{"id":38613,"date":"2025-10-27T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=38613"},"modified":"2025-10-22T17:32:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T17:32:28","slug":"kids-mental-health-pierce-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/kids-mental-health-pierce-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Mom partners with collaborative to address youth mental health","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Mom partners with collaborative to address youth mental health<\/h2>\n

Twenty years ago, Jasmine Martinez began her career in behavioral health.<\/p>\n

Little did she know her son would come to experience an extreme onset of mental health challenges as part of a rare genetic disorder.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved here from New Mexico in 2015, and we moved here for \u2014 this is where some people kind of get a shocked face \u2014 the behavioral health system, in part,\u201d Martinez explains.<\/p>\n

In Washington, her son was seen at Seattle Children\u2019s and MultiCare Mary Bridge Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a>. Though he would go on to require some of the most intensive inpatient and outpatient mental health care offered in the nation, Martinez is thankful for the exceptional care from Mary Bridge Children\u2019s early on, and the care team\u2019s willingness to learn together and try new things.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never could have imagined that I would return to the field with this sort of lived experience,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I came back after a hiatus and advocating with and for my children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collaborating to improve pediatric behavioral health care<\/h2>\n

Martinez now serves as a member of the Washington governor’s 1580 rapid care team, where she partners with parents and caregivers, system partners, agencies and organizations across the state to creatively support youth 17 and younger in crisis.<\/p>\n

Her work has also brought her into Kids\u2019 Mental Health Washington\u2019s orbit, which grew from the best-practice model of Kids\u2019 Mental Health Pierce County<\/a> (KMHPC).<\/p>\n

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KMHPC and Youth Engagement Services team members with keynote speaker Lucas McIntyre, MD, and two summit sponsors.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

In 2018, Mary Bridge Children\u2019s Foundation<\/a> heavily invested in this community collaborative, where multiple agencies, professionals and partners combine resources to improve child and adolescent mental health treatment and prevention.<\/p>\n

The program has seen a 400 percent return on investment. Highlights from 2024 include:<\/p>\n