To read archived news releases, please choose the appropriate year below:
Sep 03 2020
DSHS Office of Communications, Kelly Von Holtz, 360-902-7739
OLYMPIA -- The Department of Social and Health Services is proposing construction of a behavioral health facility in Lewis County and needs public input.
The agency hopes the public will take part in a virtual meeting to be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2020 to give comment on the proposed facility located at the old Maple Lane School site, owned by the Department of Corrections. The location address is 20311 Old Highway 9 SE, Centralia, WA 98531.
Aug 18 2020
DSHS Office of Communications, Norah West, (360) 902-7833
OLYMPIA—During these tough economic times, many families are concerned about how they will support their children. The Department of Social and Health Services’ Division of Child Support wants to remind parents this month, officially proclaimed as Child Support Awareness Month by Gov. Jay Inslee, that help is ...read the full news release
Aug 14 2020
DSHS Office of Communications, Lisa Copeland, (360) 902-7844
OLYMPIA—The Department of Social and Health Services’ Developmental Disabilities Administration confirmed today that on June 22, 2020, email addresses of clients and their representatives were improperly disclosed through an addressing error.
The purpose of the email was to notify DDA clients of their rights, as required by a new law that went into effect in June 2020. The email mistakenly listed the email addresses of recipients in the “To” line rather than the “Bcc” line. ...read the full news release
Jul 24 2020
DSHS Office of Communications, Kelly Von Holtz, 360-902-7739
MEDICAL LAKE – The Department of Social and Health Services is pleased to announce that Jayme Skehan, RN, MSN, DNP has accepted the position of Chief Nursing Officer at the agency’s Eastern State Hospital.
Skehan may be new to this position, but she is not new to Eastern. She came to the hospital in 2017 through a consulting firm as the Interim Quality Director. That year, she assisted the facility in maintaining its accreditation by the ...read the full news release
Jul 17 2020
DSHS Office of Communications, Chris Wright, (360) 628-1043
OLYMPIA - The Department of Social and Health Services received a federal grant of nearly $890,000 to provide work-based job training for low-income, unemployed older Washingtonians. This grant will help prepare hundreds of older adults in Washington state for a post-COVID-19 economy.
DSHS will use the money to provide remote training opportunities and job preparation and coaching. Training will focus on gaining and retaining employment, digital literacy and technical ...read the full news release
