WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

MEDIA ADVISORY: Individuals touched by children’s mental health issues available after bill hearing

WHO:
Rep. Tana Senn (41st Legislative District)
Mary Richards
Roseann Martinez

WHAT: Hearing on House Bill 1713, related to children’s mental health and media availability with affected individuals

WHERE: Olympia, WA – House Hearing Room C

WHEN: Wednesday, February 1, 2017, from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Rep. Senn, Mary Richards, and Roseann Martinez will be available immediately following the hearing for questions.

WHY: The House Early Learning and Human Services committee will be hearing House Bill 1713 relating to children’s mental health.

In addition to testifying during the committee hearing, the following people will be available immediately following the hearing to answer questions:

Rep. Tana Senn – prime sponsor of House Bill 1713

Mary Richards – a junior at Western Washington University majoring in Human Services, suicide attempt survivor and mental health advocate. Mary will testify about going through a mental health crisis as a child and the difficulty her family had finding resources to help, even though they had good health insurance

Roseann Martinez – the Signature Services Director for Behavioral Health and Adoption at Children’s Home Society of Washington and the mother of a college student that lives with bi polar disorder. Roseann will testify about the year she spent navigating the mental health system to help set her teenage son up for a life of recovery and wellness.