House Concurrent 29, sponsored by Rep. Brooke Green (D-Boise) and Sen. David Nelson (D-Moscow), passed the full House earlier this month, and encourages state officers, agencies, and employees to become better informed on the long- and short-term impacts of severe emotional trauma on children and adult survivors. These serious traumatic events are referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, and occur before a child reaches 18 years old.

The resolution encourages the implementation of evidence-based interventions and practices, which are proven to be successful in identifying risk and helping children and adults suffering from trauma-related disorders develop resiliency and tools to heal.

Nelson said the legislation was a bipartisan effort. He and Green partnered closely with Rep. Laurie Lickley (R-Jerome) and Sen. Jeff Agenbroad (R-Nampa), both of whom serve with them on the Idaho Behavioral Health Council. The resolution was the result of the work done by the council to improve behavioral health systems in Idaho. During the last year, its members, which come from all three branches of state government, identified ways to decrease agency silos, reduce barriers to recovery and treatment, and identify any missing services. 

Rep. Sally Toone

On Wednesday, the House Commerce and Human Resources Committee refused to introduce legislation to allow employees suffering with work-related post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) to seek workers’ compensation.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Sally Toone (D-Gooding), died on a 5-7 vote. It would have added a new section to the state Workers’ Compensation system to cover treatment for PTSI for employees who are currently not covered through the program. PTSI is recognized as a legitimate workplace injury for first responders, but not for other occupations unless there is an accompanying physical injury.

“People in certain occupations, such as coroners, bear witness to atrocities. The trauma they experience puts them at risk for PTSI, which makes it harder for them to stay on the job and care for their families. It is also linked to suicide and substance abuse,” Toone said. “We should expand access to services, so we can make sure people receive the support they need when they need it the most.”

Toone said the vote is especially disappointing when state officials have increasingly advocated to improve behavioral health systems, and even created the Idaho Behavioral Health Council, which includes members of all three branches of government, in the last year to examine the issue statewide and make recommendations to better Idahoans’ access to care.

Thirty-four states — including Alaska, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Utah — allow workers in the Workers’ Compensation system to seek work-related PTSI coverage. Mental Health America reports adult Idahoans have a higher prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care. As a whole, the state ranks 49th for mental health services.

“Idaho is falling behind when it comes to behavioral health,” Toone said. “Horrific events can occur in all fields, and when those incidents happen, we have to make sure employees receive proper care. Addressing PTSI is critical to keeping our workforce healthy, so that people are able to heal and go back to work in a safe manner.”

Sen. David Nelson

Behavioral health issues impact our communities at all levels: schools, hospitals, courts, jails, and more. This is why the Idaho Behavioral Health Council — which features members from each branch of government, including the two of us — was created. So, we can ensure individuals living with mental illness and/or addiction receive the services they need when they need them.

In the past year, we’ve been developing a strategic plan for Idaho, by working collaboratively with local governments, medical providers, community partners, and consumers of behavioral health services and their families. We took a systematic look at the entire system to decrease agency silos, reduce barriers to recovery and treatment, and identify what Idaho is missing.

This summer, we presented the first draft of the plan to Gov. Brad Little, legislative leadership, and the Idaho Supreme Court. It covers state actions through 2024, and includes a set of 34 recommendations — nine of which were identified as key priorities for the next three years — to improve Idahoans’ access to care.

Rep. Brooke Green

Access to providers who are paid fairly is a key recommendation. Currently all of Idaho, but particularly rural Idaho, lacks access to incensed and/or certified behavioral health providers. Our recommendation to developing a comprehensive workforce plan across all our regions will help increase the amount of providers in Idaho. Additionally, we recommended piloting a federal Certified Community Behavioral Clinic model, which in other states has led to more providers and more treatment options.

Idaho’s lack of behavioral assistance has resorted to families and individuals finding the judicial system as their only means for assistance. All too often in Idaho a person with behavioral health challenges ends up arrested or in jail, and that’s their first interaction with the behavioral health system. We have a set of recommendations that seek to involve people who need care earlier and minimize the involvement of the criminal justice system. Our goal is make it easy for folks to access the right care when they need it during the whole spectrum of their treatment and recovery process.

We also have a series of recommendations on recovery and resiliency. It’s tragic for a child to be  traumatized growing up, and we need to avoid the lifelong effects that can follow. We will build programs to promote longterm resiliency. Recovering from addiction or a mental health disease is often a lifelong process. We know our regional recovery community centers are critical components, which is why we must improve the support they receive and also identify other services we may be missing.

While there is still much work to be done to ensure this plan becomes a reality, it is a giant step forward for our state. Each year, more and more Idahoans are seeking behavioral health services due to a myriad of reasons. But there are even more who don’t seek help — we must change that.

Substance abuse and mental health issues can ruin people’s lives. They are diseases that need to be treated, not stigmatized. We were really inspired by all the medical professionals, government officials, and plain folks with these experience who contributed to this plan. Lots of care but also clear-eyed focus was brought to bear, and we are encouraged we have a plan that will significantly help Idahoans in the long run.

We look forward to learning how the plan’s recommendations will be implemented across state agencies, and are so grateful to have participated in this process.