By MBAKS Marketing Coordinator Chancellor Wallin
In decades past, public health
crises brought to mind a very
different picture than what’s
painted today. Before shelter-inplace,
school closures, and social
distancing, the most serious
threats facing the American
public existed outside our
homes.
Now, a new set of risks have
emerged.
If the COVID-19 pandemic
taught us anything, it was how
to spend a lot of time with the
most important person in each
of our lives—ourselves. While
we were stuck at home in a
world with an uncertain future,
the pandemic brought with
it an unintended side effect:
an increase in the prevalence
of anxiety, depression, and
substance abuse disorders
worldwide.
MBAKS community partner
Valley Cities Behavioral Health
Care knows this better than
anyone. Jessica Forshee, clinic
manager of the Kent branch,
described how the past two
and half years changed their
operations.
“Our clinics never closed
throughout the pandemic.
While our care became
accessible and flexible with
telehealth, it also flooded. The
past two years have been a
constant balancing act between
supporting our staff and clients.
But we never closed our doors.”
Established in 1967, Valley Cities
is a nonprofit organization
that has been providing care
to people of all ages for over
50 years. With a dozen clinics
scattered all over the greater
Seattle area, Valley Cities offers
comprehensive outpatient and
inpatient treatment in direct
response to the changing needs
of the communities they exist in.
Today their services include
licensed mental health care
counseling and substance use
disorder treatment, outreach
to unhoused and displaced
members of our community,
and specialized care that delivers
counseling and family support
to veterans and their loved ones.
At the core of their philosophy
is the belief that the resiliency
and strength of the human spirit
can overcome the obstacles that
confront the people who walk
through their doors or dial in
to their phone lines. But, unlike
many traditional mental health
care providers, their belief in
a holistic approach supports
individuals in reaching their
highest potential.
Working collaboratively with
over 25 community partners,
Valley Cities is integral to
the King County mental health
care system. They believe
recovery is a road with many
different exits and that every
patient has different needs and
obstacles—and understanding
these is key to providing care
that works.
Rejecting prescriptive treatment
means some of their services
aren’t what you’d expect.
Resume building, professional
development, and community
connections all make the list.
This intersectional approach
means that behavioral health
treatment doesn’t always entail
therapists and prescriptions.
It’s not enough to cure someone
of their depression or anxiety
if their environment is
cultivating bad or unsafe
habits and behaviors.
Valley Cities comprises teams
of nurses, grant writers,
and case workers—talented
professionals from all different
backgrounds with a singular
purpose: helping give back to
our community. These passions
aligned in the fall of this year to
forge yet another community
partnership: MBAKS’ Painting a
Better Tomorrow.
Jessica explained, “It’s important
to make our clients feel like our
space is welcoming, soothing,
and calming so they feel safe
enough to access care. That’s
exactly why we looked for
programs and grants to create
spaces of belonging.”
Built in the 1990s, the Kent
clinic is one of Valley Cities’
most prominent offices—
servicing the entirety of south
Seattle with the biggest capacity
and staff the organization has to
offer. Over the years, the priority
has been on keeping their care
accessible and open; cosmetic
and decorative repairs, while
necessary, fell to the wayside.
That’s why on November 5,
MBAKS staff, members, and
volunteers took to the walls of
the Valley Cities Kent office to
provide a fresh coat of paint—
and a promise. While our means
may be different, for a moment,
our ends aligned for the same
goal—Caring about the people
around us. And that’ll be a
promise worth keeping.
Interested in learning more about the Valley Cities
mission? Whether you’d like to donate, volunteer, or
be a part of others’ recovery journey, Valley Cities is
always looking for those passionate about the cause.
There’s a multitude of ways to help, just as Valley Cities
believes there are many ways to care.
Learn more at valleycities.org/volunteer.
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