Skagit County Crisis Stabilization Center

Skagit County

The Skagit County Crisis Stabilization Center will be a calming, restorative environment for individuals to receive immediate and appropriate care after experiencing a substance use and mental health crisis.

Impacts

Transforming Behavioral Health, Wellness, Performance, Discovery

Project Tags

Healthcare Design, Wellness

Contractor
Dawson Construction
Structural Engineer
Kingworks Structural Engineers
Civil Engineer
Pacific Surveying & Engineering
Mechanical, Plumbing & Electrical Engineer
PAE
Landscape Architect
Osborne Consulting, Inc
Cost Estimator
JMB Consulting Group, LLC
Accessibility
Studio Pacifica
Acoustical Engineer
The Greenbusch Group, Inc
Hardware Consultant
Allegion
Signage & Wayfinding
Mayer/Reed

Community Impact

Reducing the stigma around mental health treatment starts by building trust and relationships within the community. SRG + CannonDesign is coordinating closely with Skagit county leadership to ensure the facility integrates effectively into existing care systems in the community. The Crisis Center will be built adjacent to the existing Evaluation and Treatment Center and will expand the services and the capabilities of the County to help people experiencing a mental health crisis by providing 16 crisis stabilization beds and 32 co-occurring treatment and acute detox beds.

The exterior of the building compliments its surroundings, and visually integrates into the community like any other health and wellness facility. Exterior colors and finishes work in harmony with the landscape and reference the iconic surroundings of Skagit Valley’s farmhouses, wood barns and stone masonry. This non-institutional approach to materials and massing further destigmatizes the treatment the facility provides.

Care providers will also be supported in a peaceful environment that fosters connection and collaboration. Workspace will be accessible and flexible, and designated respite areas for staff both indoors and outdoors will give care providers opportunities for rest and privacy. Providing a comfortable and supportive work environment will build a sense of community and trust and improve staff retention.

Design Concepts for Healing

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Trauma‑Informed Design

Spaces are designed around the patient experience from intake through recovery to evoke a warm, homelike environment. A welcoming environment creates opportunities to foster psychological safety and trust, and the design team took great care to select materials and products that are hospitality and residential oriented to normalize the space and make it less clinical while ensuring all selections are appropriate and functional in a healthcare setting. Research into neurodiversity guided our team to incorporate a neutral palette with accents of purple, green and wood tones to create a serene environment to ease stress for all.

As patients move between units as the transition through care, consistency of materials and unit design makes each space feel familiar and comfortable. Even areas often considered off-stage such as transfer and access corridors were carefully considered as part of a patient’s journey and provide views of the landscape and Skagit Valley.

Patients are provided with appropriate flexibility, choice and a sense of normalcy throughout their recovery and reintegration into the community. A variety of therapy rooms, both large and small, open activity zones and outdoor access provide choice for patients and care providers. Nurse stations are designed to be open based on patient acuity and provide a welcoming approach to supervision and engagement.

Connection to Nature

Biophilic design principles are critical to improving cognitive functioning, stress levels, moods and overall health outcomes. Lack of daylight and views can be disorienting, making people anxious about how much time has passed and disconnected from natural cycles. Individuals experiencing substance abuse and mental health crises can especially benefit from a reintroduction to the rituals of daily life and the body’s natural circadian rhythms.

Views throughout the facility allow patients to experience things up close as well as in the distance, connecting them to direct light and the regular passage of time. Gracious windows with broad and distant views, views of the sky and high ceilings in common areas and therapy rooms create a feeling of openness. The outdoor patio includes fixed seating, so patients can comfortably and safely experience therapy with all senses, from listening to the birds, to smelling the surrounding landscape and agriculture to feeling a crisp, green leaf on their fingertips.

Inside, a layered approach to lighting blends natural and ambient light with accent, decorative and task lighting to minimize the need for harsh, bright overhead lights. Lighting can be adaptive and calibrated throughout the day and the seasons and dimmed during sleep time. Details like step lighting and bedside reading lights provide an elevated hospitality feel without sacrificing visibility and safety.

Calming and Immediate Support