King County Ready to Revamp Its Strategy for Mental Health Emergencies

King County Ready to Revamp Its Strategy for Mental Health Emergencies

King County Expands Mental Health Care Services with New Crisis Care Center

King County is taking significant steps to expand its mental health care infrastructure, with plans to open a new low-barrier Crisis Care Center. The center, which will provide walk-in care and crisis services, is set to be established at the former Polyclinic facility on Capitol Hill.

The planned acquisition of the building, which offers 30,000 square feet and is already zoned and built out for health care services, is part of a $50 million investment. A purchase and sale agreement is in place, and the project is anticipated to seek approval from the King County Council during the summer of 2025. If uninterrupted, the existing Crisis Care Center is expected to close by the end of 2025, with the new center opening at the earliest in 2027.

The community response to the proposed location of the new center has been mixed, with concerns raised about potential impacts on local public safety and public drug use. Some business and neighborhood leaders have suggested exploring alternative locations with less ongoing crisis activity. However, the county has committed to ongoing public feedback opportunities to address these concerns.

Beyond the new Crisis Care Center, King County is working on broader mental health care expansion efforts. These include maintaining transparency and community engagement to address local needs comprehensively. Virtual community meetings are being held regularly by the Department of Community and Human Services to keep the public informed about progress and planning.

In addition to the physical centers, King County's mental health-focused response system is being driven by the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline. The system includes mobile crisis teams, low-barrier centers for walk-in care, and new dispatchers. Fire departments, hospitals, and social service providers can also call directly for a mobile crisis team dispatch.

The expansion of care in King County has come with growing pains, including the need to build trust and confidence in new services. Crisis Connections, the nonprofit that handles 988 in King County, uses an interactive map to track mobile crisis teams throughout the county.

It's worth noting that most calls to 988 don't lead to a mobile crisis dispatch; many callers just need someone to talk to. In rare cases, 988 will transfer a caller to 911, potentially leading to a police response. Mobile crisis services are voluntary, but they also respond to community calls to King County's designated crisis responders for involuntary mental health treatment evaluations.

King County has contracted with DESC for mobile crisis services for adults since 2009, but added 10 new teams starting in December for a total of 27. Less than 1% of calls to 988 require emergency help and a dispatch from a mobile crisis team.

However, information on a person's mental health history and medications is fragmented across different electronic health records. King County is working on building out its data infrastructure for care coordination. Sound Behavioral Health, a nonprofit that operates some of King County's mobile crisis teams, has difficulty accessing records from police and hospitals.

Valley Communications, which takes South King County 911 calls, has sent 251 calls to 988 staff in June, compared to an average of 20 transfers per month earlier in the partnership. This shift towards mental health care services is a positive step towards addressing the needs of King County residents.

[1] King County Executive's Office. (2023). King County's Mental Health Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/executive/strategy-and-budget/strategic-initiatives/mental-health-strategy.aspx

[3] King County Department of Community and Human Services. (2023). Crisis Care Center. Retrieved from https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/dchs/housing/crisis-care-center.aspx

1. King County's mental health care expansion has led to the establishment of a new low-barrier Crisis Care Center, which will provide walk-in care and crisis services at a former Polyclinic facility on Capitol Hill.
2. The County is investing $50 million in the new center, aiming to address the ongoing challenge of homelessness and mental health, a critical aspect of health-and-wellness in the region.
3. As technology advances, King County's response system is becoming more efficient with the implementation of the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline, which connects callers with mobile crisis teams, health care providers, and other services.
4. In politics, public feedback on the location of the new Crisis Care Center has been mixed, with concerns raised about impacts on local public safety, transportation, and health care systems.
5. Struggles in crime and mental health are often intertwined, and the county has committed to ongoing dialogue with community members to address these concerns and develop a comprehensive plan for addressing mental health needs.
6. The county is also addressing the need for improved data infrastructure for care coordination, ensuring mental health records are readily available to hospitals, law enforcement, and other service providers, thus improving health care delivery and care outcomes for King County residents.

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