OLYMPIA – Yesterday, the Washington State House of Representatives passed House Bill 1874 on a bipartisan vote of 89-8. The Adolescent Behavioral Health Care Access Act, sponsored by Rep. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, would allow parents and guardians to be more involved in the behavioral health treatment of their child.
The bill, originally inspired by a request for help from a constituent, is the result of the work of the Parent-Initiated Treatment Stakeholder Advisory Group, a subcommittee of the Children’s Mental Health Work Group, which Frame co-chairs. The subcommittee met more than 20 times during the 2018 interim to address age of consent for behavioral health treatment and other issues related to the current parent-initiated treatment process.
Under current Washington law, a minor 13 years of age or older may admit themselves to an evaluation and treatment facility without parental consent, and must give permission for their parent or guardian to participate in or stay informed of their behavioral health treatment. Key test results, diagnoses, and other information about an adolescent’s treatment cannot be shared with a parent or guardian without the consent of the adolescent, who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder.
In addition, current law limits parent-initiated treatment to allow parents to admit their child without their consent into medically necessary inpatient treatment. This often means that if an adolescent does not consent to treatment, they must become a danger to themselves or others before a parent can initiate treatment.
The Adolescent Behavioral Health Care Access Act would allow behavioral health professionals to provide parents or guardians with certain treatment information if they determine the release of that information is appropriate and not harmful to the adolescent. The bill also permits parents and guardians to request outpatient treatment for their adolescent, expanding the current parent-initiated treatment process so that adolescents can get treatment before they reach the point of hospitalization.
“Parents across the state are desperate to be allowed to help their children struggling with mental health issues or a substance use disorder. At the same time we need to protect the rights and privacy of these youth,” said Frame. “This bill strikes a balance by ensuring adolescents can continue to access treatment on their own, while giving concerned parents an avenue to help their child, and be involved with their treatment.”
House Bill 1874 now heads to the Senate for further consideration.