The motto on the Mental Division of the Washington State Department of Health Services' (DHS) Web site is, "The mission of the Mental Health Division is to promote recovery and safety." The number of people who struggle with mental health issues, whether they are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, returning war veterans or people who don't know where they will sleep tonight, depend on mental health care providers for healing and support.

Unfortunately, mental health care in Washington is facing a dilemma that could hurt the quality of care in the near future. A recent article in The Seattle Times on a disagreement between mental health providers and the Service Employees International Union may hurt the mental health care services that Washington state's residents depend on. According to the article, a proposed sales tax increase to nine cents on a $1 purchase that would generate $50 million each year for mental health care services has been put on hold due to the disagreement between providers and the union.

According to the DHS Web site, "County government agencies and 145 private and non-profit organizations provide treatment for most of Washington's estimated 126,009 adults and 37,552 children with mental illness." Just like with any other physical ailment, people with mental health problems require capable individuals to diagnose and treat them.

Although Americans are more open than some other societies to discussing and treating mental health issues, there is still a stigma attached to them. With the recent uncovering of severely lacking health care for troops at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., one hopes that if traumatized troops returning from war can't get the mental and physical health care they need on a national level, they should be able to look to states for support. If people are to be encouraged to take advantage of the state's services for these conditions, adequate funding and satisfied, well-paid providers are an absolute necessity. Hopefully, a disagreement between a union and providers will not stand for too much longer between $50 million and the state's mental health care system.