MultiCare Behavioral Health will operate King County’s third Crisis Care Center to be located in South King County, covering Auburn, Covington, Kent, Federal Way, and Renton. Funded through the voter-approved Crisis Care Centers Levy, this selection marks another key milestone as King County has now awarded operators for three of five planned centers across the region.
King County is moving with urgency to create a countywide network of five Crisis Care Centers where anyone can go 24/7 to get help for a wide range of mental health or substance use challenges regardless of insurance status. Today, the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) announced that local nonprofit MultiCare Behavioral Health has been selected to operate the future Crisis Care Center in South King County.
As a leading healthcare provider with roots in South King County—including operations at MultiCare Auburn Medical Center and MultiCare Covington Medical Center—the organization brings extensive experience in inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services, as well as access to local hospital care.
“Expanding access to behavioral health care—from immediate crisis services to long-term treatment—is essential to breaking the cycle of addiction and easing the burden on emergency rooms and jails that aren’t equipped for behavioral health emergencies,” said Dr. Susan McLaughlin, Interim Director of King County Department of Community & Human Services. “Choosing MultiCare to operate our Crisis Care Center in South King County ensures that residents in one of our fastest-growing regions have a therapeutic place—and a provider they already trust—when they need help most.”
With this award, the first three operators of the regional network are now in place:
1. North King County: Connections Kirkland (Opened in 2024, operated by Connections Health Solutions).
2. Central King County (Seattle): First Hill/Capitol Hill (Potentially opening in 2027, awarded to Connections Health Solutions).
3. South King County: Newly awarded to MultiCare.
“King County is following through on its commitment to create a comprehensive network of 24/7 crisis services, and this award brings us closer to meeting the levy’s goals by adding a trusted local partner in South King County,” said Jennifer Winslow, Strategic Planning Manager, Crisis Care Centers initiative. “MultiCare has had a longstanding presence in South King County and through the Crisis Care Centers initiative will expand services and connect people to comprehensive care that serves the whole person, both mind and body.”
The selection of MultiCare completes DCHS’ first round of procurement and operator awards. The county recently released a new funding opportunity for a Crisis Care Center in East King County and will open a third round of procurement later in 2026 to select a provider for a youth-focused center.
MultiCare is honored to be selected to operate the South King County Crisis Care Center,” states Jeff Eisen, MD, Dyad President and Chief Medical Officer, Behavioral Health Network. “Expanding access to timely, compassionate behavioral health care is essential for meeting the urgent needs of our communities, and this center will provide a critical new resource for people seeking support close to home. We are proud to partner with King County to strengthen the continuum of care in Auburn, Covington, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, and the surrounding areas, ensuring that every person has a safe place to turn in moments of crisis.”
MulitCare’s workforce is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. The labor union is one of King County’s partners for the Crisis Care Centers initiative’s Training Fund and apprenticeship program that train and strengthen the region’s community behavioral health workforce.
“SEIU 1199NW has been an active advocate for the Crisis Care Centers initiative since its inception because we know firsthand the desperate need for accessible, community-based mental health and substance use crisis care,” said Jane Hopkins, SEIU 1199NW President. “Selecting MultiCare to operate the South King County center is a vital investment in both patient care and the local health care workforce. Our members are ready to bring their expertise and dedication to this new facility, ensuring that when our neighbors in South King County face a crisis, they are met with high-quality, compassionate care.”
Crisis Care Center Services
A Crisis Care Center is a place anyone can go to receive urgent behavioral health care. Like the center in Kirkland that is now up and running, the South King County location will provide:
24/7 Walk-In Urgent Care: No appointment or referral needed. Anyone can get care for a wide range of mental health or substance use challenges.
23-Hour Observation: A short-term clinical space offering full-service psychiatric care to stabilize and determine next steps.
Crisis Stabilization: Short-term stays (up to 14 days) for continued treatment and recovery planning.
Post-Crisis Follow-Up Teams: Short-term care for people who have just received treatment at a Crisis Care Center and need hands-on support transitioning to ongoing care and recovery.
Crisis Care Centers have robust discharge protocols for every person, including:
- A clear safety plan
- Connection to ongoing services
- Transportation home or to another preferred place
- Warm handoffs to Post-Crisis Follow-Up teams when appropriate
- Coordination with housing, shelter, or family supports
- Follow‑up appointments scheduled before discharge
What Comes Next
MultiCare will partner with local jurisdictions in South King County to determine potential suitable locations for the area’s Crisis Care Center.
As the selected operator, MultiCare will also begin community outreach and engagement with the neighboring community this year in partnership with King County. The goal is to create a welcoming place that people—often in their most challenging moments—feel comfortable going to for behavioral health and substance use care. Listening to input from people with lived experience in receiving crisis care, as well as communities who face historic inequities in receiving mental health and substance use treatment, will be part of the planning process.
Per the Crisis Care Centers Implementation Plan, MultiCare will also be responsible for establishing a Good Neighbor Policy and convening a community advisory board to ensure that the center is responsive to the diverse and unique needs of the community, as well as provide input on the degree to which Crisis Care Center services are, or are not, meeting community needs.
Opportunities to Engage: Virtual community meetings to kick off community engagement in the South Crisis Response Zone are being planned for this spring. For events and updates on the Crisis Care Centers Initiative, subscribe to our newsletter or email us to request a presentation for your organization or community group: ccclevy@kingcounty.gov
_________________________________________________________________________
South King County Spotlight: 988/911 Program
One of the Crisis Care Centers initiative’s early investments in 2025 included expanding a program to embed 988 crisis counselors in Valley Communications’ 911 call centers across South King County, making it available 24/7.
As a result, 911 dispatchers are diverting local crisis calls related to mental health and substance use to a trained 988 counselor, who resolves most crises on the phone—talking, listening and being there through the moment.
For people in crisis that need an in-person response, 988 dispatches King County’s new mobile rapid response crisis teams. These teams are trained mental health professionals and peers with lived experience of mental health, drug and alcohol use challenges from the community—not law enforcement. Check out this video to learn more about the 911/988 program!