King County officials, who oversee public health for the region, have announced the operator selected for the third mental health crisis center. The center will be built in the southern part of the county, serving the cities of Auburn, Covington, Kent, Federal Way and Renton. The operator will be the local nonprofit MultiCare Behavioral Health. The center will be part of a large network of five similar facilities where anyone can seek urgent help for mental health crises or substance use problems, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
MultiCare is a large nonprofit health system headquartered in Tacoma that operates several hospitals and clinics in the state. The organization already has substantial experience in behavioral health, including managing the specialized Wellfound hospital in Tacoma and affiliation with the Navos Behavioral Health network. County officials emphasize that choosing a provider already known and trusted by residents is especially important for one of the fastest-growing regions.
A specific site for the new center has not yet been determined; it will be chosen in coordination with local officials. During the planning process, MultiCare will do active community engagement, including forming an advisory board of local residents. This step responds to criticism the county faced when planning the center in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle. That historic hub of progressive movements and the LGBTQ+ community traditionally has high civic engagement, with residents actively advocating on land use, affordable housing and preservation of the neighborhood’s character. Local residents and businesses complained about insufficient involvement in the process, which is now being addressed in planning the new facility.
At present, King County’s network already includes one crisis center in Kirkland, and a second is planned for Seattle. Officials are also seeking operators for a center in East King County (the Bellevue and Redmond area) and for a separate youth-focused center. The county’s plan calls for all five centers to be open by 2030.
Based on: King County announces operator for third crisis care center