how naturopathic doctors, conventional clinics and insurers can work together to improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs. She is married to a naturopathic physician and is passionately committed to integrating naturopathic medicine into primary care systems across the country. Michelle Simon, PhD, ND, is President and CEO of the Institute for Natural Medicine (INM), a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating consumers about natural medicine.  INM focuses on increasing awareness of natural medicine, demonstrating its efficacy in helping to transform healthcare systems, and connecting patients to naturopathic doctors. She earned her naturopathic doctorate from Bastyr University and her PhD in Biomedical Engineering is from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been awarded Physician of the Year by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and Champion of Naturopathic Medicine by the Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Tina Kaczor, ND, FABNO, is editor in-chief of Natural Medicine Journal and the creator of Round Table Cancer Care. Kaczor is a naturopathic physician board certified in naturopathic oncology. She received her naturopathic doctorate from the National University of Natural Medicine and completed her residency at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. She is also the editor of the Textbook of Naturopathic Oncology and cofounder of The Cancer Pod, a podcast for cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and everyone in between.

On the 172nd episode of The Chronicle News Dump, host Aaron VanTuyl welcomes on a slew of guests to discuss local news and events. Local comedy promoter Gabe Botten and Centralia city councilor Cameron McGee discuss the upcoming Adam Ray show to benefit the Washington Association of Culture and Art, Centralia's potential district change, and a new Chehalis city councilor. Then (at the 19:34 mark) sports editor Josh Kirshenbaum fulfills a yearlong dream to appear on the OTHER Chronicle podcast to cover the latest in the YMCA saga and run through this week's segments. Email us at chroniclenewsdump@gmail.com. Brought to you by SUMMIT FUNDING, CHEHALIS OUTFITTERS and THE ROOF DOCTOR! Listen to past episodes or subscribe here: https://apple.co/3sSbNC5.

The Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs is urging state lawmakers to consider bills in the upcoming legislative session that improve recruitment and retention, juvenile justice, and vehicle pursuits. http://tinyurl.com/yz8zkujd #TheCenterSquareWashington #WashingtonAssociationofSheriffsPoliceChiefs #stateLawmakers #WashingtonStateLegislature #2024LegislativeSession #recruitmentAndRetention #juvenileJustice #vehiclePursuits #lawEnforcement #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

    Michael (Mike) Nelson began his career as an elementary school teacher before becoming an elementary school principal. As a district leader, he led learning initiatives in two Washington state school districts. As the superintendent for Washington's (EEE)Enumclaw school district, he led several initiatives to improve cultural support and academic outcomes for Native students. In 2019, the Washington Association of School Administrators named him the Washington State Superintendent of the Year.   Peter DeWitt (Ed.D) is the founder and CEO of the Instructional Leadership Collective. He was a K-5 teacher for 11 years and a principal for 8 years. For the last 10 years, he has been facilitating professional learning nationally, and internationally, based on the content of many of his best-selling educational books.      Show Highlights   The importance of having an inner fire to do great things for others.  Strategies for lowering suspension rates and conducting classroom walkthroughs. The 6 parts of the Instructional Leadership Reflective document. free reflection document during the show The value of listening and understanding from the student perspective Examples of Success Criteria, implementation and reflecting on student engagement. How to get school boards to engage in the conversation about the need for coaching at all levels of leadership.  Redefining collaborative communities and collective.  “One of the things that I have learned is you always care about the people in the room, whether you're a teacher or a principal or you're facilitating workshops. One of the things that I've learned over the past three years of working with Mike is I'm much more intentional in what I do with that carrying.” -Peter DeWitt  “Instructional Leadership Academy, where people are coming together to talk collectively, the word collective means something different to us. Danny and I think that's the key is it's this integrated approach. And if I could describe it, not only are we talking about work, but I'm making you better, and you're making me better with each and every conversation that we have together. And we're building this network with each other and support.” -Mike Nelson Mike and Peter's Resources & Contact Info: Instructional Leadership Collective Linkedin-Peter-DeWitt Linkedin-Michael-Nelson Twitter-Michael Nelson Instagram Read my latest book! Learn why the ABCs of powerful professional development™ work – Grow your skills by integrating more Authenticity, Belonging, and Challenge into your life and leadership.   Read Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader today! Apply to the Mastermind The mastermind is changing the landscape of professional development for school leaders.    100% of our members agree that the mastermind is the #1 way they grow their leadership skills.   Apply to the mastermind today!   How We Serve Leaders   The School Leadership Scorecard™ Identify your highest leverage areas for growth this year in 10 -minutes or less.    https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/scorecard   Month-to-Month Principal Checklist As a principal with so much to do, you might be thinking, where do I even start?   When you download The Principal Checklist you'll get 12-months of general tasks that every campus need to do Space to write your campus specific items. Space to reflect and not what worked as well as a space of what didn't work Go to https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/principal-checklist to download now.   Ruckus Maker Mindset Tool™ The “secret” to peak performance is ot complicated.  It's a plan on how to optimize the five fundamentals found in The Ruckus Maker Mindset Tool™. https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mindset   The Positive Spotlight Tool™ Energy flows to where attention goes! If you want to get more of what you want, when you want it as a school leader I have a tool for you…   Download The Positive Spotlight Tool™ for free here: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/positive   The Ruckus Maker 8-Step Goal Setting Tool™ Are you ready to accomplish more? With less effort and in less time? When you download The Ruckus Maker 8-Step Goal Setting Tool™  I'll send you the tool and a short 8-minute coaching video that shows you how to work smarter, not harder…and create more value for your school campus.   Download The Ruckus Maker 8-Step Goal Setting Tool™  for free at https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/goals   SHOW SPONSORS:   TEACHFX How much student talk happened today? When classrooms come alive with conversation, learning improves, students feel a sense of belonging, and teachers feel inspired.    The TeachFX instructional coaching app gives teachers powerful insights into their student talk, student engagement, and classroom conversation.    With TeachFX, teachers see how much student talk happened, the moments of students sharing their brilliance, and the questions that got students talking.Learn how to pilot TeachFX with your teachers. Visit: teachfx.com/betterleaders     ORGANIZED BINDER Why do students struggle? I'd argue that they lack access to quality instruction, but think about it. That's totally out of their control. What if there was something we could teach kids there was something within their control that would help them be successful in every class? It's not a magic pill or a figment of your imagination.    When students internalize Executive Functioning Skills they succeed.  Check out the new self-paced online course brought to you by OB that shows teachers how to equip their students with executive functioning skills.    Learn more at organizedbinder.com/go   Copyright © 2023 Twelve Practices LLC      

