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Listen: Austin Jenkins reports on out-of-state placements for Washington's youth in crisis

A woman smiles with her son who is wearing a Pokémon shirt. They are seated outside at a table in the sunshine with a glass of soda.
Courtesy Robin Marie
Robin Marie and her 13-year-old son Brennan pose for a photo earlier this spring at a restaurant in Texas. Marie was visiting her son who's living and attending school at an out-of-state residential treatment facility paid for by his local school district and the state.

Some Washington parents with kids in crisis have been faced with an impossible choice: Send their children to out-of-state, therapeutic boarding schools for the services they need, or deal with inadequate care here at home.

While these cases are not the norm, Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins found they highlight institutional gaps in key support services for these families, a problem only made worse during the pandemic. Austin recently published this story and joined Morning Edition Host Kirsten Kendrick to talk about it.

Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on KNKX and the sports interview series "Going Deep," talking with folks tied to sports in our region about what drives them — as professionals and people.
Vivian McCall is a former KNKX reporter, producer and host. She previously spent eight years as a reporter in Chicago, where she wrote for the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ public radio.