Washington State Investing in Rural Mental Health Crisis Care Capacity

OLYMPIA, Wash. - On Monday, April 12, the Washington State Department of Commerce announced $2.24 million in capital grants to three behavioral health care providers across the state. Funding is provided through a partnership with Premera Blue Cross, and will place needed capacity for health crisis stabilization care into rural communities.

“Where you live should not be a barrier to appropriate and immediate treatment for people suffering a health crisis. We are proud to be working with Premera to develop a more complete range of behavioral health care options for residents of Washington’s rural communities,” said Commerce Director Lisa Brown. “These grants are an important investment in the future of community-based mental health care throughout our state.”

The projects awarded funding will offer people in crisis more options for treatment closer to home and family. Additionally, they will account for different stages of need, ensuring that individuals get the appropriate level of care. Crisis care is meant to stabilize a person so they don’t progress to higher levels of care.  The grants were awarded to:

• Three Rivers Therapy – Three Rivers Therapy Crisis Stabilization Center project, located in Kennewick, awarded $904,470 for construction of a new mental health outpatient and crisis stabilization center.
• Comprehensive Healthcare - Klickitat Crisis Stabilization project, located in White Salmon, awarded $338,650 for a renovation that will allow for two new 23-hour recliners and related behavioral health crisis stabilization outpatient services.
• MultiCare Foundations – Deaconess Hospital Crisis Stabilization Unit project, located in Spokane, awarded $1 million for a renovation that will create a new 22-bed crisis stabilization unit adjacent to the Deaconess Hospital emergency department for behavioral health crisis stabilization outpatient services.

The investments support Gov. Jay Inslee’s five-year plan to modernize and transform Washington’s mental health system, with the goal of ending civil patient placements at the state’s large hospitals by 2023 in favor of smaller community-based facilities.