On this topical show re-air, Crystal learns about north King County's innovative new Regional Crisis Response (RCR) Agency with its inaugural Executive Director Brook Buettner and Kenmore Mayor Nigel Herbig. Following national guidelines and best practices for behavioral health crisis care, a five-city consortium established RCR in 2023 as part of a vision to provide their region with the recommended continuum of behavioral health care - which includes someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go. Executive Director Buettner and Mayor Herbig share how the program grew out of a need for a person-centered mobile crisis response, rather than the traditional law enforcement response which is often without the right tools or expertise for the job. They describe the collaborative process of getting buy-in from police agencies, electeds, and city staff to design a service that has evolved from the RADAR co-response program to approaching a 24/7 behavioral health first response. Finally, they cover impressive early results in cost-savings & outcomes and offer advice to other cities looking to bring similar solutions to their own communities. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Mayor Nigel Herbig at @nigelherbig.   Brook Buettner Brook Buettner is inaugural Executive Director of the groundbreaking Regional Crisis Response Agency, which deploys services to people experiencing behavioral health crisis in the North King County community. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an experienced human services professional with a focus on policy advocacy and program implementation for high-needs populations. During her two decade-long career, she has been focused on transforming systems to meet the needs of individuals who are high utilizers of both criminal legal and health and human services systems. Ms. Buettner holds Masters in Public Administration and Social Work from the University of Washington. Mayor Nigel Herbig Nigel grew up in the Seattle neighborhood of Wallingford, attended Seattle Public Schools, and graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Political Science and Comparative Religion. Nigel and his wife, Tiffany, decided to move to Kenmore when their daughter was a baby as they were looking for a great place to raise their daughter where they could purchase their first home. They have never regretted that decision. Nigel has worked in broadcasting, fundraising, and politics. He currently works at the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. Mayor Herbig represents the Council on the Eastside Transportation Partnership (Vice Chair), and the Sound Transit SR 522 Bus Rapid Transit Elected Leaders Group. He also sits on the King County Affordable Housing Committee.   Resources The Regional Crisis Response Agency | City of Kirkland   “RCR Agency Welcomes Brook Buettner as Executive Director” from City of Kirkland   National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care - Best Practice Toolkit Executive Summary | SAMHSA   The North Sound RADAR Program | City of Shoreline   King County Outcome Data for North Sound RADAR Navigator Program   “RADAR: Response Awareness, De-Escalation, and Referral Final Evaluation Report” prepared by the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy Department of Criminology, Law & Society at George Mason University   “North King County cities will broaden mental-health response to 911 calls” by Amy Radil from KUOW   “New Crisis Response Center in Kirkland to Serve North King County” from City of Kirkland    “$500k grant from DOJ to help reduce use of police force in North King County” by Hannah Saunders from Bothell-Kenmore Reporter   Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review show and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, I am very excited to be welcoming Mayor Nigel Herbig - he is the mayor of Kenmore. And Brook Buettner, who's the Executive Director of Regional Crisis Response - a collaboration for a mental health alternative response between the cities of Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, and Bothell that's really innovative and I think a number of cities are looking at this in the region - want to just explore what this is. So starting out with Brook, how did you get involved in this work and what interested you in this? [00:01:27] Brook Buettner: Thanks, Crystal - I'm so happy to be here with you. So my background is that I'm a licensed clinical social worker and I also have a background in public administration. And most of my social work career has been in service of folks that have chronic behavioral health conditions, are living homeless, and then have some overlap with the criminal legal system - either with the police, or with having multiple charges around poverty, or around homelessness. So this is a really exciting program for me to be able to be involved in. [00:01:54] Crystal Fincher: Excellent. And Nigel, as mayor of Kenmore, what got you involved in this particular program and work? [00:02:00] Mayor Nigel Herbig: First, I want to start off by saying that I'm a long-time listener, and I'm excited to be here, Crystal - so thank you for having me. Kenmore entered into this work back in - I want to say 2017 or 2018 - when we joined with other cities and King County MIDD funds and started the RADAR program, which was a co-response model across parts of North King County to give folks other ways to have service calls responded to - without the only response being a police response, because I think we all recognize that a solely police response is not always the right answer and is not always in the best interest of everybody involved. And we did that successfully for a few years. And then in 2021, we started larger conversations with the cities of Bothell, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, and then we reached out to Kirkland also, about expanding what we were doing with RADAR and making it into a larger regional model. And so our staff and our councils worked for about a year and a half trying to figure out how that would all work. And what we ended up doing was folding the North King County's RADAR Navigator program with Kirkland's Community Responder program to form a new entity that's regional in nature, is going to have a lot more resources, will be operating more hours during the day - I think we're aiming towards 24/7, I don't think we're quite there yet - and will really be a resource for folks who are experiencing, or decompressing in public, or having some sort of other issues so that they'll get a response that actually meets them where they're at. And gets them help immediately rather than the other alternatives, which are the ER or jail - both of which we know are not ideal for anybody who's experiencing either an issue with drug addiction or a mental health issue. So yeah, it's exciting to see multiple cities all coming together to recognize the issue and working together - 'cause as individual cities, there's no way that we could have done this - little Kenmore could've never done this on our own. But working with other cities, we're gonna be delivering something that I think will be meaningful to folks who are experiencing issues out in the field, and I think we'll be getting better outcomes for everybody. And I think that's something we're very excited about. [00:04:00] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. You talk about how challenging this is for individual cities to address and to deal with. I do think it's notable that there was an attempt, a recognition by Kenmore that this was something that needed to be tackled. There was the RADAR program, previously in place, that you just mentioned - this was built on top of and leveraged with the region. How did the discussions go with the region? How did you get buy-in for taking this collaborative approach? And how did you work through the design of the program? How did that work, Brook? [00:04:34] Brook Buettner: We're very lucky in North King County that there was already a great deal of support for alternatives to police response for people in crisis. As you mentioned, the commitment to the RADAR Navigator program that had been going on for about four years prior to this conversation and showing really successful outcomes for folks. And across our elected officials, our police leadership, and our community, there was a strong commitment to doing things in a new way for people in crisis. And so it was a matter of not having to bring people on board, but just discussing what's our shared vision - what do we want our community to look like and how are we gonna get there? And so it was a big lift for city staff to come up with the agreement, the interlocal agreement, that governs this entity - but it was done pretty quickly in my experience and very well to where we have a strong and robust infrastructure to start really offering these alternative services to folks in crisis. [00:05:29] Crystal Fincher: Nigel, what advice would you give to other cities working through this process right now in terms of figuring out the agreements that are going to govern these collaborative approaches, getting buy-in from various stakeholders? How did that work in your experience and what guidance would you give other folks working through this? [00:05:48] Mayor Nigel Herbig: I think part of what made things work, where we are in North King County, was the fact that we'd already been partnering with other cities with RADAR. But we also have other regional models that we're used to - we're used to doing regional collaboration around here. Kenmore is part of ARCH, which is a regional coalition for housing - which is a multi-jurisdictional affordable housing developer that covers kind of Kenmore and then down to the Eastside. And so we're very used to working in a collaborative manner with our neighbors to address issues that we really can't do, again, by ourselves - we can do affordable housing, but it's very hard for a smaller city, right? It's a lot easier if people are pooling things together. So we already had those models that we were familiar with, which I think really helped some of the conversations - 'cause Kirkland's also part of ARCH, I think Bothell is too. So we're starting from a place where we understand how these models work. I think having trust between the cities is important also. We have good relationships with - I have good relationships with my colleagues in Kirkland and in Bothell and Lake Forest Park and Shoreline - I think that's helpful. And then also having staff that's willing to really dig into the details and work collaboratively with their colleagues is important. A lot of this came out of the fact that - and I think we all recognize this - the state and the county have largely been underfunding our mental health response for a long time. And even on our council, there was some pushback to - this should be a county response, this should be the county's responsibility. And I don't completely disagree with that assessment either, but I think we all recognize that something had to be done. And at the end of the day, sometimes cities just have to step up and figure out a way forward. And it's nice to see five cities coming together to work together towards a solution, while we try to figure out the larger long-term solutions that are truly regional and even statewide, frankly. [00:07:25] Crystal Fincher: So can you walk me through what your most frequent calls look like, feel like, what that process is? I think for a lot of people - they're familiar with the concept of alternative response, they're familiar with how important it is, and understanding that police can't do everything and they are not the most effective response for every kind of crisis - so having a tailored response that is most appropriate and most effective is really helpful. How, as you work through this, what does a typical call look like? What does a typical day look like? [00:07:58] Brook Buettner: In crisis, of course, there's no typical call or no typical day. But we are looking to deploy social workers or mental health professionals on any 911 call that comes in that has some identified component of behavioral health. So that's mental health, or substance use, or some social service need like a homelessness component, a family dynamic issue where it could be helpful to have a social worker there. And then the social workers - we call them crisis responders - the crisis responders are going either in the car with the police officer, or when possible in an independent vehicle and meeting the police officer on the scene. And we are stepping more and more in our community into the space of two crisis responders going to - responding to the scene - without a first responder. And that is really what we call the alternative response model. And it can be anything from somebody that has called 911 because they themselves, or somebody that they care about, is suicidal - has made suicidal statements or gestures. Or someone that is in a community space and is having mental health symptoms or substance use-driven symptoms that are causing them to be troubling to the other folks in that environment. To, like I said, family dynamics where someone calls 911, for example, because their teenager is so agitated and escalated that they become violent. And our crisis responders are very, very good at identifying what's going on, deescalating folks, bringing them down to a level of calm where they can talk through what's underlying the crisis. And then the crisis responder's job is to figure out what to bring to bear on the situation to alleviate the immediate crisis and then connect the person to the system of care so that they don't fall into crisis again. [00:09:33] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And it looks like you've structured the program on best practices for the continuum of behavioral health care starting with having someone to call - we have our 988 line, someone to respond - these crisis responders, and then having somewhere to go once it's determined where the appropriate place is for them to receive the help that they need. Especially when it comes to that somewhere to go, we just passed a county-wide behavioral health center levy that will fund a number of those services and staff. But that's been a big challenge in our region. How have you navigated through this in the program, Nigel, and how's it working? [00:10:14] Mayor Nigel Herbig: Well, I'm really excited. I mean, Kenmore and our partner cities - we're actually out ahead of King County a little bit and had been working in partnership for - I don't know, a little while now, I think going back to 2021 - really reflecting on the lack of a door for people to go to, a place for people to go to when they're in crisis. And working together, we identified funds and we identified a location, we identified our provider, and we will be opening up the first crisis response center for North King County. And again, it's the same cities - it's Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, Bothell, and Kirkland - and we're excited to have this model here. They selected Connections Health Solutions, which is a national innovator in the space. They've done a lot of great work in Arizona, and that model is also what I believe the executive based his models off of. And they should be opening up next year, and it's gonna offer a place for people who are facing any sort of mental health issue or behavioral health issue - a place where they can go and actually talk with somebody, regardless of insurance, regardless of where they live, or any of that. It'll give people a place to go, which right now is severely lacking throughout the county. [00:11:23] Crystal Fincher: What happens when there is no place to go? [00:11:26] Brook Buettner: I can kind of speak to that. So in the past, when we encountered someone in the field in crisis, the options were either that they stay where they are, that they go to the emergency department, or an arrest and jail - if it's not safe for them to stay in the community setting or in the home where they are at - safe for themselves or safe for the people around them. And this allows us an alternative to say - Maybe the emergency department is not the right place, and certainly jail is not the right place for somebody in deep behavioral health crisis. We're gonna take them somewhere that we know will accept them, we know will allow them to stay, will provide robust psychiatric and behavioral healthcare, and do discharge planning so that they're walking out with a plan and a connection to ongoing care. Connections, in particular, has a model that has multiple levels of acuity and step-down so that if somebody comes in at the highest acuity, they're in one setting. And as they deescalate, as they get different treatment on board or medications on board, they can step down to a lower acuity setting and even to an outpatient model while they wait to get hooked up with the local behavioral health system of care. And Crystal, you mentioned the behavioral health continuum of care, and I love that you brought that up because this is - North King County is about to have, kind of the first in our state, fully-executed crisis continuum of care when this facility opens up and it's super exciting. [00:12:44] Crystal Fincher: It's very exciting and so necessary. And I appreciate you all doing the work to get this implemented to be a model for the region. Other areas are looking at this - some areas are eager to adopt this and have public safety agencies, police agencies that are willing partners. Others have some concerns and there's almost a concern of - Okay, is this competition for us? Are they looking to move us out? What feedback have you heard from law enforcement officials, and how have they said it's impacted their job and the work that they have to do? [00:13:19] Mayor Nigel Herbig: To be honest, I haven't heard anything negative from our police partners - Kenmore, like Shoreline, contracts with the King County Sheriff's Office - they've been great partners in this. I think our chief is always looking for better ways to interact with folks who are in crisis and this gives him another tool. This gives him more resources to address the problem at hand, rather than only having law enforcement resources to fall back on - and I think he views that as a positive. So I have not heard any pushback from our law enforcement community up in North King County around this, and I think they're looking forward to using this as a resource and being partners in this. [00:13:56] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. For years and years - going back a decade and more - have heard several officers, chiefs talk about how challenging it is to respond to calls where there's a behavioral health component, or there isn't any illegal activity per se but someone is clearly in crisis, or people are being impacted around them and an intervention needs to take place but a criminal or a legal intervention doesn't seem to be the most positive. Brook, what have you heard from officers who have co-responded on these, or who are looking forward to a complete alternative response? How are they saying it's impacting their work and their ability to do their job? [00:14:37] Brook