Mental health facility planned near Salmon Creek sparks debateSubscriber Exclusive
ColumbianNov 08, 2021
Nov. 8—Washington has a dire shortage of mental health providers and facilities, a shortage that has only grown worse with the coronavirus pandemic. To alleviate this shortage, the Legislature voted in 2021 to spend
In
A similar facility is also proposed for
During an in-person open house for the project on Thursday, DSHS project coordinator
"What we found is that
The site will have three 16-bed buildings to house civil-commitment patients for 90 to 180 days, although orders can be extended by the court. DSHS will run one facility, and the
DSHS says its goal is stabilize patients' mental status and behavior, help them recover and return home or find an appropriate home with aftercare services.
While the state is currently working with
"We're going to break ground in 2022, and in fall of 2023 it will open. The first (building) will come online," said
Hemstreet said DSHS has already reached out to nearby businesses and schools to let them know about the new site.
"It's been hit or miss with them wanting to meet with us one-on-one," he said, adding
Local opposition
Residents near the proposed facility say the state got it wrong when it picked the current location. During an in-person open house hosted by DSHS on Thursday, residents voiced concerns about the site's close proximity to schools, narrow roadways, rural location and lack of access to bus routes.
"Everybody in our area was totally blindsided," Musser said. "We didn't know about it until surveyors showed up to survey the land."
Musser and her husband, Ron, said they got a copy of the pre-design report and started studying it.
"Where they ended up made no sense to us. It didn't fit any of the analysis they had done," she said.
"How do they intend to get families out here?" she asked. "Not everybody has a car."
The Mussers said they are also frustrated by the state's lack of response to their questions and concerns. Both worked for the
"You have to explain what your criteria was and how that criteria fits your locations,"
Not first pick
The current site wasn't the state's first pick. DSHS looked at five other sites and narrowed that list down to a location in
"We looked at a variety of different criteria to assess those sites. We tried to be focused on what's important for the patient, what's important for the community, what's important for the loved ones and the support network for these folks, and what's important for the staff," Covey said.
Negotiations with the landowners for that site fell through, however.
Residents also said they were concerned about security at the facility and what happens once patients are released.
According to DSHS, all patients will receive individualized discharge plans tailored to meet their needs, and will include support such as medication management, case management and medical care. The state says a coordinated handoff will be done for all discharged patients.
In addition, all entrances and exits will be controlled by staff and an outdoors space for the residents will be enclosed by fencing and the buildings.
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