The Mental Health Project is a Seattle Times initiative focused on covering mental and behavioral health issues. It is funded by Ballmer Group, a national organization focused on economic mobility for children and families. The Seattle Times maintains editorial control over work produced by this team.

During his campaign, Gov. Bob Ferguson promised to spend a week working at Western State Hospital to better understand the challenges facing the state’s largest psychiatric facility.

Following a four-day stint at the facility in Lakewood, Pierce County, this week, where he talked to staff daily and toured the construction site for a new state hospital, Ferguson said a few things have become clear.

He’s encouraged by the state’s progress on major mental health goals, such as starting constr

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