Veterans urge Rep. Kim Schrier to address mental health care shortages in Wenatchee Valley

WENATCHEE — In a meeting with Representative Kim Schrier Oct. 13, advocates called for more support to meet the growing need for mental healthcare for local veterans.

“There are really wonderful people working themselves to near expiration trying to serve veterans…We need more support,” said veteran Tony Sandoval.

During a roundtable discussion, veterans illustrated the ongoing challenge of accessing appropriate and timely mental healthcare from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services, which has been exacerbated by funding cuts and staffing shortages. Community providers said they have been trying to fill the gaps, but they are struggling to meet the growing need on their own.

“There's just a huge lack of services,” said Chelan County Community Services Manager Amber Murillo-Vera. “We all serve veterans, but we all kind of do it in our own capacity…and kind of patch it together.”

Between the Yakima Valley Vet Center and the Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Wenatchee, advocates told Rep. Schrier that the VA had been unable to provide a permanent therapist for the Greater Wenatchee Valley over the past several years.

“The hope was that the federal government…would step up and provide the services that our veterans in our community need so dearly, but that hasn't been the case,” psychotherapist Heather Hill of Central Washington Veterans Counseling told Ward Media.

Instead, there has been a reliance on Care in the Community referrals to local providers, including Central Washington Veterans Counseling. Hill said this setup has had its own challenges, particularly with waitlists, authorization burdens, and reimbursement delays.

“But when it comes to a therapist having military cultural competency, my office is the only one in town…That's something that's very important when working with this population,” said Hill.

Hill’s office is one of several organizations trying to build a network of veteran support within the region, including Wenatchee Veterans Hall, NCW Vets Serving Vets and Catholic Charities, to name a few. However, the organizations stress that local resources are limited and fragmented, making it difficult to communicate what is available to vets.

“It feels like there has been this piecemeal effort by a lot of different organizations here to meet these needs that the VA really should be providing,” said Rep. Schrier.

The roundtable advocated for a central resource hub in the Wenatchee Valley that could provide prompt mental and physical health services, face-to-face connections, and other social support services. This, along with a Veterans Suicidal Response Unit, were both identified needs as part of Our Valley Our Future’s 2027-31 Action Plan.

“I wish this was a silver bullet situation, but it's going to take some silver buckshot,” said Our Valley Our Future Executive Director Rachel Evey.

Rep. Schrier said she would continue advocating for more funding for the VA, as well as a Vet Center for North Central Washington.

“I appreciate all of the input, and I certainly have marching orders to push on the VA,” said Rep. Schrier.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media