May 11, 1999
Harborview unit provides critical support to thousands of residents in need
King County residents who need the services of mental-health professionals, substance-abuse specialists and care givers trained to treat developmental disabilities have a special place and medical program of their own – the Crisis Triage Unit (CTU) at Harborview Medical Center.
Each month, more than 500 King County residents need the services of the professionals trained to treat developmental disabilities. Often, many of these people are in behavioral health crisis and have multiple problems making it difficult to refer them to appropriate treatment facilities.
“The CTU is a King County program designed to help people who need these services,” said Sue Ellen Holbink, administrative director of the CTU. “The program creates a single entry point or ‘no wrong door’ into multiple treatment systems that are currently available.”
This year, King County allocated about $800,000 to the CTU. King County’s ability to carry on this contract is dependent on adequate state mental health funding.
Since the doors to the CTU opened July 1998, more than 5,000 patients have been seen there and triaged to various community services and treatment facilities. Services are provided regardless of an individual’s ability to pay. The center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is located in
Harborview’s Emergency Department.
“Patients are assessed and treated by CTU staff in a safe, secure and supportive environment,” Holbink said. “The emphasis is on short-term care where the maximum length of stay is less than 24 hours.”
The CTU aims to:
o Assess needs of King County residents in crisis.
o Provide pre-booking diversion sources to law enforcement officers throughout King County.
o Suggest alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization.
o Provide links to community mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability services.
o Provide a single entry point into multiple treatment systems.
The program places an increased emphasis on assuring that linkages occur after the patient is discharged from the unit. This may include contact with a referral agency. In some cases a community case review is needed to develop a treatment plan that is consistent across all agencies that come in contact with a particular patient.
Prior to the CTU, fewer patients were referred to outside agencies for essential follow-up care. As a result, some patients may have made more trips to a hospital emergency room or cycled through the area’s corrections systems more often.
“Success in the community depends not only on the quality of care that a patient receives at the ‘front door,’ but also the continuity of care the patient receives when he or she returns home,” Holbink said. “The future success of the program depends on financial commitment to the program and community agency support for follow-up services.”
