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Connections Health Solutions reports first year of crisis care, outlines services and referral metrics
Summary
Connections Health Solutions told the Bothell City Council their Kirkland crisis center has served nearly 4,600 patients in its first year and provides urgent walk‑in care, 23‑hour observation, a crisis stabilization unit, and an involuntary treatment unit that can support on‑site court proceedings.
Bothell — Representatives from Connections Health Solutions told the Bothell City Council on July 15 that their Kirkland crisis care facility is approaching its first-year anniversary and is serving adults with walk‑in urgent care, 23‑hour observation, a voluntary 16‑bed crisis stabilization unit and a 16‑bed involuntary treatment unit with court on site.
Why it matters: The facility provides an alternative to emergency rooms for behavioral‑health crises and accepts law enforcement and first‑responder referrals from surrounding cities, including Bothell. Council members asked about utilization metrics, community outreach, referral breakdowns and coordination with RACER and King County mobile crisis teams.
Celeste Lippy, introduced as regional senior vice president of clinical services, said Connections’ urgent care operates 7 a.m.–7 p.m. seven days a week and that the center is “access for all” with no appointments or referrals required. Lippy said the facility has handled nearly 4,600 different patients and logged more than 1,400 law‑enforcement or first‑responder referrals. “Our goal is to get everyone back into the community, not having long wait times…Our goal is to be under 10 minutes” for first‑responder drop‑off, she said.
Staff described services in more detail: the 23‑hour observation (therapeutic chair setting), a crisis stabilization unit with average length of stay around five days, and an involuntary unit that can support patients through court proceedings onsite to avoid transferring them to other facilities. Lippy said Connections recently received a contract with King County to expand services to youth in the urgent care walk‑in within roughly the next 60 days.
Council members asked about data and outreach. Council member Kurt cautioned against simplistic utilization statistics, saying bed‑occupancy rates can be misleading and urging Connections to contextualize published metrics. Connections staff said they meet regularly with law enforcement partners, RACER, mobile crisis teams and nearby hospitals (Evergreen) and have a virtual tour and active social media to share information; they also offered to provide more detailed referral breakdowns (e.g., EMS vs. law enforcement vs. hospital transfers) to council members who requested it.
Next steps: Council requested follow‑up on more granular referral data and encouraged continued community outreach and periodic briefings.
