EVERETT, Wash. — Staff at the aging Compass Health facility in downtown Everett said it's time for the building to get replaced by a more modern and inviting facility.
"This building was not built for this purpose," said Chief Operating Officer Stacey Alles.
The building was constructed in 1920 as a nursing home.
The current occupants believe it is no longer equipped to handle the scale of the mental health crisis Snohomish County is seeing right now. People have to wait outside in the elements before being brought inside the crisis triage center. There are broken bathrooms and makeshift heating systems.
The most stark examples of how outdated the building is are the cold, windowless patient rooms which can prove intimidating to those who arrive in the midst of a mental health crisis.
"We want people to feel like this is a place of healing, like this is a safe spot where they can do the work they need to do and then move to a lower level of care," Alles said. "This doesn't say that."
Administrators want to tear the building down and replace it with something much more modern and effective.
The $64 million, 72,000-square-foot building would double the current number of beds from 16 to 32, including 16 for involuntary treatment for those suffering the most serious symptoms on the streets.
Rooms would have windows and there would be open spaces with fresh air and greenery.
It's part two of a three phase plan that brought 82 permanent supportive housing units right next door last year.
"This provides a continuum of care that is critical for people to get well," Alles said.
"The needs are escalating as time goes on," Compass Health CEO Tom Sebastian said.
Last December, the group Disability Rights Washington cited a state report noting an additional 462 mental health crisis beds were needed statewide.
That report was written in 2018.
Since then, the group said only about 100 beds have actually opened up.
Compass Heath is turning to the public for help in making the facility a reality.
They're hoping to raise an additional $4 million through a new capital campaign.
To date, the organization has received $3 million from the Sunderland Foundation, $2 million in Community Project Funding championed by U.S. Representative Rick Larsen, $1 million from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, $1 million from The Norcliffe Foundation, and $600,000 from Premera Blue Cross, along with more than 30 significant private gifts, according a press release.
While the Compass Health campus won't solve all of the county's problems, Sebastian believes hundreds of people will be kept out of jail and emergency rooms, and ultimately find themselves on a path to recovery.
"It really is taking it one step at a time," he said. "But these are significant steps and they will have a significant impact."
Administrators said the facility would be able to treat about 1,500 people per year through approximately 30,000 interactions.
If the money comes together, the center would open in early 2025.
To donate to the campaign, click here.