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Civil Commitment Units
The Maple Lane campus has two units that serve civilly committed residents: Oak Unit and Baker Unit.
Oak Unit
Baker Unit
Civil Commitment
Behavioral Health Treatment Centers treat residents who are civilly committed for 90 to 180 days. These orders may be extended by the court. Learn more about civil commitment.
Residents in Baker Unit have been civilly committed following a finding of incompetence to stand trial for a felony classified as violent under RCW 9.94A.030.
The role of the Behavioral Health Treatment Center, or BHTC, is to treat people in need of inpatient psychiatric care. Our commitment is to create a safe and secure therapeutic treatment environment where residents can get the treatment they need while striving to be respectful and supportive members of the community. Our deeply held value is to provide person-centered care, recognizing the humanity in every resident. We use this approach in all aspects of treatment and daily resident care.
Our Residents
Our mission is to treat people in need of inpatient psychiatric care. Our residents are civilly committed for 90 to 180 days, and orders can be extended by the court.
Our Program
BHTC residents live in a secure setting, remaining within the facility and the surrounding enclosed area for the entirety of their care.
We offer services and activities that are respectful and inclusive to people of all cultures and backgrounds. These services include:
- Initial intake and evaluation.
- Medical, psychiatric, and risk screenings.
- Complete psychological, biological, and social evaluations.
- Treatment and peer support.
Our goal is to stabilize each person’s condition and improve their mental health and behavior. We strive to help residents recover so they can return to their home or transition to a less restrictive living environment with appropriate aftercare services.
All residents receive thorough individualized discharge plans designed to support their successful reintegration into the community. These plans include wraparound services such as medication management, case management, and medical care.
Discharged residents receive a warm handoff to their next placement, including transportation to their new residence from DSHS.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does it meant to be civilly committed?
A civil commitment is one of the two routes for admission to a state psychiatric facility in Washington. It begins with an evaluation by a county-designated mental health professional. The mental health professional can commit a patient to a hospital for a 72-hour evaluation if he or she is dangerous to themselves or others due to a mental disorder. The related statute is RCW 71.05. Discharge planning begins as soon as a patient is admitted. Learn more about the civil commitment process.
What does “special finding of violent felony” mean?
These residents make up a small number of civil conversion patients who have been civilly committed following a finding of incompetence to stand trial for a felony classified as violent under RCW 9.94A.030.
People who have been determined to have committed a violent felony offense may be civilly committed under additional grounds pursuant to RCW 71.05.280.
For these patients, the court has found that their mental illness or developmental disability contributed to violent acts. Their civil commitment may be extended based on evidence that the person continues to suffer from a mental health disorder or developmental disability that results in a substantial likelihood of committing acts like the charged behavior.
Do residents leave the unit at any time?
Residents may go off-site for medical or other needs, such as trips to a local hospital, medical appointments, or housing appointments. All off-campus trips by residents are carefully planned and include staff escorts to ensure safety and support.
Besides these off-campus trips, are residents able to leave the unit?
Currently, residents remain within the unit except for scheduled off-campus trips. They can access an enclosed fenced yard for exercise and recreation purposes.
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