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Spokesman-Review
Idaho invests $50M in behavioral health
Man found dead at homeless camp overdosed on multiple drugs, ruled accident
Medical examiner: Man found on side of Spokane Valley street overdosed
KREM
KXLY
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Spokesman-Review
Idaho invests $50M in behavioral health
By Keith Ridler
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOISE – Idaho Gov. Brad Little and other state officials on Tuesday highlighted one of the state’s largest investments in behavioral health care.
The Republican governor in a ceremonial event that included Idaho Supreme Court justices and lawmakers marked the $50 million approved by the Legislature in a series of appropriations bills this year that Little has signed into law.
“Our goal is to do intervention early enough to where these problems aren’t these big problems,” Little said. “That we can recognize behavioral health issues early on and address those early, and that will lower the cost of everything. But most importantly, it will improve our quality of life here in Idaho.”
The money targets areas recommended by the Idaho Behavioral Health Council, comprised of members from all three branches of state government. The council has sought to improve access to mental health resources and improve outcomes.
“Our vision is that adults, children and their families who live with mental illness and addiction receive the behavioral health care services that they need when they need them,” said Republican Rep. Laurie Lickley, a council member.
The $50 million is spread over a handful of appropriations bills and passed with large margins, but with far rightwing lawmakers tending to vote against them. The money includes a mix of federal coronavirus relief funds as well as general fund money.
Little called it “a very successful passage of significant bills that will enhance the delivery of much-needed behavioral health services across the state.”
The ceremonial event was held in Boise at an Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline facility that will use $4.4 million to expand the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in Idaho.
Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in Idaho, and the state’s 23.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2020 made it the fifthworst in the nation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Another $6 million will be used to explore a new model, called the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, to improve access and quality of behavioral health services in the state. Recovery centers will get an additional $900,000 to help people in recovery from mental health or substance abuse problems.
Idaho Supreme Court Justice John Stegner, who took part in the event, said a significant problem faced by the state is people with mental health issues getting caught up in the state’s criminal court system, sometimes as a result of trying to self-medicate and adding a substance abuse problem.
“We’re trying to differentiate between those that are criminally inclined and those that are mentally ill,” he said. “One of the problems with putting the mentally ill into the court system and into the jail is that they have worse outcomes than those who are not mentally ill. We are essentially dealing with the problem in the wrong fashion. That’s one of the things that I’m optimistic about is that by trying to get help to people who are mentally ill now, before they interact with the criminal justice system, they will be dealt with in a way that is much more likely to have a positive outcome than if they were arrested and put into the criminal justice system.”
Three start-up grants totaling $15 million in one-time money will be awarded to three Idaho residential treatment facilities to transition to psychiatric residential care facilities and qualified residential treatment programs.
Another $2.5 million will be used in substance use disorder block grants for prevention work through the Office of Drug Policy, an office of the governor that leads the state’s substance use and misuse policy and prevention efforts.
An additional $3 million will be used for community mental health block grants for a range of items that include early serious mental illness programs, crisis training, crisis beds for patients diagnosed with serious mental illness and developmental disabilities, and adverse childhood events training.
The money also includes $2.5 million for pre-prosecution grants and $500,000 for a test program involving interventions that address trauma.
The state is significantly bolstering its efforts to help juveniles with $6.5 million to establish safe teen reception centers for young people who have been arrested or have been determined to be delinquent. The centers could help juveniles avoid the state’s juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Another $4.4 million has been approved to establish youth crisis centers across the state.
“We have had a very successful model in the state of setting up adult crisis centers around the state,” said Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen. “But we don’t have a model yet for juvenile, adolescent crisis centers.”
Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections Director Monty Prow said the nearly $11 million in the two initiatives will help address prevention and intervention for youths as well as bolster treatment for those who need it.
“Society is so complicated,” Little said. “These kids have so many challenges that they didn’t even have 10 or 15 years ago. And the pandemic just accelerated a lot of these underlying problems that were there.”
Finally, the state controller’s office is getting $2.5 million to help make sure that statewide behavioral health data is securely reported and quantified on a statewide level.
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Idaho Gov. Brad Little, at lectern, and state officials hold a ceremonial event Tuesday to mark the passage of some $50 million in investments in behavioral health care by the Legislature that Little signed into law in Boise.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Man found dead at homeless camp overdosed on multiple drugs, ruled accident
By Garrett Cabeza
THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
The 53-year-old man who was found dead Jan. 30 at a Spokane homeless encampment died from a “toxic amount of multiple drugs,” according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Jeffrey Brown was found beyond resuscitation in a tent when emergency responders arrived at the encampment at Second Avenue and Ray Street on the north side of Interstate 90, Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said at the time.
The drugs contributing to Brown’s death, which was ruled an accident, included fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, the medical examiner said on its website.
Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (509) 459-5135 or by email at garrettc@spokesman.com.
Medical examiner: Man found on side of Spokane Valley street overdosed
By Garrett Cabeza
THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
A 39-year-old man who was discovered in February on the side of a Spokane Valley street overdosed on drugs, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Kevin McCabe was found dead on the 14100 block of East Fourth Avenue around 7:40 a.m. Feb. 15.
The medical examiner listed McCabe’s cause of death as “multidrug intoxication,” including methamphetamine, fentanyl and 4ANPP, which is a component of fentanyl. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office initially thought McCabe may have died from a hit-andrun but determined there were no signs of trauma to McCabe’s body, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (509) 459-5135 or by email at garrettc@ spokesman. com.
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KREM
Airway Heights police detain man after chase involving child and other top stories at 11 p.m.
SPOKANE, Wash. — In the last two weeks, Spokane police responded to four different shootings. The department is worried it could get worse if Spokane doesn't take a stand.
Data from SPD shows a total of 40 shootings (18 drive-bys & 22 other) in Spokane from Jan. 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022. This total does not reflect the four recent shootings.
In the same time frame last year, Spokane had 34 total shootings (10 drive-by & 24 other). That's a nearly 18% increase.
Cpl. Nick Briggs said this an alarming trend and SPD needs the community's help to address it.
"We're at 40 already, so at the current pace we will surpass 2021," Briggs said. "That's clearly alarming for everybody and alarming for us."
He said with the increase in shootings, detectives are working continuously to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. Major Crimes Unit handles the most serious crimes including many drive-by shootings. The Safe Streets Task Force also works closely with Major Crimes on gang and drug related crimes.
But, investigators need the community's help to make arrests and solve these crimes.
"We have amazingly talented detectives and investigators, but ultimately, these investigations aren't magic," Briggs said. "We need people to talk to us and provide us information."
According to Briggs, neighbors and witnesses to gang activity or violent crimes are encouraged to do the following:
Report to Crime Check or the Safe Streets Task Force.
Share photos and video (including security footage) if it is safe to do so.
"Whatever little piece of information, it's never too small to call in to just make us aware of it," Briggs said. "It might not be something that we can act on right then and there, but it might play a huge part down the road in the investigation."
He acknowledges there are some who reluctant to speak with police out of fear of retaliation. But he said change can only happen if everyone takes a stand against the violence.
"The way that members of the community can show that this can't be tolerated is by giving us the information that we need to solve those things," Briggs said. "It really is about what are we going to tolerate as a community here in Spokane. And we need everybody to pitch in so that we can get these things resolved."
SPD adds most of these shootings are not random and a occur across Spokane. Most of these shootings are not random and are committed by a small group of people with some type of connection- whether that be a drug or gang connection.
SPOKANE, Wash. — The city of Spokane is kicking off the 2022 WheelShare Program on Wednesday morning. In honor of the launch event, the public is invited to try out the new electric scooters and bikes.
According to the city's website, WheelShare is Spokane's "permanent shared mobility program that allows electric-assist bikes and electric scooters to be checked out and used for a small fee throughout the city."
The WheelShare program started as a pilot program in Fall 2018. More than 148,000 rides were taken that year, with more than 108,000 of those trips being taken on electric scooters.
Following positive responses during the pilot program in 2018, the city allowed shared mobility to become a more permanent program the following year. Feedback from the pilot gave City Staff information about what worked great, and what improvements would allow shared mobility to function well.
The permanent program launched in 2019 from May to November, with more than 581,000 WheelShare trips during that time. More than 450,000 rides were taken in 2021, covering more than 400,000 miles across the city of Spokane.
“The scooters and bikes bring great energy to our community and provide an opportunity for people to use a different type of transportation,” Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward said in a statement.
The 2022 WheelShare Launch event will take place on Wednesday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. near East Desmet Avenue and North Dakota Street. The event will include demos of the new Gen4 scooter and bike, riding safety tips and helmet giveaways.
The city has rules posted on their website regarding the use of the bikeshare and scootershare program. They caution to watch the speed, know the route being traveled and to know when to ride on the sidewalk and when to ride in the bike lane.
To use a lime bike or scooter, riders can download the Lime app from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
For more information, visit the city's website.
April 4, 2022 7:16 PM
SPOKANE, Wash. – First-time homebuyers are struggling to break into the housing market.
Nationwide, nearly 2 million prospective buyers are expected to be priced out this year, according to the National Association of Realtors.
NAR says that accounts for about 10 percent of local families.
Credit scores are critical in this tight housing market, particularly for first-time homebuyers.
The higher you can get that number, the more competitive you will be.
Local loan officer Jared Wash says 680 is a good starting point, but 720 will get you better interest rates. One local family was inching closer to a decent credit score before COVID-19 hit. Today, their reality is much different.
The Keifer’s are a family of four cramming into a hotel room for housing. During the shutdowns, they both lost their jobs and started making ends meet by paying bills with credit cards.
Pre-COVID, they were trying to boost their credit score by around 20 points – to around 630 – so they could buy a home.
Now, they are just trying to dig themselves out of a hole with a credit score that’s tanked and is now in the low 400’s.
“Right now, with the amount that we pay for the hotel, for transportation, for everything like that, we’re maybe able to pay one back bill per month. At that rate, we will never be able to get our credit score anywhere,” said James Keifer. “We’re paying the amount here that most people would pay for a house payment.”
They pay around $2,400 a month for two beds and a kitchen. What’s keeping them there is a low credit score.
Over at Wheatland Bank, Jared Wash meets people every day who want to buy a home but can’t.
“I see a lot of people that during this time they had to put a lot on their credit cards, so they’ve steadily seen their credit score go down,” he added.
That’s what the Kiefer’s did when they lost their jobs, and they’re still paying for it today.
“Without being able to pay the back bills that are in collection, we have no ability to move forward,” James added.
The first step to move forward is to establish a credit-boosting plan by paying down credit cards and paying your bills on time.
“Those late payments have very negative effects on your scores,” Wash said.
He says if families stay committed to these plans, it will take around three to six months to see your credit score start to improve.
At this point, the Kiefer’s aren’t close to home ownership, but they’re working on that score.
“I would give a kidney to give my children a room,” James said.
Credit cards can be dangerous, but Wash says they’re still needed to build your credit score and help you qualify for a mortgage. He suggests putting small purchases on them every month and make sure you’re paying them off. There are also down payment assistance programs to help first time home buyers.
If you don’t have tens of thousands in savings, a local loan officer can help you find other ways to foot the bill.
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