Center will provide person-focused, immediate crisis stabilization care for upwards of 14,000 individuals annually

Connections Health Solutions, the leading innovator of immediate access emergency behavioral health care, announced the opening of Connections Kirkland, King County’s first-of-its-kind, multi-service behavioral health crisis response center. The center will provide a range of services including walk-in urgent care and short-term stabilization for individuals experiencing behavioral health or substance use emergencies. The center, located in Kirkland, Washington, has capacity to care for upwards of 14,000 individuals annually and is open to all who need emergency behavioral health support services, regardless of insurance status.  

Connections Health Solutions worked with the North King County Coalition – comprising Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, and Shoreline – to bring accessible, immediate behavioral health crisis care to the community. The center is open 24/7/365 to all King County residents. King County invested $11.5 million of state and local dollars toward the center, with an additional $10 million from the Department of Commerce grant funding.  

“Together with the North King County community, we’re creating a new paradigm for emergency behavioral health care in Washington,” said Colin LeClair, chief executive officer for Connections Health Solutions. “The Connections model is proven to provide high-quality, treatment-focused care when individuals need it most, so they can avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, and lessen the burden on the judicial system. We appreciate the collaboration and partnership from government, providers, first responders, and community advocates who have all helped bring this life-giving resource to the King County community.” 

Connections Health Solutions provides compassionate medical and recovery-oriented care for individuals experiencing behavioral health and substance use emergencies, with an emphasis on connecting people to ongoing care and community resources. The Connections treatment model is recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing as a best practice for behavioral health care, and centers around providing treatment in the safest and least restrictive setting. The Kirkland center offers individuals in need 24/7/365 access to a walk-in outpatient clinic, as well as 23-hour observation, and continued stabilization care for individuals who need extended treatment.  

State and local government officials expressed enthusiasm for the opening:  

• “The Connections Kirkland facility is opening on the heels of the two-year anniversary of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. At launch, the promise for the future of Washington’s lifeline was threefold: someone to call, someone to respond, and a place to go,” said Washington State Governor Jay Inslee. “Today, we’re proud to recognize the unveiling of a safe place to go in partnership with the team at Connections Health Solutions and the North King County Coalition.” 

• “With the opening of this center we have taken a critical step forward in bringing to life our collective vision of A Safe Place To Be,” recognized Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond). “Now individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis have a place to go that will treat their situation like the medical health emergency it is. I extend my deepest appreciation to all who supported the efforts to bring this much needed resource to our community.” 

• “Kirkland's Crisis Response Center is a significant milestone for our region's behavioral health response and a glimpse of what's to come as we work to open a network of five new crisis care centers throughout King County,” said Executive Dow Constantine. “The opening of this new space highlights the strength of collaboration among cities, providers, workers, and community members. We celebrate this progress and the immediate support it provides our community as we work to bring crisis response to scale through our countywide initiative.”  

• “Kirkland is honored to be the home of this immediate-access behavioral health crisis care center,” said Kirkland Mayor Kelli Curtis. “Bringing Connections to Kirkland was a joint effort of our partner cities of Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, and Bothell, and it’s a vivid example of cities working together to get things done.  While the physical location might be in Kirkland, the center is here to provide life-saving treatment and mental health care to all our neighbors and surrounding communities.” 

Connections Health Solutions operates two of the largest emergency behavioral health response centers in the country, both located in Arizona, the mobile crisis response unit in Gallatin County, Montana, and recently opened a crisis stabilization unit in Virginia. The Company will operate both a new emergency behavioral health walk-in center and mobile crisis response unit in Pennsylvania in late 2024 and a crisis response center in Virginia in the first half of 2025. To learn more, visit www.connectionshs.com/kirkland.