SEATTLE — While much of the attention of the nearly four-month-old concrete drivers strike has focused on big transportation projects such as the West Seattle Bridge, there are other impacts.
Representatives from the University of Washington Medical Center say a critically-needed psychiatric hospital is now six months behind schedule if the strike were to end today.
The Teamsters Local 174 union representing concrete mixer drivers and cement plant employees has been in a standoff with concrete companies since late last year, and hundreds of workers are on strike.
“We have been short of psychiatric care in this state and we partnered with the state to bring this facility up as soon as possible,” UW Medical Center CEO Cindy Hecker said.
Construction of the seven-story, 150-bed hospital is already underway on the UW Medical Center's Northwest campus not far from Northgate. It was formerly known as Northwest Hospital.
“Particularly with the pandemic, we’re seeing a growing number of patients suffering mental illness and substance abuse that could benefit from this building, so the delay is significant,” Hecker said.
The initial plan was to have the hospital open by the fall of 2023.
Called the Behavioral Health Teaching Facility, the teaching part is critical said Dr. Jurgen Unutzer, who chairs the Department of Psychiatry.
“One of the goals of the facility is to train much-needed healthcare workers of all disciplines,” said Dr. Unutzer, citing a significant shortage of healthcare workers in general, and mental health in particular.
He said professionals trained here would come from, and go back out to, all areas in the state.