King County Department of Community and Human Services announces that the Kent Isolation and Quarantine (I&Q) site will no longer serve guests, starting Monday, June 13, 2022. As of today, the building has stopped accepting referrals. With relatively stable COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates, King County made the decision to transition to a more traditional model of I&Q. In preparation for the transition, Public Health – Seattle & King County has developed a new program to ensure King County residents have a safe, stable, and comfortable place to isolate and quarantine.
The Kent facility was the first civilian COVID-19 I&Q site in the U.S. and opened in March of 2020. Since then, the King County I&Q system has provided over 4,000 people who had a COVID-19 exposure or positive test with a safe place to recover or quarantine when they couldn’t do so in a home of their own. King County has operated five different I&Q sites over the course of the pandemic, including facilities in Seattle, Issaquah, Shoreline and Auburn. The staff, who supported guests each day, delivered around-the-clock comprehensive care coordination and support since the pandemic began.
Public Health – Seattle & King County will continue providing care through a new Mobile I&Q team, as well as designated lodging throughout the county. The care includes:
Lodging options:
- Two adult family homes with a 24/7 caregiver on site
- Designated hotel rooms in the county
Mobile I&Q Team:
- Team consists of nurses and behavioral health staff who will provide both in-person and phone-based COVID recovery care and care coordination
- Intake 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., seven days per week via the COVID‑19 Call Center
- Transportation
- Food/clothing/supplies/laundry
- Care coordination, discharge planning
- Nurse hotline access for after-hours supports
The I&Q program has evolved over the past two years based on changing guidance, guest feedback, and community needs, and we will continue to evolve these services as we launch the mobile I&Q team.
King County is grateful for the City of Kent’s support of our I&Q services. The Kent I&Q served more than 1,400 residents since it opened.
Any King County resident who does not have a place to safely isolate and has either tested positive for COVID-19 or has moderate COVID-like symptoms can call the King County COVID-19 Call Center at 206-477-3977 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to learn more about I&Q availability.
Learn more here: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/providers/homeless/quarantine