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Connections Health reports nearly 3,200 encounters in walk‑in crisis services, aims for 6‑minute first‑responder drop‑off metric
Summary
Connections Health Solutions updated the Kenmore City Council on use of its walk‑in crisis center in Kirkland, detailing visit counts, EMS drop‑offs, and how the center handles youth and 23‑hour observation patients.
Connections Health Solutions told the Kenmore City Council it has logged just over 3,000 unique patient encounters across its urgent-care, observation and stabilization services through April and is working to reduce first‑responder drop‑off times.
Dr. Kyle Jasper, medical director for Connections Health Solutions, told the council the center opened Aug. 10, 2024, and that, through April, the facility had handled just over 1,900 unique encounters in its 23‑hour observation unit and just over 1,200 unique encounters in urgent care, with smaller counts in its inpatient stabilization units.
The center, located in Kirkland, also accepts EMS drop‑offs directly into the 23‑hour observation unit; Jasper said EMS had dropped off 536 patients to that unit through April. "Our company metric is 6 minutes," Jasper said, describing the target time for first‑responder drop‑off. He added that the center typically hovers around 7 to 8 minutes some months and works with first responders to improve throughput.
Why this matters: Connections offers an alternative to emergency departments for behavioral‑health crises, providing a 23‑hour observation option with psychiatric and psychosocial assessment. Council members pressed for details about discharge planning and youth services; those answers bear on local coordination for behavioral‑health and emergency responses.
Key service details and limitations: Jasper said the center provides a walk‑in mental‑health urgent care, a 23‑hour observation unit that functions as an alternative to an emergency department, a voluntary crisis stabilization unit and a 16‑bed involuntary unit (referred to in Washington as an evaluation and treatment, or E&T, unit). He said the involuntary unit has fewer admissions because those patients are sicker and stay longer.
On continuity of care, Jasper said patients receive a psychiatric evaluation and a licensed case‑manager psychosocial assessment; many are discharged with referrals to outpatient treatment and, depending on clinical need, prescriptions. He said the center aims for timely follow‑up and will advise patients to return to urgent care if a next‑day appointment is not yet available.
Youth services: Under the levy funding arrangement, Jasper said the center can see youth in urgent care but cannot place youth in the 23‑hour observation unit. He said the county levy includes a future dedicated youth center; until that opens, youth requiring a higher level of care are transported to emergency departments.
Council follow‑up: Council members asked about data integration with regional systems and whether the center provides warm handoffs to outpatient services. Jasper said Connections is working with Crisis Connections to better track visits and is not yet integrated with PointClickCare. He described discharge planning as individualized and said the center often refers patients to outpatient providers, residential programs, shelter options or family supports depending on need.
No formal council action was requested or taken.