Buettner: We have been extraordinarily lucky in North King County that we've had support from law enforcement leadership since the get-go. Law enforcement was who asked for this program initially five years ago, saying these are not the kind of calls that we're supposed to be on - we need help, we need support. And so it has been a journey to get all of the responding officers - patrol officers and deputies - socialized to this idea. But once an officer or a deputy sees it in action, it's an easy sell. So what we find is that the more interaction we are having with law enforcement, the more referrals we're getting because they see - wow, that works - or we'll let them know that the follow-up that we did ended up keeping somebody from falling into deep crisis again. And it becomes a really good alternative for them and a good tool in their tool belt. I also am really attentive to making sure that we maintain good relationships on a one-on-one basis with all of our law enforcement partners, so that it's not a pain to have a social worker along but rather a pleasure - to say we're a great team, we work well together. Both sides recognize that each role has something to bring to a highly escalated crisis situation, and both sides recognize where their limits are. And so it's just been a constant growth of support and of buy-in. I've heard from several chiefs that they see shift in the culture - in the willingness to talk about behavioral health in a new way among the community and also within the department - that it opens up conversations that otherwise may not have happened. So it has really been a positive for our five police agencies. [00:16:05] Crystal Fincher: I think that is really an outstanding observation. And strikes me as important, especially as we hear from several police agencies across the state really that they're trying to recruit, they're short on officers, they're having a tougher time on that - and needing to triage their time and resources, and response times being impacted, other things that they're saying are being impacted. How can this help manage the workload for officers and across the public safety continuum? How has that been working? [00:16:34] Mayor Nigel Herbig: Speaking for Kenmore, our officers, right - until we had RADAR in place and until we had these partnerships - if somebody was out on the street decompensating, yelling, screaming, doing something like - like you said earlier, that's not illegal, but is disruptive to the community and the person is obviously in crisis - the only response we had was a police response. And I think even our officers recognize that there are better ways for them to be spending their time than dealing with somebody who's decompensating. It's not what they were hired for, it's not what their expertise is in. And this gives them a tool so that they can - working with the social workers - find what the right response is, hand off the person to the social worker, and then get back to catching speeders or investigating break-ins or whatever it is that they could be doing rather than dealing with the guy who is having a breakdown. So I view this as actually an expansion of our response, if you will - it gives us the ability to respond to more calls on both sides of things, both law enforcement and people experiencing a crisis. [00:17:38] Crystal Fincher: How have you seen that play out, Brook? [00:17:40] Brook Buettner: It is absolutely allowing officers to focus more on life safety and law - criminal law issues - by kind of carving off this segment of the work that comes into the 911 system and routing it to the appropriate resource, the right tool at the right time. I see what we're doing as a third kind of branch of the first response system. Going back again to the continuum of care, the level of care that someone gets should be based on the acuity of their need and of their crisis. And we have outpatient behavioral health for folks that have behavioral health challenges that are at a low acuity level. We have other systems in place that are secondary responses for people that are in crisis. And when people are in very high acuity crisis and 911 is needed, we now have this first response behavioral health tool in our toolbox - that crisis responders that are skilled and trained and experienced in meeting people that are in the highest acuity level of behavioral health crisis, but still not committing a crime. So it is a 911 call - it's not necessarily a law enforcement need, but there is a need for a very high level response - and we're now able to provide that. [00:18:47] Crystal Fincher: Did you have anything to add, Nigel? [00:18:49] Mayor Nigel Herbig: Well, I was gonna say - I think a lot of this came out of the recognition that we've seen over the last 150 years that when your only response is a police response, the outcomes are not ideal. We have seen too many folks who are dealing with a mental health issue - and that is a huge section of our population - it's not something we talk about, but a huge proportion of folks are dealing with some sort of mental health issue. And just because somebody is having a very hard day doesn't mean that they should end up in jail or be put at risk, frankly, of a police interaction. We know that sometimes those interactions can turn out tragically. And being thrown into jail or worse, because you're experiencing a mental health issue, can ruin somebody's life or - and frankly, can ruin not only their lives, but also their kids' lives. When we enter somebody into the criminal justice system, it has long-lasting effects on not just the person impacted, but also their family, their kids, their kids' kids - it can have multigenerational effects on people. And we've seen that play out over the last, well, 50, 100 years. This gives folks, this gives our police officers a different response. And I think it's - that's what I'm excited about - I'm excited that people who are experiencing mental health issues can actually get the treatment they need rather than a pure law enforcement response, because nobody deserves to go to jail because they're having a breakdown. [00:20:12] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And it's a shift in how we've been doing things. What are the results that you're seeing from this? Obviously, people are looking to justify these expenditures and implement these in their own areas. What results are you seeing when it comes to amount of calls, recidivism? I know in some other cities, they talk about how many calls come in about behavioral health issues that aren't someone breaking the law but that are someone in crisis, as you've talked about, and how much time that takes up, how many repeated calls those spur, and how much time that demands - just the amount, enormous amount, of resources that demands. How are you seeing that impacted and what results are you seeing from this program? [00:20:55] Brook Buettner: Directly to your question, Crystal, we don't have a lot of data yet on reduction in 911 calls, or 911 dispatch center or officer time. I do have some outcome data though that our King County partners were able to pull together for us for the RADAR Navigator program - that folks that were touched by the RADAR Navigator program - in two years following that program touch, we saw a 67% reduction in adult jail bookings. And that is a tremendous impact. We saw a 60% reduction in behavioral health crisis events. And that is measured by King County's Department of Community and Human Services who oversees the behavioral health system crisis response. They also experienced a smaller 4% reduction in emergency department visits. And of the folks that our program touched, 14% were subsequently enrolled in publicly funded behavioral health services. And I think that's a significant undercount because a lot of the folks in our community do have private pay insurance and so there would be no way to count that. But we know that interaction with this program results in a reduction in jail, a reduction in crisis services, and an increase in engagement with the behavioral health system. And those are all big wins. And to your specific questions, those are the kind of things we're gonna be looking at in our program analysis as we go on. How is this saving on 911 calls? How is this saving on officer time? My dream is that we capture the cost savings of reduction in jail nights and say - let's put that back into the earlier end of the continuum of care and fund diversion, and ultimately fund a robust system of community-based behavioral health care so that people don't fall into crisis. Again, I wanna say we're extraordinarily lucky that our electeds and our city staff are all so interested and committed to doing this kind of analysis and thinking in this way. [00:22:37] Crystal Fincher: Thanks - I appreciate that data, that information - it's really, really powerful. And what strikes me hearing that is that when you talk about being booked into jail, emergency room visits - these are the most expensive parts of our system to use and to utilize. And savings on these are incredible - I'm looking at that reduction in the jail number, and that is a budget-altering number right there. Pretty incredible. And I recognize this is a newer program - certainly you've done the work with the RADAR program, this predecessor, and getting the data there. I'm sure more will be rolling in as this continues and you move on, so that's great. Did you have something you wanted to add, Brook? [00:23:16] Brook Buettner: Yeah, just a thought that this is what we sometimes call a different purse problem - that each of these reductions affects a different financial system. And so part of our work is gonna be pulling together those cost offsets and making sure that the savings are redirected appropriately to meeting people's needs. [00:23:34] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, that is such an incredible problem in the public sector - yeah, this is saving a billion dollars, but if that's spread across a ton of different budgets in different ways, it's a whole different animal than someone handing someone basically a rebate check for a billion dollars. As you look forward, you talked about moving forward and moving towards a program where it truly is an alternative response where there are one or two crisis responders who respond to these calls without law enforcement initially - they can certainly call them in if it's warranted or they need backup. How do you see this progressing with that change and beyond it? What are the plans? [00:24:14] Brook Buettner: First, I'll say that the primary challenge that stands between us and a pure alternative response system is the dispatch question - and the ability to understand when a 911 call comes in, what's really going on - and that is often not clear from a 911 call. So we really wanna work through this very carefully with all of our partners and make sure that we're doing the outreach in a way that's safe and appropriate, that meets people's needs, but also keeps our responders safe. And so that is probably my work for the next two years - is digging into - How do we do call receiving? How do we triage? And then how do we appropriately dispatch the right resource? I have kind of been moving from calling it alternative response to thinking of it as a behavioral health first response. Whatever - when someone is in behavioral health crisis - whatever resource is the right resource. And I can see, for example, that being a crisis responder plus an EMT when someone has or has stated that they will take too much medication - and that's a medical plus a mental health need. Whereas if there's maybe a weapon in play, then that's a law enforcement plus a mental health need. And so thinking of it as a first response system with all of the tools that we need available to our dispatchers. [00:25:27] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. Nigel? [00:25:28] Mayor Nigel Herbig: I think something that Brook kind of glossed over a little bit - but I think is an important thing that we're gonna have to work out - is the fact that we're using multiple different police. We have different police forces, if you will, and different dispatch systems. So like I said earlier, in Shoreline and Kenmore you have King County Sheriff's Office and they're dispatched in one way. And then Lake Forest Park and Bothell, they have their own. And Kirkland, they have their own police officers and they're dispatched differently. And so it does create - it is a complication that I believe we'll work through. And I know with Brook's leadership, that'll get worked out - but it's not as straightforward as just having one dispatch system that we need to educate and get up to speed. [00:26:06] Crystal Fincher: How is this being funded? How much did you have to come up with as individual cities in this regional partnership? How is the funding talked about? Because this is something that has been kind of thorny when we look at the Regional Homelessness Authority, but with this collaboration, how does this work, Nigel? [00:26:25] Mayor Nigel Herbig: I can't get into what the specific numbers are we're spending - I do know it's more than what we were with RADAR. Part of that is because we're expanding things from - we're approaching 24/7 is part of the goal. Part of this is also funded by King County MIDD, the Mental - oh, I don't remember - [00:26:41] Crystal Fincher: I know - I always try to remember what MIDD stands for. [00:26:43] Brook Buettner: Mental Illness Drug Dependency. [00:26:45] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. [00:26:46] Mayor Nigel Herbig: Thank you, I was just digging around. [00:26:48] Crystal Fincher: Very, very useful. [00:26:50] Mayor Nigel Herbig: No, super useful - and they're the reason why we were able to do RADAR and test out, essentially test out the model, set the foundation for where we are now - is because of the MIDD funding. And we're very thankful to King County and Councilmember Dembowski for his help with that. Our expenses are definitely higher than they were in previous years with RADAR - there's no question around that, and it was part of our budget discussions last year. But I think it's something that we're all committed to because we do see the long-term payoffs - not just on our budgets, but frankly in outcomes - and all the councils seem fairly committed to that. So I believe that they - I wasn't involved in these negotiations, staff was - but I believe that they were negotiating based on population and number of hours that would be required to cover each jurisdiction, and then breaking up the cost and using some sort of formula that we all agreed to. Brook can probably speak a little bit more to that, but we got to a place where everybody was comfortable with the investments that we'd be making. [00:27:47] Crystal Fincher: Sure, Brook? [00:27:48] Brook Buettner: Yeah, so like Mayor Herbig said, the MIDD funding has been really foundational to piloting this as the RADAR Navigator Program and even to the expansion. We also have some funding through the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs' Trueblood dollars for Mental Health First, or Field Response teams. And we have had some support from the Association of Washington Cities. And then I'm so delighted that starting this year, we have general fund contribution from each of our five cities. It is per capita-based at this time. We have plans to really keep a close eye on utilization and think about whether some cities have higher utilization and that may affect their contribution rate. But I also have plans to get the payers on the hook for this as well. So when we talked about the wrong purse problem - a 4% reduction in emergency department visits is a big bonus for insurers and for the managed care organizations. And King County Department of Community and Human Services and the behavioral health services organization have been thinking about this as well. How do we get the private insurers to be picking up what they are supposed to be covering for their covered lives around crisis services? There are a couple of folks at the State Legislature that are really thinking carefully about this. And I see us as being kind of a test case outside the traditional behavioral healthcare system to be reimbursed by the health payers for this service that ends up with better outcomes and lower costs over time. [00:29:07] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. As we move to close this, what advice do you have to other cities approaching this? And what would you tell residents about why this is so useful and so important? [00:29:21] Mayor Nigel Herbig: I think I would advise other cities to take a look at their 911 calls, talk with their police officers - see what sort of calls they're responding to that maybe they're not the best equipped first responder for. I don't think police officers enjoy these sorts of calls on their own. I also think that you can point towards the outcomes that we will have around better results for the people involved, better results for the community, and frankly, cost savings at the end of the day when it comes to jail days and ER visits. And other cities might be big enough to do this on their own, which will make their lives a little bit easier and all of that. But I think other cities - and if you're looking in other parts of the county, there are places where there are multiple cities all right next to each other that could, if they wanted to, join together and do this sort of work. And I would encourage them to have those conversations and really ask themselves - What do they want the response to be when somebody calls 911 in crisis? Because I don't think anybody actually thinks the right answer is a person with a badge and a gun. And I think people need to really reflect on that, and really think about how they truly serve the people that they are working for, and make sure they're doing that in the best and most responsive and person-centered way possible. And this is, I think, a huge step in that direction. [00:30:36] Crystal Fincher: Any final words from you, Brook? [00:30:38] Brook Buettner: I love what Mayor Herbig said - just asking yourselves - What is it that we want people in crisis to get from our first response system? And then from my social-worky side, building relationships across jurisdictions and across sectors to bring - this is very complex - so to bring all the players to the table to offer the kind of response that people deserve when they're in crisis. [00:30:59] Crystal Fincher: Well, thank you both to Brook Buettner, Mayor Herbig - sincerely appreciate you spending time with us today and helping to educate us on what's going on there in the north part of the County. And it's certainly a lot to reflect on and hopefully emulate moving forward. Thank you both. [00:31:16] Mayor Nigel Herbig: Thank you. [00:31:17] Brook Buettner: Thank you so much for having us. [00:31:18] Crystal Fincher: Thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks, which is produced by Shannon Cheng. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on every podcast service and app - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review shows and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

