Center will
provide person-focused, immediate crisis stabilization care for
upwards of 14,000 individuals annually
KIRKLAND, Wash., Aug. 12,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Connections Health
Solutions, the leading innovator of immediate access emergency
behavioral health care, announced the opening of Connections
Kirkland, King County's
first-of-its-kind, multi-service behavioral health crisis response
center. The center will provide a range of services including
walk-in urgent care and short-term stabilization for individuals
experiencing behavioral health or substance use emergencies. The
center, located in Kirkland,
Washington, has capacity to care for upwards of 14,000
individuals annually and is open to all who need emergency
behavioral health support services, regardless of insurance
status.
Connections Health Solutions worked with the North King County
Coalition – comprising Bothell,
Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake
Forest Park, and Shoreline
– to bring accessible, immediate behavioral health crisis care to
the community. The center is open 24/7/365 to all King County residents. King County invested $11.5 million of state and local dollars toward
the center, with an additional $10
million from the Department of Commerce grant funding.
"Together with the North King
County community, we're creating a new paradigm for
emergency behavioral health care in Washington," said Colin LeClair, chief executive officer for
Connections Health Solutions. "The Connections model is proven to
provide high-quality, treatment-focused care when individuals need
it most, so they can avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, and
lessen the burden on the judicial system. We appreciate the
collaboration and partnership from government, providers, first
responders, and community advocates who have all helped bring this
life-giving resource to the King
County community."
Connections Health Solutions provides compassionate medical and
recovery-oriented care for individuals experiencing behavioral
health and substance use emergencies, with an emphasis on
connecting people to ongoing care and community resources. The
Connections treatment model is recognized by the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National
Council for Mental Wellbeing as a best practice for behavioral
health care, and centers around providing treatment in the
safest and least restrictive setting. The Kirkland center
offers individuals in need 24/7/365 access to a walk-in outpatient
clinic, as well as 23-hour observation, and continued stabilization
care for individuals who need extended treatment.
State and local government officials expressed enthusiasm for
the opening:
- "The Connections Kirkland facility is opening on the heels of
the two-year anniversary of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
At launch, the promise for the future of Washington's lifeline was threefold: someone
to call, someone to respond, and a place to go," said Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.
"Today, we're proud to recognize the unveiling of a safe place to
go in partnership with the team at Connections Health Solutions and
the North King County Coalition."
- "With the opening of this center we have taken a critical step
forward in bringing to life our collective vision of A Safe
Place To Be," recognized Sen. Manka
Dhingra (D-Redmond). "Now
individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis have a place to
go that will treat their situation like the medical health
emergency it is. I extend my deepest appreciation to all who
supported the efforts to bring this much needed resource to our
community."
- "Kirkland's Crisis Response
Center is a significant milestone for our region's behavioral
health response and a glimpse of what's to come as we work to open
a network of five new crisis care centers throughout King County," said Executive Dow Constantine.
"The opening of this new space highlights the strength of
collaboration among cities, providers, workers, and community
members. We celebrate this progress and the immediate support it
provides our community as we work to bring crisis response to scale
through our countywide initiative."
- "Kirkland is honored to be the
home of this immediate-access behavioral health crisis care
center," said Kirkland Mayor Kelli Curtis. "Bringing
Connections to Kirkland was a
joint effort of our partner cities of Shoreline, Lake
Forest Park, Kenmore, and
Bothell, and it's a vivid example
of cities working together to get things done. While the physical
location might be in Kirkland, the
center is here to provide life-saving treatment and mental health
care to all our neighbors and surrounding communities."
Connections Health Solutions operates two of the largest
emergency behavioral health response centers in the country, both
located in Arizona, the mobile
crisis response unit in Gallatin County,
Montana, and recently opened a crisis stabilization unit in
Virginia. The Company will operate
both a new emergency behavioral health walk-in center and mobile
crisis response unit in Pennsylvania in late 2024 and a crisis
response center in Virginia in the
first half of 2025. To learn more, visit
www.connectionshs.com.
About Connections Health Solutions
For over 15 years, Connections Health Solutions has been helping
communities architect and operate behavioral health crisis care
systems that provide help to people when they need it most. As the
leading innovator in immediate-access behavioral health crisis
care, Connections strives to make behavioral health work better,
delivering improved quality of care and cost savings across all
behavioral health populations. Throughout the United States, Connections' crisis
response centers and mobile crisis units serve as the hub of the
crisis system, offering services to all individuals in need in the
safest and least restrictive setting. The Connections Model,
recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Council for Mental
Wellbeing as best practice, combines both medical and
recovery-oriented treatment designed to get people connected to
resources and back to their lives faster. For more information and
crisis resources visit connectionshs.com.
Connections Health Solutions Contact:
Marissa Lawson
SVP, Marketing and Communications
media@connectionshs.com
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content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/connections-health-solutions-opens-first-of-its-kind-behavioral-health-crisis-response-center-in-north-king-county-washington-302219417.html
SOURCE Connections Health Solutions