Snohomish County is sitting on one of the greatest secrets and remains relatively unknown. This not only saves the county hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, but is also the best thing that has ever happened for families who have been effected by chemical addiction. Family Drug Court is a pilot program which does not get much attention, but has been able to intensively increase accountability for parents who have had their children removed due to their chemical usage. Through this intensive weekly accountability and scrutiny, behavioral change and lifestyle modification has been streamlined. This has had the positive affect of families being reunited quicker than was permitted through the traditional systems.
Due to funding cuts, the county is in jeopardy of losing this pilot program. Anyone who has been through the system where children have been removed while the parent(s) go through the treatment programs can understand how vital this pilot is to continue. Communication, as well as treatment, gets expedited in an efficient manner and families become healthy again more quickly. I would like to encourage anyone who has experienced this or knows anyone who has experienced these processes to contact the Snohomish County Council to encourage its approval of funding for the Family Drug Court pilot project and all drug courts in Snohomish County.
Dr. Robert Baize
Sedro Woolley
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