Seattle has officially broken its previous homicide record in recent history. There have been 70 homicides so far in 2023. The previous record, based on Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs records dating back to 1979, was set in 1994, with 69 homicides. The 70th homicide victim died this month from injuries related to a stabbing in late June. Officers from the Seattle Police Department's West Precinct responded to reports of an assault at around 11:30 a.m. on June 26 where they found a victim with significant injuries. Officers located the suspect a block away from the crime scene, who then tried to assault an officer as they were getting taken into custody. The suspect was charged with second-degree assault in June. The charges had not been amended as of Wednesday.Support the show

Not Fishy Enough: A Ridiculous Parable About Finding Worth Through Self-Acceptance by Briton Kolber Amazon.com Britonkolber.com "Holy freakin' snail shells! What is this book?" asked Edwin. This is a combination of a slightly short novel for kids over 8 and a self-help guide for the people who care about them. There are subtle jokes for adults and deeper meanings to explore as well. This story is about Edwin. He is an odd-looking fish. At least that's what everybody tells him. Well, they tell him he's a fish, anyway. Not much of a tail for a fish. The scales are wrong, too. The fins are a bit, well, grabby. More on that later. "Wait what? Tell me now," demanded Edwin. Sorry, Edwin, you'll spoil the adventure. "Fine. I'm out of here." Now that he's out of earshot, I can tell you that it's about a crab adopted by fish growing up in an isolated tidepool with no other crabs. So, he grows up thinking he is merely an incompetent fish. There is a section in the back of the book with discussion questions for many of the themes in this book. The questions are designed for classrooms, for mental health professionals, and for caregivers in general. In these pages, is an adventure of aquatic proportions. It's about finding out who you are and figuring out what to do about that. This highly unusual, but hopefully not too unusual, book is by Briton Kolber, a licensed therapist who specializes in helping geeks accept and find the best in themselves. In a world that may remind you of Finding Nemo, it explores themes found in The Ugly Duckling, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Brené Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection. If you are a fan of the pragmatic wisdom of Brené Brown or the humor of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, or Christopher Healy (The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom) you will have a good time here. Illustrations by Nicoleta Dabijya add wonder and whimsy. Briton Kolber is a family therapist focusing on geeks as a special population. He has taught Applied Improvisation at SAGA School, General Assembly, and Aspiring Youth/Ryther. He has done many odd things ranging from Research Scientist Associate at Applied Research Laboratories to Board Member of Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy to computer sales to performing regularly with ComedySportz Austin to working in the film industry in Los Angeles. He spent his youth split between mountains, culture, and extended family in Austria and a ranch, live-stock, space technology, and energy culture of Houston. In what little free time he has left after grand adventures with his family, he runs, skis, writes sketch comedy, has conversations with his cats, and tries not to set himself on fire while cooking. Again.

Renton officials are discussing ways to improve public safety in the area as violent crime rates continue. Overall crime in Renton increased by 6.4% from 2021 to 2022, according to a report from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. There were 7,852 reports of crime in 2021 and 8,353 in 2022. One noticeable statistic from the report is the 133% increase in murders within Renton's city limits. There were three murders in 2021 and seven in 2022.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/washington-in-focus/support

Murders continue to climb--up 16%--in WA for 2022 compared to 2021. KVI's John Carlson examines the newly released 2022 crime stats released by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. 2022 resulted in the highest number of WA murders since data has been collected going back to 1980, police staffing across WA went down in 2022 as the state population rose by nearly 100K people, how Seattle politicians and Gov. Jay Inslee are connected to this steady rise in violent crime and property crime across WA.

— “We can ask people to be kinder and more accepting. That works to some extent, but if we are dependent on others to give us that feeling of belonging, we can still get emotionally hurt. It seems like a smarter idea to find a way to like yourself for who you are.” Valeria interviews Briton Kolber  — He is the author of  “Not Fishy Enough: A Ridiculous Parable About Finding Worth Through Self-Acceptance.”  Briton Kolber is also a family therapist specializing in geeks as a special population. His first book, Not Fishy Enough is for children and the adults who care for them. He has taught Applied Improvisation at SAGA School, General Assembly, and Aspiring Youth / Ryther. He has done many odd things ranging from Research Scientist Associate at Applied Research Laboratories to Board Member of Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy to computer sales to performing regularly with ComedySportz Austin to working in the film industry in Los Angeles. In what little free time he has left after grand adventures with his family, he runs, skis, writes sketch comedy, has conversations with his cats, and tries not to set himself on fire while cooking… again.  To learn more about Briton Kolber and his work, please visit: notfishyenough.com                 — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well. 

My next guest is Dr. Michelle Leary. In this episode, Dr. Leary and I will talk all things hormones and the way they impact your metabolism, mental health, sexual health, physical health and aging, as well as some tips for how to help balance your hormones naturally.Dr. Leary is a force to be reckoned with. She is a compassionate, intellectual, and dedicated provider to her patients. She began her early career in cardiac rehab prior to her training as a naturopathic physician. Following her 4 years of medical training, she began a research role at the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and clinical residency program in adult primary care in Bellevue, WA at Eastside Integrated Primary Care.In 2016 she was chosen as the first naturopathic physician ever to join a fellowship in multiple sclerosis management through the National MS Society. She has guest lectured for IFM, the Washington Association for Naturopathic Physicians, the University of Washington MS center, and Bastyr University. She became the Director of Functional Medicine at VIDA Integrated Health in 2019 where she leads a team of residents, doctors, nurses, and nutritionists.Dr. Leary is passionate about Functional Medicine and specializes in sexual health and metabolic medicine for men and women. In addition to her clinical role, she is the owner and creator of PowerSexBeauty.com - a lifestyle brand/blog created for female bodily empowerment, embracing sensuality, clean beauty, and cellular health. Where you can find Dr. Leary:Vida Integrated HealthPower Sex Beauty BlogIf you missed last week's episode “Myofunctional Therapy: How It Can Improve Your Breathing, Sleep, Relieve Migraines, and More with Dana Tasche,” you can find it here: https://the-nutrition-edit.captivate.fm/episode/myofunctional-therapy-how-it-can-improve-your-breathing-sleep-relieve-migraines-and-more-with-dana-tascheBooks mentioned:The Disease Delusion by Dr. Jeffrey S. BlandWhy Good Sex Matters by dr. Nan WiseAttached by Amir Levine, M.D. and Rachel S. F. Heller, M.A. Interested in working with Jeannie one on one? Schedule a 30-minute Coffee Talk here.Check out the Jeannie Oliver Wellness website or connect on social: @joliverwellnessQuestions about this episode or the podcast? DM me on InstagramMusic credit: Funk'd Up by Reaktor ProductionsA Podcast Launch Bestie production

Welcome to Episode 531 of the Yeukai Business Show. In this episode, our guest Briton Kolber shares his unique perspective on what stops people from living the life they want. Throughout the episode, we delve into various topics such as the importance of understanding the stories we tell ourselves, the power of curiosity and objective data analysis, and differentiating between emotional reactions and rational responses.  So, if you want to know more about overcoming limitations and living the life you want, tune in now! In this episode, you'll discover: The Importance of Understanding Your StoryOvercoming Obstacles and Embracing AuthenticityApplying Your Story to Success About Briton Kolber Briton is an author and family therapist focusing on geeks as a special population since 2012. His first book, Not Fishy Enough: A Ridiculous Parable About Finding Worth Through Self-Acceptance, is for kids over age 8 with enough gems for adults, too. He has taught Applied Improvisation at SAGA School, General Assembly, and Aspiring Youth / Ryther. He has done many odd things ranging from Research Scientist Associate at Applied Research Laboratories to Board Member of Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy to computer sales to performing regularly with ComedySportz Austin to working in the film industry in Los Angeles. In what little free time he has left after grand adventures with his family, he runs, skis, writes sketch comedy, has conversations with his cats, and tries not to set himself on fire while cooking. Again.  More Information  Learn more about overcoming limitations and living the life you want at https://britonkolber.com/ Book: https://notfishyenough.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briton-kolber-a5a2812/  Thanks for Tuning In! Thanks so much for being with us this week. Have some feedback you'd like to share? Please leave a note in the comments section below! If you enjoyed this episode on How to Expand Your Business, please share it with your friends by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates for our "Yeukai Business Show !" And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please leave a review right now Thanks for listening!

