KING COUNTY, Wash. — Tukwila's Cascade Behavioral Health Hospital will close by July 31.
The closure, which will impact 288 employees, comes after officials have said the region is in need of more behavioral health centers.
Cascade Behavioral Health Hospital opened in 2013. Over 10 years the hospital saw 25,000 patients seeking mental health and substance use issues, according to a prepared statement.
"Through COVID and other complexities, Cascade proudly remained steadfast in our commitment to our patients and community," the statement reads, in part. However, the breadth of challenges created a situation where the long-term viability of the hospital was no longer sustainable."
Prior to the closure, Cascade will work with state and local agencies to help with the transition of remaining patients to other services.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Commerce recently invested more than $10 million to expand behavioral health care in King County alone. That includes $5.82 to ConnectionsWA for the North King County Crisis Receiving Center and $5.8 million to Sound Health for the adult crisis triage facility. The facilities are intended to offer an alternative to emergency room hospitalization or incarceration.
Along with the health care facilities, King County officials urged voters to approve an increase property taxes that will pay for a network of crisis care centers due to the urgent need. Voters approved the levy increase in April.
The Crisis Care Centers Levy passed with 57% of voter approval during the April special election. The levy, which will cost property owners in King County 14.5 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, is intended to fund five crisis care centers. According to King County Executive Dow Constantine, the centers will be spread throughout the county - and include one center exclusively for youth.
The centers will provide urgent care needs. Currently, King County is without a walk-in behavioral health urgent care facility. There is one 46-bed behavioral health crisis facility in Seattle, which requires a referral.
According to previous information from the county, residential beds are dwindling, and the behavioral health department estimates that those in a crisis currently would have to wait, on average, 44 days until they can get help.
