Community Mental Health Summit in Eastern Washington

May 21, 2026 | WSU Spokane Campus

The Eastern Washington Community Mental Health Summit brings together behavioral health professionals, researchers, students, community organizations, and advocates for a focused day of collaboration and shared learning. The summit highlights evidence-informed practices, regional initiatives, and practical strategies to strengthen mental health systems across Eastern Washington.

Conference Theme

Translating Evidence into Real-World Solutions in the Community.

Mental health challenges do not exist in isolation. They intersect with housing, substance use, cultural context, workforce capacity, and access to care. The Community Mental Health Summit in Eastern Washington is centered on bridging research, policy, and frontline practice to improve outcomes across our region.

Why Attend?

The Eastern Washington Community Mental Health Summit brings together behavioral health professionals, researchers, students, community health leaders, health policy makers, and advocates whose work incorporates strategies to address mental health and improve outcomes for community members, for a focused day of collaboration and shared learning. Tailored to current needs and interests, this conference was designed to highlight novel research and community solutions to increase awareness, build needs for collaboration, and contribute improved outcomes for individuals with mental health concerns.

View Agenda

This full-day, in-person event will feature concurrent breakout sessions and conclude with a panel discussion.

The summit will center on evidence-informed practices, regional initiatives, and practical strategies to strengthen mental health systems across Eastern Washington. General breakout sessions will focus on:

• Co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders
• Housing and homelessness
• Youth mental health needs
• Culturally responsive services and supports for diverse populations
• Crisis response and awareness
• WSU Spokane Training and technical assistance support for providers
• WSU Spokane Clinical services to support community

We have a wonderful list of speakers that include: Kitara Jones from Gabriel’s Challenge, Dr. Bob Lutz from Chas Health, Detective Butler from Spokane Police Department, Andrew Chanse from Spokane Public Libraries, and many more. These community leaders will be joined by clinicians, faculty, and researchers from across WSU such as Dr. Sarah Fincham from WSU College of Nursing, Drs. Liat Kregel, Katherine Hirchak, Sara Parent, Anna Hing, and Michael McDonell from WSU College of Medicine, Dr. Marcus Poppen from WSU College of Education Sport and Human Services, and Dr. Nicole Rodin from WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Program Outline May 21, 2026

Morning Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Afternoon Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Registration

Register Online

Registration for the Summit is free. Due to room capacity limits, registration is limited to 150 attendees. All attendees are required to indicate all special dietary or ADA accommodations needs when registering for the conference.

Fill out our Registration form

Continuing Education Credits

We are currently in the process of being able to provide Continuing Education credits approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors to meet requirements for social workers, mental health counselors, substance use counselors, marriage and family therapists and clinical psychologists, as well as the ACCME for medical physicians. Please continuous check this page for updates.

Disclaimer

This event is an in-person event only. If you register and are unable to attend please reach out to us, so we can accommodate others: elias.sandovaljr@wsu.edu.