On this Tuesday topical show, Crystal learns about north King County's innovative new Regional Crisis Response (RCR) Agency with its inaugural Executive Director Brook Buettner and Kenmore Mayor Nigel Herbig. Following national guidelines and best practices for behavioral health crisis care, a five-city consortium established RCR in 2023 as part of a vision to provide their region with the recommended continuum of behavioral health care - which includes someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go. Executive Director Buettner and Mayor Herbig share how the program grew out of a need for a person-centered mobile crisis response, rather than the traditional law enforcement response which is often without the right tools or expertise for the job. They describe the collaborative process of getting buy-in from police agencies, electeds, and city staff to design a service that has evolved from the RADAR co-response program to approaching a 24/7 behavioral health first response. Finally, they cover impressive early results in cost-savings & outcomes and offer advice to other cities looking to bring similar solutions to their own communities. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Mayor Nigel Herbig at @nigelherbig. Brook Buettner Brook Buettner is inaugural Executive Director of the groundbreaking Regional Crisis Response Agency, which deploys services to people experiencing behavioral health crisis in the North King County community. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an experienced human services professional with a focus on policy advocacy and program implementation for high-needs populations. During her two decade-long career, she has been focused on transforming systems to meet the needs of individuals who are high utilizers of both criminal legal and health and human services systems. Ms. Buettner holds Masters in Public Administration and Social Work from the University of Washington. Mayor Nigel Herbig Nigel grew up in the Seattle neighborhood of Wallingford, attended Seattle Public Schools, and graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Political Science and Comparative Religion. Nigel and his wife, Tiffany, decided to move to Kenmore when their daughter was a baby as they were looking for a great place to raise their daughter where they could purchase their first home. They have never regretted that decision. Nigel has worked in broadcasting, fundraising, and politics. He currently works at the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. Mayor Herbig represents the Council on the Eastside Transportation Partnership (Vice Chair), and the Sound Transit SR 522 Bus Rapid Transit Elected Leaders Group. He also sits on the King County Affordable Housing Committee. Resources The Regional Crisis Response Agency | City of Kirkland   “RCR Agency Welcomes Brook Buettner as Executive Director” from City of Kirkland   National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care - Best Practice Toolkit Executive Summary | SAMHSA   The North Sound RADAR Program | City of Shoreline   “RADAR: Response Awareness, De-Escalation, and Referral Final Evaluation Report” prepared by the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy Department of Criminology, Law & Society at George Mason University   “North King County cities will broaden mental-health response to 911 calls” by Amy Radil from KUOW   “New Crisis Response Center in Kirkland to Serve North King County” from City of Kirkland    “$500k grant from DOJ to help reduce use of police force in North King County” by Hannah Saunders from Bothell-Kenmore Reporter   Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review show and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, I am very excited to be welcoming Mayor Nigel Herbig - he is the mayor of Kenmore. And Brook Buettner, who's the Executive Director of Regional Crisis Response - a collaboration for a mental health alternative response between the cities of Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, and Bothell that's really innovative and I think a number of cities are looking at this in the region - want to just explore what this is. So starting out with Brook, how did you get involved in this work and what interested you in this? [00:01:27] Brook Buettner: Thanks, Crystal - I'm so happy to be here with you. So my background is that I'm a licensed clinical social worker and I also have a background in public administration. And most of my social work career has been in service of folks that have chronic behavioral health conditions, are living homeless, and then have some overlap with the criminal legal system - either with the police, or with having multiple charges around poverty, or around homelessness. So this is a really exciting program for me to be able to be involved in. [00:01:54] Crystal Fincher: Excellent. And Nigel, as mayor of Kenmore, what got you involved in this particular program and work? [00:02:00] Mayor Nigel Herbig: First, I want to start off by saying that I'm a long-time listener, and I'm excited to be here, Crystal - so thank you for having me. Kenmore entered into this work back in - I want to say 2017 or 2018 - when we joined with other cities and King County MIDD funds and started the RADAR program, which was a co-response model across parts of North King County to give folks other ways to have service calls responded to - without the only response being a police response, because I think we all recognize that a solely police response is not always the right answer and is not always in the best interest of everybody involved. And we did that successfully for a few years. And then in 2021, we started larger conversations with the cities of Bothell, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, and then we reached out to Kirkland also, about expanding what we were doing with RADAR and making it into a larger regional model. And so our staff and our councils worked for about a year and a half trying to figure out how that would all work. And what we ended up doing was folding the North King County's RADAR Navigator program with Kirkland's Community Responder program to form a new entity that's regional in nature, is going to have a lot more resources, will be operating more hours during the day - I think we're aiming towards 24/7, I don't think we're quite there yet - and will really be a resource for folks who are experiencing, or decompressing in public, or having some sort of other issues so that they'll get a response that actually meets them where they're at. And gets them help immediately rather than the other alternatives, which are the ER or jail - both of which we know are not ideal for anybody who's experiencing either an issue with drug addiction or a mental health issue. So yeah, it's exciting to see multiple cities all coming together to recognize the issue and working together - 'cause as individual cities, there's no way that we could have done this - little Kenmore could've never done this on our own. But working with other cities, we're gonna be delivering something that I think will be meaningful to folks who are experiencing issues out in the field, and I think we'll be getting better outcomes for everybody. And I think that's something we're very excited about. [00:04:00] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. You talk about how challenging this is for individual cities to address and to deal with. I do think it's notable that there was an attempt, a recognition by Kenmore that this was something that needed to be tackled. There was the RADAR program, previously in place, that you just mentioned - this was built on top of and leveraged with the region. How did the discussions go with the region? How did you get buy-in for taking this collaborative approach? And how did you work through the design of the program? How did that work, Brook? [00:04:34] Brook Buettner: We're very lucky in North King County that there was already a great deal of support for alternatives to police response for people in crisis. As you mentioned, the commitment to the RADAR Navigator program that had been going on for about four years prior to this conversation and showing really successful outcomes for folks. And across our elected officials, our police leadership, and our community, there was a strong commitment to doing things in a new way for people in crisis. And so it was a matter of not having to bring people on board, but just discussing what's our shared vision - what do we want our community to look like and how are we gonna get there? And so it was a big lift for city staff to come up with the agreement, the interlocal agreement, that governs this entity - but it was done pretty quickly in my experience and very well to where we have a strong and robust infrastructure to start really offering these alternative services to folks in crisis. [00:05:29] Crystal Fincher: Nigel, what advice would you give to other cities working through this process right now in terms of figuring out the agreements that are going to govern these collaborative approaches, getting buy-in from various stakeholders? How did that work in your experience and what guidance would you give other folks working through this? [00:05:48] Mayor Nigel Herbig: I think part of what made things work, where we are in North King County, was the fact that we'd already been partnering with other cities with RADAR. But we also have other regional models that we're used to - we're used to doing regional collaboration around here. Kenmore is part of ARCH, which is a regional coalition for housing - which is a multi-jurisdictional affordable housing developer that covers kind of Kenmore and then down to the Eastside. And so we're very used to working in a collaborative manner with our neighbors to address issues that we really can't do, again, by ourselves - we can do affordable housing, but it's very hard for a smaller city, right? It's a lot easier if people are pooling things together. So we already had those models that we were familiar with, which I think really helped some of the conversations - 'cause Kirkland's also part of ARCH, I think Bothell is too. So we're starting from a place where we understand how these models work. I think having trust between the cities is important also. We have good relationships with - I have good relationships with my colleagues in Kirkland and in Bothell and Lake Forest Park and Shoreline - I think that's helpful. And then also having staff that's willing to really dig into the details and work collaboratively with their colleagues is important. A lot of this came out of the fact that - and I think we all recognize this - the state and the county have largely been underfunding our mental health response for a long time. And even on our council, there was some pushback to - this should be a county response, this should be the county's responsibility. And I don't completely disagree with that assessment either, but I think we all recognize that something had to be done. And at the end of the day, sometimes cities just have to step up and figure out a way forward. And it's nice to see five cities coming together to work together towards a solution, while we try to figure out the larger long-term solutions that are truly regional and even statewide, frankly. [00:07:25] Crystal Fincher: So can you walk me through what your most frequent calls look like, feel like, what that process is? I think for a lot of people - they're familiar with the concept of alternative response, they're familiar with how important it is, and understanding that police can't do everything and they are not the most effective response for every kind of crisis - so having a tailored response that is most appropriate and most effective is really helpful. How, as you work through this, what does a typical call look like? What does a typical day look like? [00:07:58] Brook Buettner: In crisis, of course, there's no typical call or no typical day. But we are looking to deploy social workers or mental health professionals on any 911 call that comes in that has some identified component of behavioral health. So that's mental health, or substance use, or some social service need like a homelessness component, a family dynamic issue where it could be helpful to have a social worker there. And then the social workers - we call them crisis responders - the crisis responders are going either in the car with the police officer, or when possible in an independent vehicle and meeting the police officer on the scene. And we are stepping more and more in our community into the space of two crisis responders going to - responding to the scene - without a first responder. And that is really what we call the alternative response model. And it can be anything from somebody that has called 911 because they themselves, or somebody that they care about, is suicidal - has made suicidal statements or gestures. Or someone that is in a community space and is having mental health symptoms or substance use-driven symptoms that are causing them to be troubling to the other folks in that environment. To, like I said, family dynamics where someone calls 911, for example, because their teenager is so agitated and escalated that they become violent. And our crisis responders are very, very good at identifying what's going on, deescalating folks, bringing them down to a level of calm where they can talk through what's underlying the crisis. And then the crisis responder's job is to figure out what to bring to bear on the situation to alleviate the immediate crisis and then connect the person to the system of care so that they don't fall into crisis again. [00:09:33] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And it looks like you've structured the program on best practices for the continuum of behavioral health care starting with having someone to call - we have our 988 line, someone to respond - these crisis responders, and then having somewhere to go once it's determined where the appropriate place is for them to receive the help that they need. Especially when it comes to that somewhere to go, we just passed a county-wide behavioral health center levy that will fund a number of those services and staff. But that's been a big challenge in our region. How have you navigated through this in the program, Nigel, and how's it working? [00:10:14] Mayor Nigel Herbig: Well, I'm really excited. I mean, Kenmore and our partner cities - we're actually out ahead of King County a little bit and had been working in partnership for - I don't know, a little while now, I think going back to 2021 - really reflecting on the lack of a door for people to go to, a place for people to go to when they're in crisis. And working together, we identified funds and we identified a location, we identified our provider, and we will be opening up the first crisis response center for North King County. And again, it's the same cities - it's Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, Bothell, and Kirkland - and we're excited to have this model here. They selected Connections Health Solutions, which is a national innovator in the space. They've done a lot of great work in Arizona, and that model is also what I believe the executive based his models off of. And they should be opening up next year, and it's gonna offer a place for people who are facing any sort of mental health issue or behavioral health issue - a place where they can go and actually talk with somebody, regardless of insurance, regardless of where they live, or any of that. It'll give people a place to go, which right now is severely lacking throughout the county. [00:11:23] Crystal Fincher: What happens when there is no place to go? [00:11:26] Brook Buettner: I can kind of speak to that. So in the past, when we encountered someone in the field in crisis, the options were either that they stay where they are, that they go to the emergency department, or an arrest and jail - if it's not safe for them to stay in the community setting or in the home where they are at - safe for themselves or safe for the people around them. And this allows us an alternative to say - Maybe the emergency department is not the right place, and certainly jail is not the right place for somebody in deep behavioral health crisis. We're gonna take them somewhere that we know will accept them, we know will allow them to stay, will provide robust psychiatric and behavioral healthcare, and do discharge planning so that they're walking out with a plan and a connection to ongoing care. Connections, in particular, has a model that has multiple levels of acuity and step-down so that if somebody comes in at the highest acuity, they're in one setting. And as they deescalate, as they get different treatment on board or medications on board, they can step down to a lower acuity setting and even to an outpatient model while they wait to get hooked up with the local behavioral health system of care. And Crystal, you mentioned the behavioral health continuum of care, and I love that you brought that up because this is - North King County is about to have, kind of the first in our state, fully-executed crisis continuum of care when this facility opens up and it's super exciting. [00:12:44] Crystal Fincher: It's very exciting and so necessary. And I appreciate you all doing the work to get this implemented to be a model for the region. Other areas are looking at this - some areas are eager to adopt this and have public safety agencies, police agencies that are willing partners. Others have some concerns and there's almost a concern of - Okay, is this competition for us? Are they looking to move us out? What feedback have you heard from law enforcement officials, and how have they said it's impacted their job and the work that they have to do? [00:13:19] Mayor Nigel Herbig: To be honest, I haven't heard anything negative from our police partners - Kenmore, like Shoreline, contracts with the King County Sheriff's Office - they've been great partners in this. I think our chief is always looking for better ways to interact with folks who are in crisis and this gives him another tool. This gives him more resources to address the problem at hand, rather than only having law enforcement resources to fall back on - and I think he views that as a positive. So I have not heard any pushback from our law enforcement community up in North King County around this, and I think they're looking forward to using this as a resource and being partners in this. [00:13:56] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. For years and years - going back a decade and more - have heard several officers, chiefs talk about how challenging it is to respond to calls where there's a behavioral health component, or there isn't any illegal activity per se but someone is clearly in crisis, or people are being impacted around them and an intervention needs to take place but a criminal or a legal intervention doesn't seem to be the most positive. Brook, what have you heard from officers who have co-responded on these, or who are looking forward to a complete alternative response? How are they saying it's impacting their work and their ability to do their job? [00:14:37] Brook Buettner: We have been extraordinarily