psychiatric health
Over 200 employees hired to staff Tukwila behavioral hospital bought by Washington
Washington has hired a little over 200 employees to staff a Tukwila psychiatric hospital the state bought in August for nearly $30 million, according to Jo Sahlin, a spokesperson for the newly-named Olympic Heritage Behavioral Health Hospital. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open Olympic Heritage on Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee said he wanted the […]
Washington faces steep path closing mental health bed gap for jailed defendants
Defendants with psychiatric conditions often sit in Washington’s jails for weeks and sometimes months, waiting for mental health services before they can stand trial. That’s despite a 2015 federal court order, stemming from a lawsuit known as the Trueblood case, that found the state’s wait times unconstitutional. Washington’s been in contempt of the court order […]
Union sues to stop state purchase of psychiatric hospital until labor dispute is resolved
The union representing over 200 former employees of a behavioral health hospital Washington plans to buy for nearly $30 million has filed a lawsuit in federal court to block the sale until an arbitrator can determine whether the deal abides by the union’s contract. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW sued Cascade Behavioral Health on Aug. 24, alleging […]
Violence against staff rises sharply at a Washington psychiatric hospital
Assaults on staff by patients surged last year at one of Washington’s state-owned psychiatric hospitals, although just two individuals were responsible for nearly 20% of the attacks, according to a new report. At Eastern State Hospital, which is located near Spokane and treats adult psychiatric patients, assaults on staff rose 63% from 2021 to 2022, […]