PORT TOWNSEND — A $1.5 million grant from the state Department of Commerce has been earmarked for the establishment of a seven-bed inpatient mental health facility under the auspices of Jefferson Healthcare.
“This is a great opportunity for Jefferson Healthcare and our community and we are highly motivated to figure out the remaining details and begin to develop the new service,” hospital CEO Mike Glenn said in an email Monday.
“It will add a local, inpatient treatment option for members of our community who are in crisis.”
The awarding of the grant was announced to staff Nov. 23, with the total cost, operating plans, timetable and location all to be determined.
Glenn said Jefferson Healthcare applied to the Department of Commerce for a grant to fund the construction/remodel of a seven-bed inpatient psychiatric unit located within the hospital.
Jefferson Mental Health Services, a key partner in the application, will likely play a significant role in the development of the service, he said.
Adam Marquis, Jefferson Mental Health Services’ executive director, told the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday that the proposed facility would add convenience and save money.
Marquis said a $2 million amount was requested and $1.5 million was awarded.
Six other hospitals received grants: Providence Mount Carmel Hospital, Colville, $2 million; Rainier Springs LLC, Vancouver and Spokane Springs LLC, Spokane Valley, $5,000 each; US HealthVest, Marysville and Olympia, $10,000 each and Walla Walla General Hospital, $2 million.
While Jefferson Healthcare will be in the driver’s seat for the project, its success will result from community partnerships.
“The Port Townsend Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff, East Jefferson Fire Rescue, the Peninsula Regional Support Center and ourselves all lent support for this,” Marquis said.
“There is no inpatient mental health facility in Jefferson County, so if a county resident who is a medicaid patient walks into Harborview [Medical Center in Seattle], we get the bill. So if someone stays for a really long time, we are on the hook for that payment.”
A patient needing inpatient services now can be taken to Kitsap County, Seattle or other locations for the duration of the treatment, he said.
“Right now people need to go to Kitsap County for 30 days while all of their family and outpatient services are up here,” he said.
“It would be nice if this were a five-minute crosstown deal where we can provide wraparound services that really work, driving down costs and increasing the quality of care.”
Glenn said the establishment of the facility is a two-step process: first securing the grant and then finalizing a plan so the hospital can assure the board and community of the ability to staff and operate a high-quality and sustainable facility.
“Due to the timing of the grant, we were forced to complete and submit the application before we finalized and vetted all of the details related to operating the unit,” Glenn said.
Many of the unanswered questions will be confirmed and answered in an analysis that Glenn will present to the hospital board shortly after the first of the year.
Once the hospital accepts the grant, it will have 24 months to complete the project once the funds are accepted.
No new construction will be required as the hospital is now considering two or three possible locations, Glenn said.
It will not be located in the new Emergency and Special Services building, now under construction and scheduled for completion in the fall.
Port Townsend Police Interim Chief Mike Evans, who has worked with Marquis and the other partners, said that the new facility will help connect people to treatment.
“This is a dream come true, and it fills a huge gap,” Evans said.
“Right now if we bring someone to the hospital who needs inpatient treatment, they need to work the phones to find them a bed, which is very difficult and time consuming.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
