King County Executive Dow Constantine yesterday hosted a discussion with United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy on the youth mental health crisis and policy resources for youth mental health at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference in Washington D.C.

“One of the challenges that we are facing is the increased mental health burden, the increased challenges, particularly for youth, after three years of this disruption. The impact on children and youth has been pronounced and is on top of challenges youth were already experiencing,” Executive Constantine said during the discussion. “As County leaders, we see the impact (on youth mental health) firsthand. You see it when it shows up in the criminal legal system; you see it when it shows up in public health, and in homelessness. You see it when it shows up in suicides.”

Executive Constantine concluded his remarks by thanking Dr. Murthy for his ongoing partnership. “Although a lot of us are doing things in our own jurisdictions, we can’t do it alone. Partnership is critical with state and federal governments and our partnership with you is very much appreciated.” You can watch the full discussion here.