lucky in North King County that we've had support from law enforcement leadership since the get-go. Law enforcement was who asked for this program initially five years ago, saying these are not the kind of calls that we're supposed to be on - we need help, we need support. And so it has been a journey to get all of the responding officers - patrol officers and deputies - socialized to this idea. But once an officer or a deputy sees it in action, it's an easy sell. So what we find is that the more interaction we are having with law enforcement, the more referrals we're getting because they see - wow, that works - or we'll let them know that the follow-up that we did ended up keeping somebody from falling into deep crisis again. And it becomes a really good alternative for them and a good tool in their tool belt. I also am really attentive to making sure that we maintain good relationships on a one-on-one basis with all of our law enforcement partners, so that it's not a pain to have a social worker along but rather a pleasure - to say we're a great team, we work well together. Both sides recognize that each role has something to bring to a highly escalated crisis situation, and both sides recognize where their limits are. And so it's just been a constant growth of support and of buy-in. I've heard from several chiefs that they see shift in the culture - in the willingness to talk about behavioral health in a new way among the community and also within the department - that it opens up conversations that otherwise may not have happened. So it has really been a positive for our five police agencies. [00:16:05] Crystal Fincher: I think that is really an outstanding observation. And strikes me as important, especially as we hear from several police agencies across the state really that they're trying to recruit, they're short on officers, they're having a tougher time on that - and needing to triage their time and resources, and response times being impacted, other things that they're saying are being impacted. How can this help manage the workload for officers and across the public safety continuum? How has that been working? [00:16:34] Mayor Nigel Herbig: Speaking for Kenmore, our officers, right - until we had RADAR in place and until we had these partnerships - if somebody was out on the street decompensating, yelling, screaming, doing something like - like you said earlier, that's not illegal, but is disruptive to the community and the person is obviously in crisis - the only response we had was a police response. And I think even our officers recognize that there are better ways for them to be spending their time than dealing with somebody who's decompensating. It's not what they were hired for, it's not what their expertise is in. And this gives them a tool so that they can - working with the social workers - find what the right response is, hand off the person to the social worker, and then get back to catching speeders or investigating break-ins or whatever it is that they could be doing rather than dealing with the guy who is having a breakdown. So I view this as actually an expansion of our response, if you will - it gives us the ability to respond to more calls on both sides of things, both law enforcement and people experiencing a crisis. [00:17:38] Crystal Fincher: How have you seen that play out, Brook? [00:17:40] Brook Buettner: It is absolutely allowing officers to focus more on life safety and law - criminal law issues - by kind of carving off this segment of the work that comes into the 911 system and routing it to the appropriate resource, the right tool at the right time. I see what we're doing as a third kind of branch of the first response system. Going back again to the continuum of care, the level of care that someone gets should be based on the acuity of their need and of their crisis. And we have outpatient behavioral health for folks that have behavioral health challenges that are at a low acuity level. We have other systems in place that are secondary responses for people that are in crisis. And when people are in very high acuity crisis and 911 is needed, we now have this first response behavioral health tool in our toolbox - that crisis responders that are skilled and trained and experienced in meeting people that are in the highest acuity level of behavioral health crisis, but still not committing a crime. So it is a 911 call - it's not necessarily a law enforcement need, but there is a need for a very high level response - and we're now able to provide that. [00:18:47] Crystal Fincher: Did you have anything to add, Nigel? [00:18:49] Mayor Nigel Herbig: Well, I was gonna say - I think a lot of this came out of the recognition that we've seen over the last 150 years that when your only response is a police response, the outcomes are not ideal. We have seen too many folks who are dealing with a mental health issue - and that is a huge section of our population - it's not something we talk about, but a huge proportion of folks are dealing with some sort of mental health issue. And just because somebody is having a very hard day doesn't mean that they should end up in jail or be put at risk, frankly, of a police interaction. We know that sometimes those interactions can turn out tragically. And being thrown into jail or worse, because you're experiencing a mental health issue, can ruin somebody's life or - and frankly, can ruin not only their lives, but also their kids' lives. When we enter somebody into the criminal justice system, it has long-lasting effects on not just the person impacted, but also their family, their kids, their kids' kids - it can have multigenerational effects on people. And we've seen that play out over the last, well, 50, 100 years. This gives folks, this gives our police officers a different response. And I think it's - that's what I'm excited about - I'm excited that people who are experiencing mental health issues can actually get the treatment they need rather than a pure law enforcement response, because nobody deserves to go to jail because they're having a breakdown. [00:20:12] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And it's a shift in how we've been doing things. What are the results that you're seeing from this? Obviously, people are looking to justify these expenditures and implement these in their own areas. What results are you seeing when it comes to amount of calls, recidivism? I know in some other cities, they talk about how many calls come in about behavioral health issues that aren't someone breaking the law but that are someone in crisis, as you've talked about, and how much time that takes up, how many repeated calls those spur, and how much time that demands - just the amount, enormous amount, of resources that demands. How are you seeing that impacted and what results are you seeing from this program? [00:20:55] Brook Buettner: Directly to your question, Crystal, we don't have a lot of data yet on reduction in 911 calls, or 911 dispatch center or officer time. I do have some outcome data though that our King County partners were able to pull together for us for the RADAR Navigator program - that folks that were touched by the RADAR Navigator program - in two years following that program touch, we saw a 67% reduction in adult jail bookings. And that is a tremendous impact. We saw a 60% reduction in behavioral health crisis events. And that is measured by King County's Department of Community and Human Services who oversees the behavioral health system crisis response. They also experienced a smaller 4% reduction in emergency department visits. And of the folks that our program touched, 14% were subsequently enrolled in publicly funded behavioral health services. And I think that's a significant undercount because a lot of the folks in our community do have private pay insurance and so there would be no way to count that. But we know that interaction with this program results in a reduction in jail, a reduction in crisis services, and an increase in engagement with the behavioral health system. And those are all big wins. And to your specific questions, those are the kind of things we're gonna be looking at in our program analysis as we go on. How is this saving on 911 calls? How is this saving on officer time? My dream is that we capture the cost savings of reduction in jail nights and say - let's put that back into the earlier end of the continuum of care and fund diversion, and ultimately fund a robust system of community-based behavioral health care so that people don't fall into crisis. Again, I wanna say we're extraordinarily lucky that our electeds and our city staff are all so interested and committed to doing this kind of analysis and thinking in this way. [00:22:37] Crystal Fincher: Thanks - I appreciate that data, that information - it's really, really powerful. And what strikes me hearing that is that when you talk about being booked into jail, emergency room visits - these are the most expensive parts of our system to use and to utilize. And savings on these are incredible - I'm looking at that reduction in the jail number, and that is a budget-altering number right there. Pretty incredible. And I recognize this is a newer program - certainly you've done the work with the RADAR program, this predecessor, and getting the data there. I'm sure more will be rolling in as this continues and you move on, so that's great. Did you have something you wanted to add, Brook? [00:23:16] Brook Buettner: Yeah, just a thought that this is what we sometimes call a different purse problem - that each of these reductions affects a different financial system. And so part of our work is gonna be pulling together those cost offsets and making sure that the savings are redirected appropriately to meeting people's needs. [00:23:34] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, that is such an incredible problem in the public sector - yeah, this is saving a billion dollars, but if that's spread across a ton of different budgets in different ways, it's a whole different animal than someone handing someone basically a rebate check for a billion dollars. As you look forward, you talked about moving forward and moving towards a program where it truly is an alternative response where there are one or two crisis responders who respond to these calls without law enforcement initially - they can certainly call them in if it's warranted or they need backup. How do you see this progressing with that change and beyond it? What are the plans? [00:24:14] Brook Buettner: First, I'll say that the primary challenge that stands between us and a pure alternative response system is the dispatch question - and the ability to understand when a 911 call comes in, what's really going on - and that is often not clear from a 911 call. So we really wanna work through this very carefully with all of our partners and make sure that we're doing the outreach in a way that's safe and appropriate, that meets people's needs, but also keeps our responders safe. And so that is probably my work for the next two years - is digging into - How do we do call receiving? How do we triage? And then how do we appropriately dispatch the right resource? I have kind of been moving from calling it alternative response to thinking of it as a behavioral health first response. Whatever - when someone is in behavioral health crisis - whatever resource is the right resource. And I can see, for example, that being a crisis responder plus an EMT when someone has or has stated that they will take too much medication - and that's a medical plus a mental health need. Whereas if there's maybe a weapon in play, then that's a law enforcement plus a mental health need. And so thinking of it as a first response system with all of the tools that we need available to our dispatchers. [00:25:27] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. Nigel? [00:25:28] Mayor Nigel Herbig: I think something that Brook kind of glossed over a little bit - but I think is an important thing that we're gonna have to work out - is the fact that we're using multiple different police. We have different police forces, if you will, and different dispatch systems. So like I said earlier, in Shoreline and Kenmore you have King County Sheriff's Office and they're dispatched in one way. And then Lake Forest Park and Bothell, they have their own. And Kirkland, they have their own police officers and they're dispatched differently. And so it does create - it is a complication that I believe we'll work through. And I know with Brook's leadership, that'll get worked out - but it's not as straightforward as just having one dispatch system that we need to educate and get up to speed. [00:26:06] Crystal Fincher: How is this being funded? How much did you have to come up with as individual cities in this regional partnership? How is the funding talked about? Because this is something that has been kind of thorny when we look at the Regional Homelessness Authority, but with this collaboration, how does this work, Nigel? [00:26:25] Mayor Nigel Herbig: I can't get into what the specific numbers are we're spending - I do know it's more than what we were with RADAR. Part of that is because we're expanding things from - we're approaching 24/7 is part of the goal. Part of this is also funded by King County MIDD, the Mental - oh, I don't remember - [00:26:41] Crystal Fincher: I know - I always try to remember what MIDD stands for. [00:26:43] Brook Buettner: Mental Illness Drug Dependency. [00:26:45] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. [00:26:46] Mayor Nigel Herbig: Thank you, I was just digging around. [00:26:48] Crystal Fincher: Very, very useful. [00:26:50] Mayor Nigel Herbig: No, super useful - and they're the reason why we were able to do RADAR and test out, essentially test out the model, set the foundation for where we are now - is because of the MIDD funding. And we're very thankful to King County and Councilmember Dembowski for his help with that. Our expenses are definitely higher than they were in previous years with RADAR - there's no question around that, and it was part of our budget discussions last year. But I think it's something that we're all committed to because we do see the long-term payoffs - not just on our budgets, but frankly in outcomes - and all the councils seem fairly committed to that. So I believe that they - I wasn't involved in these negotiations, staff was - but I believe that they were negotiating based on population and number of hours that would be required to cover each jurisdiction, and then breaking up the cost and using some sort of formula that we all agreed to. Brook can probably speak a little bit more to that, but we got to a place where everybody was comfortable with the investments that we'd be making. [00:27:47] Crystal Fincher: Sure, Brook? [00:27:48] Brook Buettner: Yeah, so like Mayor Herbig said, the MIDD funding has been really foundational to piloting this as the RADAR Navigator Program and even to the expansion. We also have some funding through the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs' Trueblood dollars for Mental Health First, or Field Response teams. And we have had some support from the Association of Washington Cities. And then I'm so delighted that starting this year, we have general fund contribution from each of our five cities. It is per capita-based at this time. We have plans to really keep a close eye on utilization and think about whether some cities have higher utilization and that may affect their contribution rate. But I also have plans to get the payers on the hook for this as well. So when we talked about the wrong purse problem - a 4% reduction in emergency department visits is a big bonus for insurers and for the managed care organizations. And King County Department of Community and Human Services and the behavioral health services organization have been thinking about this as well. How do we get the private insurers to be picking up what they are supposed to be covering for their covered lives around crisis services? There are a couple of folks at the State Legislature that are really thinking carefully about this. And I see us as being kind of a test case outside the traditional behavioral healthcare system to be reimbursed by the health payers for this service that ends up with better outcomes and lower costs over time. [00:29:07] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. As we move to close this, what advice do you have to other cities approaching this? And what would you tell residents about why this is so useful and so important? [00:29:21] Mayor Nigel Herbig: I think I would advise other cities to take a look at their 911 calls, talk with their police officers - see what sort of calls they're responding to that maybe they're not the best equipped first responder for. I don't think police officers enjoy these sorts of calls on their own. I also think that you can point towards the outcomes that we will have around better results for the people involved, better results for the community, and frankly, cost savings at the end of the day when it comes to jail days and ER visits. And other cities might be big enough to do this on their own, which will make their lives a little bit easier and all of that. But I think other cities - and if you're looking in other parts of the county, there are places where there are multiple cities all right next to each other that could, if they wanted to, join together and do this sort of work. And I would encourage them to have those conversations and really ask themselves - What do they want the response to be when somebody calls 911 in crisis? Because I don't think anybody actually thinks the right answer is a person with a badge and a gun. And I think people need to really reflect on that, and really think about how they truly serve the people that they are working for, and make sure they're doing that in the best and most responsive and person-centered way possible. And this is, I think, a huge step in that direction. [00:30:36] Crystal Fincher: Any final words from you, Brook? [00:30:38] Brook Buettner: I love what Mayor Herbig said - just asking yourselves - What is it that we want people in crisis to get from our first response system? And then from my social-worky side, building relationships across jurisdictions and across sectors to bring - this is very complex - so to bring all the players to the table to offer the kind of response that people deserve when they're in crisis. [00:30:59] Crystal Fincher: Well, thank you both to Brook Buettner, Mayor Herbig - sincerely appreciate you spending time with us today and helping to educate us on what's going on there in the north part of the County. And it's certainly a lot to reflect on and hopefully emulate moving forward. Thank you both. [00:31:16] Mayor Nigel Herbig: Thank you. [00:31:17] Brook Buettner: Thank you so much for having us. [00:31:18] Crystal Fincher: Thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks, which is produced by Shannon Cheng. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on every podcast service and app - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review shows and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

Violent crime in Washington state has increased by 55% since 2015, according to data from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, or WASPC. https://bit.ly/40IyRVl #TheCenterSquareWashington #ViolentCrimes #WashingtonState #PoliceReformLegislation #PoliceReform #WashingtonAssociationOfSheriffsAndPoliceChiefs #WashingtonStateLegislature #WashingtonState #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

The Washington Association of Realtors is trying to kill a proposed tax hike on property sales.

Special Guest Downtown Joe Bryant tells the story of ChatGPT from the point of view of a High School teacher! Will he be replaced by a Kiosk? Or will it be a useful tool? Joe is diving in. The Power of Love. It's not just a Huey Lewis hit. What can we do to make the world a better place? Are we making the most of our time? Bob thinks a lot about this, as he is in Cancer remission, at least for the moment. The next chapter of "Our Friend Mark", who is trying to get right by the IRS. An accountant in our audience named Jeremy Saladino*, helps people in this situation. He offers more tips on going legit. If you know anyone off the grid economically, this story. Shawn Alexander chimes in from his legal perspectives. The Chinese Balloon. US surrounds China with War Machinery while freaking out about balloons.“A big Chinese balloon in the sky and millions of Chinese TikTok balloons on our phones,” tweeted Senator Mitt Romney. “Let's shut them all down.” Hmm. Wouldn't we be just like China if we wanted a closed internet? And why am I supposed to think of China as an enemy? Is it just Bid-Ness? Plus… Spike O'Neill floats a couple Chinese-balloon-inspired Twisted Tune ideas… We ask ChatGPT some important questions and learn who the 'most famous Bob Rivers in the world' is… and we can now see more of Zip's mug! We close with a classic 'Spike & The Impalers' performance of 'Guns & Roses/Paradise City', featuring Kaci Aitchison on vocals! (Kaci was a co-host on The Bob Rivers Show on KZOK before moving on to become anchor/host/reporter at Q13 News) Listening to the Podcast audio and want to see the video? See it at: - BobRivers.com - https://bobrivers.com/bob-and-zip-show-20230207 or - YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usp7OkRONuM ( Please 'Like' and 'Subscribe'

In this episode we're joined by Alyssa Burgess, Associate Director of Career Pathways at the Washington Association for Community Health. Listen to learn how the association is using innovative education and training programs to cultivate an equitable and sustainable community health workforce.

Superintendent Michelle Whitney of the Pasco School District in Washington attributes her rise to leadership to "the gifts of strangers," mentors along the way who amplified her talents and breathed the confidence into her that she needed to continue. That's what she strives to do for her own staff and students today, leading with vulnerability from a place, "where life experience and professional experience collide." Her approaches have worked. Pasco School District has seen massive improvements in graduation rates among other things and Whitney has continued to rise as well, serving currently as president of the Washington Association of School Administrators. "Outliers in Education" is a project of CEE, The Center for Educational Effectiveness. Find out more at effectiveness.org.Produced by Howell at the Moon Productions.

On this Episode of the ASC Podcast with John Goehle we discuss some observations from John's Visit to the Washington Ambulatory Surgery Center Association's 2022 Annual Education Conference and Trade show, discuss required risk assessments and how to make sure they are properly summarized and in our focus segment we discuss the regulatory requirements for Pharmacy and Interview Pharmacy Consultant Victor Alves about recent survey experiences related to pharmacy.    This episode is sponsored by Surgical Information Systems, triValence and  Ambulatory Healthcare Strategies.   Resources from this Episode: Interview with Victor Alves - Here is his contact information:Victor Alves, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP President, Consultant Pharmacist 125 Church Street|Suite 90-163|Pembroke, Massachusetts 02359 T: 508-284-9974| F: 508-598-0409 | E: valves@octariusrx.com | W: OctariusRx.com      Important Resources for ASCs: Conditions for Coverage: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div5&view=text&node=42:3.0.1.1.3&idno=42#se42.3.416_150 Infection Control Survey Tool (Used by Surveyors for Infection Control)https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107_exhibit_351.pdf Updated Guidance for Ambulatory Surgical Centers - Appendix L of the State Operations Manual (SOM)https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107ap_l_ambulatory.pdf https://www.cms.gov/medicareprovider-enrollment-and-certificationsurveycertificationgeninfopolicy-and-memos-states-and/updated-guidance-ambulatory-surgical-centers-appendix-l-state-operations-manual-som Policy & Memos to States and RegionsCMS Quality Safety & Oversight memoranda, guidance, clarifications and instructions to State Survey Agencies and CMS Regional Offices. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/Policy-and-Memos-to-States-and-Regions Other Resources from the ASC Podcast with John Goehle: Upcoming Conferences: ASC Administrator's Bootcamp: The ASC Industry's leading virtual mentored training program for administrators in ASCs.  The virtual conference includes a comprehensive 4 day training program from January 24-27, 2023.  For more information - visit: https://ascpodcast.com/asc-administrators-bootcamp/ Other Links: Get a copy of John's most popular book - The Survey Guide - A Guide to the CMS Conditions for Coverage & Interpretive Guidelines for Ambulatory Surgery Centers  Visit the ASC Podcast with John Goehle Website Benefits of Becoming a Patron Member Patron Members of the ASC Podcast with John Goehle have access to ASC Central - an exclusive membership website that provides a one-stop  ASC Regulatory and Accreditation Compliance, Operations and Financial Management resource for busy Administrators, nurse managers and business office managers.   Become a member today!

Today our guest is Mike Nelson, Assistant Executive Director for Professional Learning at the Washington Association of School Administrators We talk to Mike about WASA and the role that it plays in Washington in supporting Administrators. He shares the top 3 needs that his organization has heard loud and clear from educational leaders and talks about some ways leaders can help meet these needs. Michael (Mike) Nelson began his career as an elementary school teacher before becoming an elementary school principal. During his time as the principal, his elementary school received a National Blue Ribbon by the U. S. Department of Education. As a district leader, he led learning initiatives in both the Federal Way and Enumclaw school districts in Washington state. In January 2007, he became the superintendent for the Enumclaw school district during which time he led several initiatives to improve the district's cultural support and academic outcomes for Native students. In 2019, the Washington Association of School Administrators named him the Washington State Superintendent of the Year. Currently, he is the Assistant Executive Director for Professional Learning for the Washington Association of School Administrators.

Focusing on early childhood development is vital for children and for our society. Research has demonstrated facilitating low-stress/high-engagement environments at the earliest ages builds strong, confident learners, who as adults, make up the backbone of a successful society. America's failure to make early childhood development one of our highest priorities is the reason our nation has shown a steady decline in numerous important areas relative to other countries. Today's guest, Dr. Rick Allen, has written Great by Eight, a bold call-to-action that demands intense emphasis on the development of young children, in particular from birth to age three, and continuing through age eight. By investing in early childhood development now, and over the long-term, we can become a far stronger and more unified nation. Great by Eight provides experienced insights on how we can get there. Drawing on nearly thirty years in public administration, extensive work in early childhood program design, and an abundance of emerging research, Dr. Allen sheds light on the remarkable power of early childhood development. He illustrates how parents, caregivers, teachers, community-activists, corporate executives, community-based nonprofit leaders, and forward-thinking policymakers can work together to cut social costs, create a stronger workforce, boost local economic development efforts, and improve our faltering international competitiveness. He clearly demonstrates that most children, given the right environment and support very early in life, can evolve into successful, contributive, and happy adults. In 2001, the University of Washington Tacoma School of Business in association with the Business Examiner News Group named Dr. Allen as a Business Leader of the Year in Pierce County, Washington. The Washington Association for the Education of Young Children recognized him as one of the state's outstanding community-based advocates for children. He was president and CEO of United Way of Pierce County, Washington, a community approaching one million, for more than twenty years. Before that he served eight years as director of the Pierce County Community Action Agency, working predominantly with families in distress. Dr. Allen holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Eastern Washington University, a master's degree in interpersonal communication from Ohio University, and both a master's and a doctorate in public administration from the University of Southern California. Please join me in extending a hearty welcome to Dr. Rick Allen to the Adventures with Grammy Podcast. Rick, I love your book. You have written a no-nonsense guide to ensuring children receive the love and nurturing they deserve. Reading Great by Eight should be a high priority for every adult. Your academic and professional credentials are impeccable. What I didn't mention is that you also have life experiences that the average person can relate to such as bailing hay on an Eastern Washington farm, working as a dishwasher and night janitor in a large restaurant, laying railroad track in central Oregon, working construction jobs in Pullman, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho, and serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam era.  What led to your focus on the importance of early childhood years?   https://www.rickallenauthor.com/ alvaallen@hotmail.com Sign up for the Adventures with Grammy newsletter by clicking this link or by texting Grammy to 22828 to get started! To learn more about Adventures with Grammy and books by Carolyn Berry, visit https://adventureswithgrammy.com To leave feedback about the podcast and to suggest guests and topics, send an e-mail to carolyn@adventureswithgrammy.com Social Media https://www.facebook.com/grammyadventure https://instagram.com/grammyadventure Music: https://audiojungle.net/user/play_m

Don Stuart has worked in natural resources and the environment for over 40 years. He served as Pacific Northwest Regional Director for the American Farmland Trust, was the Executive Director for the Washington Association of Conservation Districts, as well as a former Alaska commercial salmon fisherman, a former Seattle trial attorney, and a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps during the Vietnam War. Don's new book entitled “No Farms No Food: Uniting Farmers and Environmentalists to Transform American Agriculture” was published by Island Press in April 2022. Tune in to learn more about: The history of the relationship between farmers and environmentalists; The American Farmland Trust; The birth of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in 1985, where farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality in exchange for a yearly rental payment; Integrated pest management as a sound alternative to pesticides;  Climate change driven by agriculture and how agriculture can actually be part of the solution.  To learn more about Don, go to https://donstuart.net/.

