Washington's oldest and largest psychiatric hospital is going to put a 34-bed unit on the campus of Valley General Hospital.
Fairfax Behavioral Health will own and operate the unit, which will be located on the F-wing of the hospital. The facility will treat adult and geriatric patients both voluntary and involuntary. The F-Wing used to house Valley General's own in-house geriatric psychiatric unit, which closed in 2011.
"Our collaboration with Fairfax Behavioral Health helps us better meet the needs of our community and is one part of an overarching solution to address our state's overburdened mental health system,GÇ¥ said Eric Jensen, CEO of Valley General. "We're committed to providing access to complete care for residents seeking treatment to all forms of illness and this partnership helps us extend expert services to an additional group of patients.GÇ¥
The psychiatric hospital will access the skills of a variety of professionals, including psychiatrists, nurses, mental health professionals, pharmacists and therapists.
"We look forward to working collaboratively with Valley General Hospital to meet an overwhelming need in Snohomish County,GÇ¥ said Ron Escarda, CEO of Fairfax Behavioral Health. "In this embedded setting, we can more effectively provide a level of clinical care for our patients that meet both medical and psychiatric care needs.GÇ¥
Fairfax opened in the 1930s, the project of a couple that had previously worked at another "sanitariumGÇ¥ near Boeing Field. The mental health hospital grew greatly over the years, moving to Juanita in 1938.
Today, Fairfax is the only psychiatric hospital that treats children, adolescents and adults.
The agreement allows Fairfax to lease a portion of Valley General's Monroe campus for up to 20 years. Both organizations will remain independent, and Fairfax will be the sole-operator of the psychiatric hospital for the duration of the lease.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment