Behavioral Health Treatment Needs and Outcomes for Washington Counties

These county-level reports track key behavioral health measures of the individuals receiving medical assistance (Medicaid) in Washington. The measures include rates of behavioral health treatment need (mental health, substance use disorder, co-occurring disorder, psychotropic polypharmacy) and outcomes often associated with the treatment need: involvement in the criminal justice system, emergency department utilization, and homelessness. To account for diversity of characteristics and experiences among the individuals receiving Medicaid, we developed measures for four non-overlapping groups: 1) disabled adults and children on Medicaid, 2) non-disabled classic Medicaid adults, 3) non-disabled Medicaid expansion adults, and 4) non-disabled children and youth on Medicaid or SCHIP. The rates are presented for State Fiscal Years (SFY) 2010 through 2016 by major age group, gender, race or ethnicity, and geographically. Rates mapped by county identify areas of the state with higher and lower needs; the maps provide a quick way to compare each county to its neighbors and other counties.

Behavioral Health Treatment Needs and Outcomes for Washington Counties is the latest addition to the Community Outcome and Risk Evaluation geographic information system - CORE, a comprehensive collection of social indicators relevant to a broad range of problem behaviors among adolescents and adults, such as substance abuse among youth.  The CORE data are used for prevention planning and needs assessment by the DSHS Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery - DBHR, its state and local partners, and other organizations concerned with public health. CORE collects and reports data at the most geographically detailed level possible, enabling targeted, community-specific approach to prevention (see  https://www.dshs.wa.gov/ffa/research-and-data-analysis/community-risk-profiles ).

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