During his campaign, Gov. Bob Ferguson promised to spend a week working at Western State Hospital to better understand the challenges facing the state’s largest psychiatric facility.
Following a four-day stint at the facility in Lakewood, Pierce County, this week, where he talked to staff daily and toured the construction site for a new state hospital, Ferguson said a few things have become clear.
He’s encouraged by the state’s progress on major mental health goals, such as starting construction on a new hospital and reducing wait times for patients sitting in jail awaiting treatment…