More than 400 people gathered in the UW Husky Union Building for the 2025 Washington State Mental Health Summit on May 13. A partnership between Chad’s Legacy Project, the Behavioral Health Institute at Harborview Medical Center, and our department, this event put a spotlight on new initiatives advancing mental health care around the state.

The keynote speaker, WA Senator Manka Dhingra, opened the event by discussing the intersection between current legislative support and treatment in mental and behavioral health. Following Senator Dhingra’s remarks was a moving tribute to former Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, an incredible advocate for mental health policy, who passed away in March, shortly after his retirement from public service. 

Two past initiatives were highlighted including one from PBSCI’s Bill O’Connell, EdD, who shared updates on efforts to expand Washington’s behavioral health workforce through the Bachelor-level Behavioral Health Support Specialists program that he directs. A half dozen new initiatives were introduced including Raising Washington, an effort to ‘move mental health upstream’ and provide mental health care and parenting support for high risk babies born across the state of Washington, which was presented by PBSCI Chair Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH, MA, followed by the Wellbeing Specialists initiative presented by CoLab’s Anna Duncan, MPH and China Bolden Jarvis, PhD.  

Dr. Unützer also moderated a Community Leaders’ Panel Discussion which included, among others, PBSCI faculty members Denise Chang, MD and Nathan Sackett, MD, MS. Their conversation addressed how stigma, provider assumptions, and cultural narratives influence the use of medications for mental health conditions, especially in serious diagnoses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The panel reflected on what’s changing — and what still needs to change — to ensure people can access compassionate, personalized, and effective care.