Olympic Heritage Behavioral Health, located in Tukwila, is a facility acquired in 2023 by DSHS to serve people in state psychiatric care. Olympic Heritage has a capacity for 137 beds. This property is named for the nearby Olympic National Park, a serene and flourishing environment for thousands of diverse species. Olympic Heritage sits within King County, the most populous county in Washington state. Opening this facility as a BHA treatment center is part of fulfilling the state’s commitment to provide space and care for people awaiting behavioral health treatment.
Latest News
The Olympic Heritage Behavioral Health facility accepted its first patients on Oct. 2, and is set to fully open two wards in Fall 2023. Patients are being transferred from Eastern and Western State Hospitals. These transfers will allow the state hospitals to accept more forensic patients, who come in from the criminal court system. Olympic Heritage is hiring multiple staff positions in various roles ranging from entry-level experience and education to managerial and senior-level positions. If you’re interested in joining our team, please visit the following link and search for Tukwila:
Careers.Wa.Gov or contact a recruiter.
Our patients
Olympic Heritage treats civilly committed patients and other populations served by DSHS. Civil patients have been committed to treatment by the court system and referred to state psychiatric care for treatment and rehabilitation. State treatment facilities prepare civil patients for eventual discharge back into our communities.
Our program
Patients at Olympic Heritage Behavioral Health are in a secure environment with trained staff collaborating on their treatment needs. Treatment teams work together to develop individualized resources and care plans for each patient. These multidisciplinary teams include staff from psychiatry, pharmacy, psychology, nursing, rehabilitation, and social work.
Olympic Heritage patients receive a wide range of mental health care consisting of evidence-based practices, group treatment, recreation, and activities to help manage symptoms of mental health issues.
Facility plans
After opening two wards and 54 beds in Fall 2023, Olympic Heritage plans to open an additional ward in Winter 2024 and its final two wards in Spring 2024. Throughout this process, crews are working on expanding outdoor recreation areas, optimizing kitchen and food service areas, and ensuring risk mitigation and safety in resident care areas.
Security
Olympic Heritage employs on-site security staff. Entrances and exits are controlled by staff. The outdoor spaces for the residents are enclosed by fencing and buildings. Staff are trained in de-escalation strategies and emergency management processes to manage patients and the facility.
No services are provided for people who are not living at the facility. This is a closed campus with no public restrooms, shelter services, or behavioral health services that can be accessed by the public. This is a controlled secure environment serving people committed or adjudicated to DSHS’s care and custody to provide inpatient treatment. Visitors are limited to friends and family and must be scheduled.
Any planned trips off-campus by residents include trained staff members as escorts. Offsite trips might consist of trips to the local hospital, medical appointments, or housing appointments in preparation for a patient’s discharge.
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