Lynnwood partners select Sea Mar to run crisis care center; state funding and timeline remain in flux

Lynnwood and regional partners on Wednesday introduced Sea Mar Community Health Centers as the organization selected to run the city’s planned crisis care center and said they expect the first phase to open in 2026 if licensing, staffing and state funding are secured.

The center, funded through a mix of Medicaid managed‑care reimbursements and state non‑Medicaid dollars, will offer a 23‑hour stabilization model with 16 recliner spaces and an adjacent 16‑bed crisis‑stabilization unit planned to open later, speakers said. Jan Rose Ottaway Martin, executive director of North Sound BHSO, said the facility is intended to remove pressure on hospital emergency departments and give law enforcement an alternative to take people in crisis.

"We jointly released the RFP to seek a new provider for that facility," Ottaway Martin said. "Sea Mar was selected as the provider for this facility." Claudia De Allegri, Sea Mar’s chief of behavioral health, said Sea Mar brings regional capacity — behavioral health clinics, residential programs and an inpatient facility on the I‑5 corridor — and that the organization is negotiating labor agreements and hiring clinicians now.

Sea Mar and other partners described the 23‑hour model (often described in federal guidance as a short‑term stabilization approach) as a way to triage and stabilize people while providing a short plan and warm handoff back to services. "It's almost like a NASCAR pit stop," Chief Langdon said, describing the intended rapid assessment, stabilization and planning approach.

Speakers said state law changes last session shifted administrative responsibility for these facilities. "House Bill 1813 passed last legislative session that moves the management of these types of facilities out of the hands of the managed care organizations and assigned it to North Sound BHSO," Ottaway Martin said. At the same time, the Health Care Authority had circulated a decision packet that partners said could provide about $39 million for non‑Medicaid support statewide; partners called that a key development for sustainability.

Sea Mar and North Sound BHSO gave operational details: the first phase is a 23‑hour model with 16 recliners (the group said the average stay in similar sites has been about 18 hours), and a separate 16‑bed crisis stabilization unit would follow. Sea Mar said it expects to begin hiring — including psychiatrists and medical staff — and to be negotiating with unions; the organization’s staff said they hope to begin operations in 2026. Representative Davis said she expected patients to be seen as soon as the program and staffing allow, saying, "I am the happiest person on the planet that we're moving, patients seen, Q1 of next year." (Rep. Davis’s comment was recorded during the meeting; Sea Mar and other partners later described 2026 as the operational target.)

Law‑enforcement partners urged the council that the facility will reduce repeated emergency‑room visits and cycling through jails. "Our emergency departments are overworked already," Chief Langdon said. "Anything we could do to remove the burden from them and frankly get people the laser focused and appropriate treatment they need by having a facility that's ready to go…that is a game changer for us." Deputy Chief Steichen and other regional responders also said they would publicize the center to neighboring jurisdictions.

Speakers identified some operational uncertainties: demand and patient mix are unknown (some partners expect more substance‑use patients), and location and staffing diversity (languages and cultural competency) will matter. Sea Mar said it has experience across Washington and a clinic block away from the facility that supports case management and continuity of care. Partners also discussed state licensing rules (WACs) and a statutory "no‑decline" policy for intake that will require local operational decisions about how to manage capacity and safety.

Council members asked about cost and the city's role. Officials repeatedly said Lynnwood expects to be the landlord and not the long‑term operator or primary funder. "There is not a world where a county or city should have to subsidize these facilities," Ottaway Martin said, adding that partners were advocating at the state level for non‑Medicaid operating funds. Council members and Sea Mar representatives said they will track performance, hold stakeholder meetings and report data back to the city and county.

Partners asked the council to consider the facility as part of a regional system, with South Snohomish County and North King County expected to use the center. Funding, licensing and staffing remain the final milestones before opening. "We'll be collecting data with Sea Mar," Ottaway Martin said, and partners said they would convene an ongoing stakeholder group to monitor operations and community impact.

Ending: Council members praised the selection and asked for additional updates as Sea Mar proceeds with hiring, licensing and operational planning. Partners said they would return with more specifics on the second‑phase stabilization beds and on contracts and funding as those items are finalized.