Senator seeks Medicaid‑waiver payment and opioid‑settlement funding to stabilize Maddie’s Place

Sen. Marcus Raccelli described Maddie’s Place on Spokane County Spotlight as a dyad model that supports substance‑exposed newborns alongside their mothers during the earliest, formative days.

Raccelli said he has put about $7 million into Maddie’s Place over the past three years and has introduced legislation to pursue a state plan amendment to the Medicaid waiver so the program could receive Medicaid payments for eligible services. He said opioid settlement dollars would provide a funding source until Medicaid reimbursement is available.

Commissioner Amber Waldrep said the county and city have partnered on the project and used mental‑health and behavioral‑health funds for capital costs; she and Raccelli both emphasized the need to move the program onto a sustainable, Medicaid‑reimbursable footing.

Raccelli added that capital and operating sustainability will be central to the upcoming committee discussions; no committee votes or formal budget enactments were reported on the broadcast.