A Crisis Care Center is a place for people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis to go and receive urgent care. Funded by the voter-approved levy, anyone can walk into a Crisis Care Center 24/7 with or without insurance to get help and a path to recovery.
Crisis Care Centers are also a place first responders can take people in crisis. Now, instead of going to jail or an overcrowded emergency room – which can often make things worse – first responders can easily transport a person to a center to receive proper care. Importantly, first responders can move quickly onto their next call, making our communities safer and their jobs easier.
Our first Crisis Care Center, known as Connections Kirkland, is now open. Already, 12 local police departments including Seattle and Redmond, plus Emergency Medical Services, King County Fire Departments, City of Seattle’s CARE Department, and King County’s Mobile Rapid Response Crisis Teams take people across the county to Connections Kirkland. In the near future, we plan to open four more centers, including one for youth.
Since Connections Kirkland opened, first responders are accessing the center as a reliable option that helps them do their jobs. Adding centers across King County will free first responders up even more while ensuring people get the support they need to recover.
Here’s what they’re saying:
“Prior to having this option, the emergency room was our only option and [it meant] potentially being there for hours. [The Crisis Care Center] frees us up for other emergency response. What has been the most beneficial and the feedback that I’ve received from the officers is how quick the turnaround is.” – Police Chief Darrell Lowe, Redmond Police Department, KING 5-TV, February 2025
“My hope is these crisis centers will be robust options for patients to access mental health care without going through the hoops in the [Emergency Department].” – Dr. Jamie Shandro, emergency physician at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Times, March 2025
“This model is the future. It’s a lot more respectful of behavioral conditions than sending someone to the Emergency Room.” – Sergeant David Sullivan, Seattle Police Department, SPD Blotter, March 2025
“Once our staff has successfully de-escalated a client, we assess their individual needs. If the client expresses being in crisis, feeling suicidal, or mentally unstable, the team will reach out to the admissions teams at Connections Kirkland to confirm they can provide the appropriate level of care. If the client agrees to receive care, the team will transport them in our van to the facility, ensuring the client is safely transferred.” – Joe Vela, Crisis Services Director at SOUND, part of King County’s Mobile Rapid Response Crisis Teams
“Every day we respond and care for people experiencing these terrible problems. A persistent problem has been the lack of ‘landing zones,’ facilities to take people to where they can get the short and long term care and treatment that they need.” –Kenny Stuart, President of the Seattle Fire Fighter’s Union, The Stranger, May 2025
“They are absolutely essential resources for us and unquestionably provide comprehensive, trauma-informed, wraparound crisis services. In a similar vein, they are also extremely important tools for diverting our clients away from unneeded hospital stays, thereby helping reserve emergency departments for critical patients.” –Jon Ehrenfeld, who manages SFD’s Mobile Integrated Health Program, The Stranger, May 2025
“Well, I’m excited about these. We need places to take people. [Connections Kirkland] is beautifully managed. I have not heard any adverse impacts to the neighborhood at all.” –Amy Barden, Chief of Seattle C.A.R.E. Town Square | seattlechannel.org, May 2025
Photos of Connections Kirkland, King County’s first Crisis Care Center
To learn more about Crisis Care Centers and their services, visit www.kingcounty.gov/crisis-care-centers.