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News from HCA’s Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery

Prevention begins with connection; the role of third places in mental health

For Mental Health Awareness Month, we at HCA are focusing on community connection and prevention in action. Prevention in behavioral health often…

May 01, 2026

2025 Healthy Youth Survey results point to steady course in Washington youth well-being  

For immediate release: April 29, 2026 (26-043)

Contact: DOH Communications

Findings provide data to guide local health jurisdictions…

April 29, 2026

Apply for the Rural Health Transformation Program Advisory Committee

As part of Washington state’s Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, we’re organizing an advisory committee (AC). The RHT-AC will help…

April 24, 2026

More DBHR announcements

Announcements

Public health alert: rising teen overdoses from Diphenhydramine

Washington Poison Center has identified a concerning and sustained increase in overdoses among youth involving diphenhydramine, a common over-the-…

April 23, 2026
The Mental Health Awareness Month toolkit is here

Your complete SAMHSA Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit is here.

Mental Health Awareness Month 2026 launches May 1. The theme…

April 22, 2026
Take the Public Health Workforce Career Pathways survey!

The National Indian Health Board is seeking to collect information to better understand existing educational pathways, internships, fellowships,…

April 22, 2026
Supporting youth and families in grief

A recording of the Kids' Mental Health Pierce County webinar, "Supporting Youth and Families in Grief," is now available.

The…

April 22, 2026

Native Youth Prevention Summit seeks youth to join planning committee

The Native Youth Prevention Summit is a 3-4 day gathering for Native Youth and their adult advisors and youth advocates, occurring June 23-26,…

April 21, 2026
Washington Poison Center calls for proposals for Overdose Awareness Series sessions.

Overdose Awareness Series

Bridging public health, healthcare, and community response.…

April 21, 2026
New US suicide data dashboards available

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center has released new data dashboards that visualize the latest data, in addition to free PowerPoint slides.…

April 17, 2026
Kratom: What Prevention Professionals Should Know

Join an upcoming webinar on May 11 brought to you by Northwest HIDTA, Cle Elem Cascade Prevention Coalition, West Spokane Wellness…

April 16, 2026

More announcements

Upcoming Events

Western Regional Conference on Problem Gambling

Apr 27 - 30 2026

Washington

The annual Western Regional Conference on Problem Gambling will occur April 27-30, 2026 in Vancouver, WA. Save the date and visit the conference…
Guiding Good Choices & Guiando Buenas Decisiones Training - Virtual

Apr 27 - May 1 2026

Guiding Good Choices & Guiando Buenas Decisiones Training
Training is available in English and Spanish for initial (new facilitators)…
NW PTTC Evaluation Bootcamp

May 4 2026 | 11am - 12:30pm

Join the Northwest PTTC Evaluation Bootcamp for an interactive learning experience designed to build essential evaluation skills you can apply…
Washington Thriving Town Hall

May 6 2026 | 11:30am - 12:30pm

Behavioral Health Catalyst (BHC) is hosting a Town Hall event to increase awareness of the Washington Thriving Strategic Plan…

Leveraging Systems Change for Substance Misuse Prevention

May 6 2026 | 1 - 2:30pm

ENHANCED PREVENTION LEARNING SERIES (EPLS) Leveraging Systems Change for Substance Misuse Prevention

This 6-week series offers an…
West Coast Mentoring Conference

May 6 2026 | 9am - 4pm

Right now, young people are navigating more pressure, noise, and change than ever—and the adults and systems around them can’t afford to…
Update on the Diversification of Kratom-Derived Products

May 6 2026 | 3 - 4pm

This session will provide a background on traditional kratom and an overview of the recent proliferation of novel, kratom-derived products.…
Aging & Public Health Summit

May 5 - 6 2026

This national summit will convene public health, prevention, behavioral health, and community health practitioners to explore how diverse…

More events

Community Library

The Athena Forum’s Community Library makes various prevention resources readily available for use by substance use disorder prevention and mental health promotion professionals and volunteers statewide. The Community Library is comprised of handouts, templates, risk profiles, publications, brochures, guidance, and reference tools. Providers can also use this shared space to upload coalition-developed publications, such as newsletters, and earned media that highlights local work.

Visit the Community Library