Lisa is joined by Cary Hamilton, another amazing guest, for a conversation that will transform your work with parents/caregivers who have children with neurodiverse or sensory processing challenges.  Cary is the Director of Play Therapy at Antioch University in Seattle, Owner of a group practice clinic - Olympia Therapy and current President of the Washington Association for Play Therapy. She is an author and international presenter on Neurodiversity and Sensory Sensitivities and Play Therapy for the last 10 years. Also check out her educational platform called Playful Wisdom that offers real-world guidance to help parents develop their inner know-how and bring back the joy of being a parent.  Hear how to take parents and caregivers from a place of overwhelm, confusion and disempowerment to a place of curiosity and deep connection to their child. Plus, hear some of Cary (and Lisa's) lived experiences, while learning: How to support parents/caregivers in trusting their intuition about what their child needs and empower them in their child's healing process; How to engage parents/caregivers when they are feeling shutdown, hopeless, or scared to engage (...Cary gives us an amazing question to ask parents/caregivers that helps them feel complete support and acceptance in spite of their struggles);  How to address systemic challenges in the family (e.g., differences in understanding/opinion between partners, sibling perceptions, marital stress, etc.); and How to trust the child's lead in knowing what their body needs to regulate their own dysregulation. Understand neurodiversity and sensory processing challenges at a much deeper level and grab some beautiful nuggets/insights in this most heartfelt and honest conversation. * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us. * 

This week, Lauren brings you her interview with Marianne from Spokane. The two discuss one town's short-term rental regulation journey, and there's a lot to learn! They talk about the importance of regulation, hotels vs STRs, and even how Marianne almost had 2 STRs of her own. In short, this episode contains a little of this and that as it relates to STRs/Airbnbs and you should listen if you're interested in learning more about this real estate investing niche. About Marianne: Marianne Bornhoft is an award-winning REALTOR at Windermere Manito in Spokane, Washington and has over 27 years of experience in both residential and commercial real estate. Marianne and her husband Chris own Bornhoft Real Estate which is a commercial brokerage. Their latest project is called Garage Lodge which is a 23-unit Garage Condo complex slated to have its groundbreaking next month. Marianne was the Chair of Member Communications for the National Association of REALTORS and the 2013 President of The Spokane Association of REALTORS. She was also a past Director for the Washington Association of REALTORS as well as a past Director for the National Association of REALTORS. Connect with Marianne: https://bornhoft.com/ https://www.garagelodge.us/ https://twitter.com/spokanehouse https://www.instagram.com/mariannebornhoft/ FREE Resources: https://adultingiseasy.gumroad.com/ Sponsored by: Jasmine Mortgage Team https://www.jasminemortgageteam.com/

Every student is unique. It may seem like a simple concept, but to Susan Enfield, building relationships with individual students is a trademark of her career. In Episode 83: Building Relationships, Jerri and Jamie sit down with award-winning superintendent Susan Enfield to learn how she has been able to create a welcoming district culture and scale her passion for building authentic, meaningful relationships with every scholar in her district. Known for making sure each student is known by their “name, strength, and need” Susan shares her secrets to relationship building and reminds listeners that every student matters. --- ABOUT OUR GUEST Dr. Susan Enfield is the superintendent of Washoe County School District in Nevada. She began her career as an English teacher in Silicon Valley before moving into administration. In 2021, she was named Washington State Superintendent of the Year by the Washington Association of School Administrators, and in 2018, she was selected as Superintendent of the Year by the National School Foundation Association. --- SUBSCRIBE TO THE SERIES: Youtube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Overcast | RadioPublic | Stitcher FOLLOW US: Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn POWERED BY CLASSLINK: ClassLink provides one-click single sign-on into web and Windows applications, and instant access to files at school and in the cloud. Accessible from any computer, tablet, or smartphone, ClassLink is ideal for 1to1 and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives. Learn more at classlink.com.

This time, all the guys get together and chat about the VR world, HOA's, 4th of July party, robots, and BBQing. 00:19 – Scott talks about getting a VR, Justin talks about Meta Horizon Worlds, and Jeff shares his neighbor fertilizing his lawn. Brogan talks about lawn maintenance rates, Jeff gives recommendations for first things for people to do when first using VR, and his favorite pinball games in VR. He talks about how people find each other in Horizon World, Scott talks about the immersive VR videos he's been enjoying, and the virtual office setups. 20:12 – They jump into Jeff's Capades, Jeff talks about his recent neighbor visit, and how far his HOA stretches in the area. Justin talks about HOA complaints he hears, the challenges of being the HOA king, and Jeff chats about being approached by a lady asking for gas. Justin expresses how the lady potentially was casing the area for people being home, Justin talks about the guy being chased on his bike by a bear, and Brogan talks about his recent camping trip. 41:29 – Justin talks about why he bought his pellet gun, why he decided to have the 4th of July party on Saturday, and his recent addition of a keg to his bar. He talks about wanting to go camping, Brogan expresses being done with camping in a tent, and they kick off Scott Topics. They review the questions from the LaMDA Sentient interview, discuss the Spider-Man robot crash during a stunt, and the claim that robots will be taking over humans. 61:44 – Justin inquires about the length of time it would take to smoke BBQ wings on his Traeger, they discuss if using a Traeger is cheating, and Justin talks about smoking a pizza. Brogan talks about the success of smoked brisket tacos at his shop, selling beer on Uber Eats, and Scott shares his love of to-go drink orders still available at the bar. Jeff talks about his want to start to get back into airbrushing, Brogan talks about visiting the Washington Association of Brewers earlier in the day, and they close out talking about recent brew fests in the area before opening it up to the listeners.

1pm - The Fastest 15 // Kamala laughs during speech on drought // Biden forgets HHS name // Dr. Biden uses the wrong slang word // Elon tells Telsa staff to get back in the office // GUEST:  Steve Strachan, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, on almost 1000 drivers not stopping for officers // Feline update See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers and environmentalists haven't always seen eye-to-eye about the best ways to manage agricultural landscapes, but America's farms are vital to preserving ecosystems and a stable climate. How might the two come together to unite for the common good? In No Farms, No Food, longtime farm, fisheries, and environmental policy advocate Don Stuart took readers inside the political and policy battles that determine the fate of our nation's farmland. Stuart traced the history of agriculture conservation and the development of American Farmland Trust (AFT), from its small beginnings in 1980 to a formidable constituency of farmers and environmentalists. With leadership from AFT, that constituency drove through Congress the first “Conservation Title” in the history of the U.S. Farm Bill; oversaw the development of agriculture conservation easement programs throughout the country; and continues to develop innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture. Together with Addie Candib, the current Pacific Northwest Regional Director for American Farmland Trust, Stuart discussed tactics for bringing people together to work for healthy land and a healthy food system. Don Stuart has worked in natural resources and the environment for over 40 years, half of which included intensive legislative lobbying on farm, fisheries, and environmental policy. From 2000-2011, he served as Pacific Northwest Regional Director for American Farmland Trust, a national environmental organization that protects agricultural lands and supports their environmentally responsible management. Previously, he was Executive Director for the Washington Association of Conservation Districts and Executive Director for Salmon for Washington. Don was also the campaign manager and public spokesperson in the successful defense of a Washington statewide anti-commercial fishing ballot initiative (I-640) in 1995 and he ran for the U.S. Congress in Washington's First District in 1996. Don is also a former Alaska commercial salmon troll fisherman, a formerly practicing Seattle trial attorney, and was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps during the Vietnam War. His opinion column on fish politics appeared monthly in the Fishermen's News from 1990-96. He is the author of several books, including Barnyards and Birkenstocks: Why Farmers and Environmentalists Need Each Other (2014). Addie Candib serves as Pacific Northwest Regional Director for American Farmland Trust, overseeing the organization's programs and policy efforts in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Addie has worked at the intersection of agriculture and the nonprofit sector for over 10 years. In addition to having direct experience working on farms, she is a seasoned grassroots advocate; she helped form the Washington Young Farmers Coalition in 2010 and served on the Board of Directors for Tilth Alliance from 2012-2017. Addie began her career in farmland protection at the Community Farm Land Trust in Olympia, Washington, and she has been passionate about farmland access and affordability ever since. Addie is also trained in mediation and conflict resolution, and volunteers at a community-based dispute resolution center. Addie holds a Bachelor of Arts from Swarthmore College and a Master of Public Administration from The Evergreen State College, where her capstone work explored financing strategies for farmland protection. She lives with her family in Bellingham, WA. Buy the Book: No Farms, No Food: Uniting Farmers and Environmentalists to Transform American Agriculture (Hardcover) from Third Place Books Presented by Town Hall Seattle and American Farmland Trust.

Episode #7: Superintendent Diana Reaume In today's episode, Todd sat down with Supterintendent Diana Reaume of the Quillayute Valley School District, which is located in Forks, Washington. The Quillayute Valley School District is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Olympic mountains and Pacific beaches and oceans. It serves a diverse population of students, approximately 1000 pre-K through 12th graders in its brick and mortar schools and approximately 2500 students in Insight School of Washington, which is a multi-district online virtual middle and high school. Insight School of Washington was one of the first state-approved multi-district online schools back in 2006. Quillayute Valley School District partners with Stride, Inc. to deliver personalized learning to students who choose to enroll in Insight School of Washington. Diana is in her 35th year in the education profession of which the past fifteen (15) years she has served in Forks. Diana grew up in Kansas, where she began her career as a high school English teacher. She also taught English on St. Croix in the US Virgin Island at the Good Hope School, and then moved to Galveston Island where she taught and began her administrative career as a principal at Ball High School. Diana and her husband, Justin Reaume, moved “home” to the Forks area where Justin grew up so that they could raise their son, Gabriel, with family. Diana is passionate about equitable practices which support learning through a whole-child approach and works tirelessly to ensure there are systems in place to support quality teaching and learning. She is deeply passionate about making sure that every student has a safe, nurturing and personal learning environment. Diana believes in respect, integrity and commitment and models these core covenants daily for her students, staff, and colleagues. As a professional, Diana currently serves as a leader on various state level boards and committees: Executive Board for Washington Schools Risk Management Pool (WSRMP), Regional President of the Olympic ESD for the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) and Vice Chair of the Forks Chamber of Commerce. Get in touch with Supt. Diana Reaume: diana.reaume@qvschools.org Learn more about Superintendent Diana Reaume's Organic Farm: https://www.facebook.com/ReaumeFarm/

Mike Nelson, Assistant Executive Director for Professional Learning at the Washington Association of School Administrators, knows how difficult 2020 was for educators, especially superintendents. When the pandemic hit in March, Nelson was superintendent of Enumclaw School District, the district he grew up in. With the start of the new year, Nelson and WASA launched a campaign to bring hope to educators across the state after the toughest year they have ever faced. Every day in January, Nelson and other Washington school leaders shared short videos of hope with their colleagues on WASA's social media. In this episode, Nelson shares how he launched “A New Beginning...2021: 31 Days of Hope” to show other administrators and superintendents that despite the challenges of 2020, the work all educators do brings hope to us all.Mike Nelson (@SuitguyMike)You can find all entries in the 31 Days of Hope on WASA's Twitter and Facebook.Subscribe to SchoolCEO at SchoolCEO.com for more advice, stories, and strategies for leading your schools. And if you have a story you'd like to share, email us at editor@schoolceo.com.