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New Alliance to open 14‑bed crisis stabilization unit in Colville after $2 million commerce grant and legal delay
Summary
New Alliance Behavioral Health said it will convert a former public works building in Colville into a 14‑bed licensed crisis stabilization unit, funded in part by a $2,000,000 commerce grant; opening is expected on or about Nov. 15, 2026 after licensing review.
Dr. David Nielsen, executive director of Northeast Washington Alliance Behavioral Health (New Alliance), told the regional meeting his agency is renovating a Colville building into a 14‑bed crisis stabilization unit (CSU) expected to serve Stevens, Ferry and Lincoln counties and some clients from Pend Oreille and Spokane counties.
Nielsen said a Commerce Department grant of $2,000,000 funded the renovation and that progress was delayed for about a year by a lawsuit from a nearby motel owner opposing the conditional use permit. “Ultimately, we prevailed. The city has granted us the conditional use permit, and we are now converting...into what will become a 14‑bed crisis stabilization unit,” he said.
He described the facility layout — bedrooms (mostly two‑bed rooms), a medical exam room, staff offices, a telehealth room and a shared healing garden — and said contractors NAC Architecture (Spokane) and Leon & Keeble are on the project. Nielsen noted one construction hold point: a specialized security door that prevents barricading, which delayed drywall installation during renovation.
Licensing status and timing: New Alliance has submitted revised policies and procedures to the Department of Health and anticipates being "fully licensed and operational on or about 11/15/2026," Nielsen said. He also said Martha Fairley has been named incoming executive director and will overlap with Nielsen during a transition period.
Why it matters: A licensed CSU adds intermediate behavioral health capacity in a region where inpatient and youth placements are limited; New Alliance estimates the majority of its clients come from its three home counties and that the CSU will provide local alternatives to hospitalization or out‑of‑area placement.
What comes next: New Alliance will await Department of Health review, complete construction, and proceed toward licensure and opening in November 2026.
