1 minute read
DATA ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH IN PIERCE COUNTY
September 2021
Untreated or insufficiently treated behavioral health disorders leave a lasting impact on individuals, families, and our community. Measuring the outcomes of interventions funded by grants is key to knowing which prevention or treatment options work. The Six-Year Plan section of the Behavioral Health Improvement Plan contains details on potential metrics to determine program effectiveness.
Those community behavioral health measures currently available demonstrate the need for new and expanded services within Pierce County. The county trends higher than state or national averages on several behavioral health measures.
From 2015-2019, the rate of drug overdose deaths in Pierce County was 17.2 per 100,000 people, higher than the state average of 15.3 (Washington State DOH). In the first six months of 2021, there were 55
fentanyl related deaths in Pierce County, already surpassing a total of
34 in 2020 and 11 in 2019 (Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department). This coincides with a similar pattern statewide.
In 2019, Pierce County had a suicide rate of 20.1 per 100,000 people, while the state average was 16.4 (Washington State DOH).
In 2017, Pierce County had 59.6 mental health counselors per 100,000 people. Though we don’t have updated numbers as of 2021, we know that workforce shortages have increased for most every provider of public behavioral healthcare in Pierce County, particularly in higher level positions such as mental health professionals, psychologists, and psychiatrists (Washington State Behavioral Health Workforce Assessment, 2017).
