Connections Health Solutions seeks Federal Way support for King County crisis center; council raises site, capacity and oversight questions

Connections Health Solutions representatives asked the Federal Way City Council on March 11 to provide a jurisdictional letter of support for a proposed King County behavioral health crisis care center to serve the South Crisis Response Zone, saying the RFP deadline was days away and time was short to include a local letter.

The company’s government affairs representative, Michael Fransu, told the council that King County voters approved a countywide Behavioral Health Levy in April 2023 and that the county is now procuring operators for several crisis centers. “As part of the RFP process, King County requires that jurisdictions within which one of these facilities is going to be located put forward a letter of support,” Fransu said, adding that the RFPs for remaining sites were due March 21.

Why it matters: Council members and members of the public said Federal Way needs crisis services in South King County but want assurances that a center would not worsen local public safety or homelessness-related pressures. The council set March 18 as the next opportunity to consider formal action and discussed whether the mayor could sign a letter sooner to meet the county deadline.

Connections’ pitch and operations

Mackenzie Barta, a Connections growth manager, described the company’s model and results from an existing center in Kirkland. Connections operates multiple levels of care: a walk-in behavioral health urgent care, a 23-hour observation unit staffed for rapid assessment and stabilization, and a co-located crisis stabilization unit for longer stays. Barta said the model is “no wrong door” and that Connections accepts everyone who presents at its centers: “We accept 100 percent of individuals that come to our door,” she said.

Details presented to the council included: - Funding: the King County Behavioral Health Levy (approved by voters in 2023) plus Medicaid and other reimbursement streams. Barta said the levy is intended to cover capital and ongoing operating costs for these centers. - Capacity stated in the presentation: the Federal Way site under consideration is a previously built behavioral-health fit-out of about 25,000 square feet; Connections’ Kirkland facility occupies roughly 45,000 square feet. For Federal Way, Barta said the plan would include 16 crisis stabilization beds and 16 23-hour observation chairs, plus urgent-care services. - Timeline and commitment: if awarded, Connections estimated a little over a year to open and that RFP-selected operators would be committed for 50 years under the county’s procurement terms. - Outcomes from other sites cited by Connections: up to 70% of people stabilized and discharged within 24 hours; more than 90% attending a seven-day outpatient follow-up; readmission rates under 3%; first-responder drop-off processing times of under 10 minutes; about 64% of individuals served have co-occurring substance-use disorder, and the service model includes medication-assisted withdrawal and coordination to longer-term treatment when appropriate.

Council questions and concerns

Council members pressed Connections on several operational and community-impact topics. - Youth services: Barta confirmed the urgent-care component can serve people of all ages, but she said the 23-hour observation and crisis stabilization beds are for adults only. She noted that the county intends to designate a separate youth crisis center and that adult urgent-care visits could be transferred to a youth facility when available. - Law-enforcement and EMS drop-offs: Connections said it accepts law-enforcement drop-offs 24/7 and has a separate first-responder entrance; the operator emphasized quick processing and that staff work to get officers back on duty promptly. “We accept 100% of law enforcement drop offs and we never turn anyone away,” Barta said. Council members asked how the center would coordinate when patients also face potential criminal processing; Connections said disposition would be worked out with police on a case-by-case basis. - Overflow and geographic “dumping” concerns: council members from several districts asked what happens if the Federal Way center fills with people brought from neighboring cities. Connections said it would not turn people away and would prioritize care planning and discharge to maintain throughput; the operator also described transportation options (nonemergency medical transport, bus passes, levy-funded options) and said it would not discharge people to the street. - Security and patient walkaways: medical director Dr. Kyle Jasper and operations staff said security is primarily managed by trained behavioral-health staff, with a screening/security presence at the front door and standard searches for weapons or contraband. Dr. Jasper said walkaways are “extremely unusual,” citing the Kirkland experience. - Funding and city costs: council members asked whether Federal Way would need to provide capital or operating subsidies. Connections representatives said the King County levy and Medicaid are intended to cover capital and operations and that they do not expect city funds for facility capital or ongoing operations.

Public comment and local perspective

Residents and advocates spoke during public comment. Harold Booker, who said he serves on the board of a regional behavioral-health clinic, urged council support and described Connections’ Kirkland operations as well-run. Other residents asked for careful site selection and strong neighborhood safeguards; Anna Patrick, a Federal Way resident, asked for detailed disposition data and said the city has limited fiscal capacity if county programs change over time.

Next steps and council direction

The presentation was informational; no formal council vote occurred at the March 11 meeting. Mayor Farrell and several council members said they wanted public input before a final decision. Mayor Farrell indicated he could sign a letter of support on his own authority if the council wished but said he wanted to ensure the public had a chance to comment. Councilmembers scheduled further consideration for the March 18 council meeting. Connections reiterated the county RFP timeline and said a delay in a jurisdictional support letter would leave little time to adjust an RFP submission.

Speakers quoted in this article are those who addressed the council during the presentation and public comment and are listed with their roles below.