"Ashley Gray, 16, of Park County, said she was sent to the hospital in January for a mental health evaluation after talking to the counselor at Platte Canyon High School.
“I was just having a bad day and I needed someone to talk to in the heat of the moment, so I went to our counselor,” Gray said.
An hour later, Gray was in the back seat of a squad car headed to the Children’s Hospital South Campus in Highlands Ranch — more than 45 minutes away.
Her father, Maverick Gray, said they weren’t notified until Ashley was nearly at the hospital. This week, they received the bill for that visit: $4,233.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Maverick. “They took it upon themselves to send my daughter to the hospital without my acknowledgement or permission, and then I get a $4,000 bill.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This nightmare scenario is all too possible here in Washington if School Based Health Centers are codified into law with the passage of HB 1225. While the school can't even give our children an aspirin without our consent, school counselors working through the health clinic, whose access is made even easier via telemedicine, can evaluate your children over a screen and make life altering decisions about the state of their mental health. Parents are treated as an afterthought and a piggy bank.
Make sure that you reach out the the Committee Members AND your Representatives to voice your opposition to HB 1225: https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1225