Connections Health Solutions is opening a person-focused, multi-service 24/7 behavioral health care crisis response center in the 405 Kirkland Corporate Center in Kirkland, Washington. Within a safe, dedicated space for high-quality care and treatment, the center will serve individuals experiencing the full spectrum of behavioral health crisis (such as anxiety or panic attacks, depression, thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or other behavioral health or substance use crises).

Connections is our name for a reason: we not only stabilize an individual’s crisis, but we connect them to community resources designed to keep them on the path to recovery. At Connections, our seasoned case managers begin case management immediately ensuring that no one is discharged without a safe discharge plan that includes transportation and a plan for long-term support, as needed.

Connections Crisis Response Center is expected to open in 2024.

Connections Health Solutions is the leading innovator in behavioral health crisis care. For more than 30 years, our person-centered approach has ensured people in crisis get the care they need quickly, in the safest yet least restrictive setting. Connections is our name for a reason: we not only stabilize an individuals’ crisis, but we connect them to community resources designed to keep them on the path to recovery. SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and industry experts have adopted our model as a national best practice.

A behavioral health crisis response center is a designated center designed to care for individuals experiencing all types of mental health or substance use crises. People experience crisis differently – what may be a crisis for one person, may not be a crisis for another. Individuals seeking our care will receive respectful, discreet, and personalized care in a safe and least restrictive environment that is proven to promote the best health outcomes.

Connections Kirkland will provide a spectrum of care services, from walk-in behavioral health urgent care to continued stabilization, to individuals experiencing all types of behavioral health or substance use crises. Our 24/7 behavioral health urgent care will not require appointments.

When Connections Kirkland is open, our providers will serve everyone who needs our care – regardless of the level of behavioral health crisis they are experiencing. Everyone experiences crisis differently and what might be a crisis for one person might not be for another. Instead of waiting hours in the emergency room or weeks to get an appointment, our walk-in clinic, open to all regardless of insurance, will be available 24/7 and no appointments will be required. No one necessarily knows when they might experience a behavioral health crisis. If you or your loved ones find yourself needing care, we’re here to help.

The center will primarily serve the communities of Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, and surrounding areas of North and North East King County. However, our center and care is open to anyone who needs our services.

Without access to a dedicated behavioral health crisis response center, individuals experiencing behavioral health crisis or substance use are treated or kept in hospital emergency rooms or police facilities, putting significant additional pressure on already strained resources, including occupying hospital beds needed for physical medical emergencies. Or these individuals are brought to a hospital or police facility and are released without receiving any treatment.

Dedicated behavioral health crisis care like that provided by Connections is proven to support reduced rates of hospitalization, psychiatric boarding in emergency departments, and individuals cycling through the system without being treated. Additionally, communities with access to these best-practice crisis services see a reduction in law enforcement involvement in behavioral health crises and fewer arrests, as individuals in crisis receive care in more appropriate settings. It also allows officers to spend more time on the road where they are called to serve and protect. In short: better access to crisis care delivers a positive impact to individuals and communities.

The Connections crisis response center was announced prior to the passage of the crisis center levy as a separate initiative launched by the North King County Coalition (Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, and Shoreline). Connections is partnering closely with the County to ensure the care provided at the Connections CRC will complement the model put forth by its leaders.

Core to the Connections model is to care for any individual in need of behavioral health treatment and care. No exceptions. No judgment.

Yes. In fact, addressing the unmet need in behavioral health crisis care has been a priority for the North King County Coalition (Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, and Shoreline) city leadership. Notably, King County has zero crisis stabilization facilities and zero crisis stabilization beds. Every day, individuals seek crisis care at emergency rooms or end up in local jails out of necessity, discharged or sent home without receiving any treatment. That’s why we’re working with the cities and the county to establish a dedicated center that can relieve the pressure placed on these community resources while allowing individuals access to high-quality behavioral health crisis care in a dedicated, safe, and unrestrictive therapeutic environment.

Opening is 2024.

Connections Kirkland will be located at 11410 NE 122nd Way, Kirkland, WA, within the 405 Kirkland Corporate Center.

To meet the needs of the North King County communities, we considered more than 40 sites across multiple cities. 11410 NE 122nd Way was the only building that satisfied our requirements across three key areas, in addition to nonresidential, commercial zoning:

1. Access: The selected building within the Kirkland 405 Corporate Center is accessible to North King County cities (including proximity to the 405 and 522), so that transportation is not a hindrance to care, whether people walk in, are transferred from regional emergency rooms, or are dropped off by first responders. We also prioritized a location in a nonresidential area, commercial use-zoned to facilitate 24/7 access and care.
2. Capacity: Recognizing the enormous existing unmet need in North King County for a comprehensive crisis response center, the selected site can accommodate upwards of 14,000 individuals annually across the behavioral health crisis care spectrum. The building’s extensive space also allows for multiple care services within the same building, from an outpatient clinic providing walk-in access, to 23-hour observation and continued stabilization beds for individuals who need extended care. We will be able to accept 100% of first responder drop-offs at a designated entrance, providing a much-needed solution to the current necessity to place individuals experiencing crisis in jail or emergency rooms.
3. Safety: Safety for all is always our paramount concern. The selected building allows our center to be designed to be person-centered and safe for all while enabling an intentionally therapeutic environment where individuals can receive personalized, targeted, and compassionate behavioral health care. It also allows for an intentional layout to ensure efficient use of space with flexibility to handle increases in volume of individuals in crisis, so that we can fulfill our mission of getting individuals the care they need when they need it. We’re able to have secure treatment areas designed to allow staff to have complete line-of-site/unobstructed view of individuals receiving treatment to enable quick response times to individual needs, supplemented by staff checking on individuals every 15 minutes or more to ensure proactive care.
   
   Moreover, our center will be staffed around the clock with personnel specially trained in behavioral health crisis care, including a behavioral health specialist that will provide additional safety around the outside of the building. This specialist is trained in crisis safety and de-escalation and will support the safety of the community and the individuals coming into the center. Additionally, our unique partnership with law enforcement and first responders that is essential to our mission, helps to provide a further layer to safe operations.

Yes. In fact, areas zoned for industrial use or commercial use are intended for such uses. Industrial or corporate centers are designed to support parking needs and traffic flow.

Yes. Prior to opening, we will be recruiting clinical and non-clinical positions with a dedication to hiring locally and ensuring our team has connections to community-based resources. We’ll work closely with the cities and county to ensure the community is aware of employment opportunities at Connections Kirkland.

Care will always be provided to anyone experiencing a behavior health crisis, regardless of insurance coverage.

We provide respectful, discreet, and immediate care that acknowledges the dignity of individuals in crisis and protects their privacy. All personal health and care information is protected under HIPPA and strictly confidential.

As we continue to make progress toward opening the center, community members can visit www.connectionshs.com/nkc for the most current information.

If you can’t find answers to your questions in our FAQ section, you are welcome to send us an email at questions@connectionshs.com , or simply fill out the form on the Contact Us page.