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Behavioral Health Advisory Board
The King County Behavioral Health Advisory Board is a volunteer citizen board formed in April 2016 in support of the new Behavioral Health Organization (BHO). It reviews services for the King County BHO - mental health and substance use disorder services - to provide input and counsel to King County on priorities, policies, budgets and programs for the residents of King County.
The board works to promote the importance of prevention, treatment, recovery and the de-stigmatization of mental illness and addiction. The board was created in RCW 71.24.300 and is recognized in King County Code 2.32.010. The board reviews services in the public behavioral health (mental health and substance use disorder) system and provides feedback about how the system could be made better. Board responsibilities include:
- Reviewing and providing comments on plans and policies
- Local oversight on activities of the BHO including service delivery and outcomes
- Reviewing and approving recommendations from subcommittees
- Providing information to the residents of King County on system change issues
- Promoting de-stigmatization of mental illness and addiction
- Legislative advocacy related to behavioral health, including identifying and promoting issues of importance in prevention, treatment and recovery
- Serving as liaison between service provider boards, Chief Executive Officers, and clients.
Meetings
Meetings are held the first Thursday of the month from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. via Teams. Meetings are open to the public.
UPDATE: Per RCW 42.30 Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), all meetings of governing bodies of public agencies are required to be open to the public. The Governor has lifted the OPMA waiver for in-person meetings. Effective July 7, 2022, the monthly BHAB meeting will occur in Conference Room 121 of the Chinook Building at the above address. BHAB will still meet online but pursuant to the OPMA requirement, the board shall adhere to the requirement of meeting in a physical location.
For any questions, please contact:
Monica De Leon Carvajal
Monica De Leon Carvajal
Meeting Materials and Minutes
2024 Meeting Materials
January
Agenda
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2023 Meeting Materials
No Meeting
Bylaws
Bylaws have been established for the new Behavioral Health Advisory Board.
Composition
The board is made up of a 15 volunteer members. The law requires that the board be broadly representative of the diverse populations that live in the county and of the persons served by the public behavioral health system. Representation from King County’s rich ethnic and cultural diversity is actively sought. People with a lived experience with mental illness or substance use disorders now in recovery and family members of people who have received services in the public behavioral health system must make up at least 51% of the board. The board also strives to achieve broad countywide representation. Length of term is three years, which is renewable. See bottom of the page for a list of board members.
Membership
We currently have openings and are recruiting for certain districts. Please contact our board liaison listed below for more information.
Ramika Toms, Board Liaison
401 5th Avenue, Suite 400
Seattle, WA 98104
ramika.toms@kingcounty.gov
Prior King County Boards
Both the previousMental Health Advisory Boardand theAlcoholism and Substance Abuse Administrative Boardwere disbanded the end of March 2016 as the new Behavioral Health Advisory Board was activated with the implementation of the Behavioral Health Organization on April 1, 2016.
Board Members
Nancy Dow
Nancy Dow is the current BHAB Chair. Nancy retired from Harborview Medical Center in April 2020 after 21 years working as a Peer Specialist, providing a full range of direct patient care. Nancy developed a customized version of the SAHMSA evidence-based “Illness Management & Recovery” program for outpatient staff & peers at HMHAS. Starting in 2013, Nancy worked on the Harborview Psychiatric ICU as part of the Peer Bridger Team, providing peer support & short-term follow-up to peers discharging from in-patient hospital stays. Nancy is an experienced trainer, specializing in training inpatient nurses and other psychiatric staff in Trauma Informed Care principals and recovery-related topics. Nancy represented peer & provider interests and advocated for mental health services on the King County Mental Health Advisory Board since 2003 and the Behavioral Health Advisory Board since 2016. She was the first Peer Chair of the MH Board and represented the Board on the 1st MIDD Advisory Board. Most recently Nancy served on the Harborview Leadership Group, that was responsible for developing the King County Building Bond proposal passed by voters in 2020. Nancy enjoys gardening, photography, do-it-yourself home projects, and she’s a sound technician for community musical theater. Nancyresides in Council District 2.
Nathan Gordon
More information coming soon
Jasmeet Singh
More information coming soon.
Alex Sheehan
Alex resides in Council District 7. For the first decade of his career, Alex worked in probation and parole as a Corrections Specialist, specializing in reentry and Therapeutic Court systems. In this role, he worked closely with government, community-based organizations, treatment providers, and non-profits in order to provide resources to those on probation as well as their families through a strength-based model of supervision. Now, Alex works as a Behavioral Health Program Administrator, working on various behavioral health expansion efforts throughout Washington in response to Engrossed Senate Bill (ESB) 5476. Alex has also provided consultation to national non-profit and government entities seeking to provide training and technical assistance regarding the expansion of mental health services. Additionally, Alex serves on the Board of NAMI Washington providing educational resources and events, legislative advocacy, statewide outreach, and organizational support to nineteen NAMI affiliates throughout Washington State. Alex has been serving as a member of the King County Behavioral Health Advisory Board since 2021.
Stacey Devenney
Stacey Devenney resides in Council District number 8. Stacey is an expert in public sector behavioral health system design and programming, particularly the integration of behavioral health and primary care. A Licensed Mental Health Counselor and specialist in integrated care and quality improvement, she offers depth in operations systems design, implementation, and funding strategies to serve the safety net and complex care populations. Stacey works with stakeholders across systems to develop and drive person-centered, culturally competent care that optimizes outcomes and reduces costs.
Stacey has provided direct clinical care for numerous non-profit organizations, multiple co-occurring (mental health/substance use) programs, and a for-profit hospital where she concentrated on individuals with symptoms of mental illness and substance use who were aggressive towards themselves and others. Stacey has held leadership roles for an acute treatment unit, a residential program, crisis services, outpatient mental health clinics, and substance use treatment programs in community behavioral health centers in Arizona and Washington State. She has lead clinical program development, quality improvement, and directly supervised clinical managers and therapists.
Stacey is currently the Regional Director of Operations for Telecare. She oversees the operations of 4 Evaluation & Treatment Centers, one Telecare Community Alternatives Team, a new King County PACT Team and Telecare’s new King County Forensic’s Teams (FHARPS and FPATH).
Lucas Sherman
More information coming.
Kathryn Obermeyer
Kathryn Obermeyer, B.S.N., resides in Council District 2. She is a retired registered nurse who has worked in nursing education, transplant, and biotechnology studies. She has also worked as a psychiatric nurse at a state hospital and in a private hospital setting, and as a volunteer jail counselor at the Cowlitz County jail. Since retirement, she has been active with Immanuel Community services and served as board president from 2008 through 2012. Supporting the homeless while working toward ending homelessness are important goals for her. She is passionate about improvement of the behavioral health system, as she has two close immediate family members who struggle with mental illness and obtaining services. Ms. Obermeyer served as a member of the King County Mental Health Advisory Board since 2015.