A Look Back at 2021…
Another busy year has come and gone at Compass Health. While we all continue to work through and overcome the interruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded of just how far we’ve come.
Take a look at some of Compass Health’s accomplishments in 2021…
Clients Served
At Compass Health we help provide a community safety net for the most vulnerable members in our society. Our continuum of care ensures that whenever or wherever you need help, we can there. Throughout our five-county region, we offer outpatient services for youth and adults, intensive outpatient services, crisis services, and inpatient services.
Clients Served in 2021:
11,976 – Total Clients
8,629 Adults
3,347 Children & Youth
17,216 – Episodes of Care
Episodes of Care refers to services received by individuals who have moved through Compass Health’s continuum of care. For example, an individual in Whatcom County could first come in contact with Compass Health’s crisis team, be taken to the Triage Center, and then discharged into one of Compass Health’s outpatient programs. This translates to: one distinct client but three different episodes of care.
Opening Andy’s Place
In April we opened Andy’s Place, our new permanent supportive housing facility! Our new 46,877 square-foot building includes 82 units of housing:
- 81 studio apartment units are designated for permanent supportive housing.
- 10 units are reserved for homeless veterans, funded with Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers.
- One three-bedroom respite unit provides short-term housing for individuals transitioning back into the community from Western State Hospital.
Andy’s Place is filling up! We expect all 81 studio units will be occupied by the end of December.
Fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
In the summer of 2020, Compass Health embarked on a new relationship with Dr. Kimberly Harden and Harden Consulting Group to support us with our diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) strategies.
Since the formation of our partnership last year, Dr. Harden has met with groups of team members for listening sessions to capture their perspectives, ideas and experiences at Compass Health. She has also provided our organization and leadership with a strategic three-year engagement plan to foster DEIB-forward systems and culture, focusing on eight pillars of engagement.
We are excited about the direction we are moving as an agency and look forward to giving you more updates along the way.
Increased Wage Set Scales for Clinical Staff
This year, Compass Health announced newly negotiated wage increases for all front-line, clinical staff across the agency, with all positions receiving an increase somewhere between 5% and 30%. The new wage increases are just part of the way Compass Health is working to address and overcome the workforce shortages felt across the country, specifically in the behavioral health field.
For example, the starting wage for a brand-new graduate with a master’s degree and no experience has increased 18%. Master’s prepared clinicians with licensure now have a special higher scale – a licensed clinician with 5 years’ experience will see a 30% increase over the old scale. New Peer Counselors can expect to see increases between 11-12%. On-call staff across all positions receive a 20% premium.
Building A Community-Response Safety Net
Compass Health has continued to provide and grow our community safety net of services throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have also made specific, strategic partnerships with community partners and law enforcement agencies across our region to provide community response services. Some of these services include:
- Community Transitions – Community Transitions aids individuals who frequently use emergency services, helping them access care and other resources to better meet their needs. This program embeds mental health professionals with law enforcement officers or first responders to engage individual in the community connect them to resources that support their health and well-being. Compass Health is proud to partner and deliver these services through community partnerships with South County Fire in Snohomish County, the Lynnwood Police Department, the City of Mountlake Terrace, and the City of Edmonds.
- Community Outreach & Recovery Support (CORS) Team – The CORS team works with adults in the community who need extra assistance to engage with treatment services and stabilize their housing situation. The CORS team provides care coordination with the client, their Compass Health clinician, and other community partners.
- Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) – MCOT is a community-based outreach team that responds to and provides crisis services in the community. The team serves individuals of all ages who are experiencing a mental health or substance use related crisis. MCOT offers short-term crisis intervention and prevention services utilizing strength-based, solution-focused, culturally competent, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented interventions.
- Integrated Model of Police and Crisis Teams (IMPACT) – IMPACT is an integrated partnership between Compass Health and local law enforcement agencies that allows the two agencies to respond to mental health related calls together. IMPACT teams are embedded with law enforcement, so when a mental health dispatch code comes through, a mental health professional and their law enforcement counterpart will respond to the call together.
Compass Health is proud to partner with Skagit County Sheriff’s Office, Arlington Police Department, Lake Stevens Police Department, and Marysville Police Department.
Supporting Our Children & Youth
On October 16, 2021 Compass Health hosted our virtual Building Communities of Hope Gala! Thank you to everyone who supported our child, youth, and family programs by watching the event online and making a donation. You can watch the live stream of the evening below.
We also want to thank our keynote speaker, Dr. Delaney Ruston, for sharing her expertise and perspective on giving voice to mental health challenges and needs.
You Can Break the Cycle of Homelessness
The Emergency Motel Voucher Program (EMVP) provides short-term assistance to individuals and families experiencing homelessness; breaking the cycle of homelessness by intervening during a time of crisis. Brief motel-based housing offers stability, safety, and the peace of mind required to make a positive change.
The EMVP allows people to heal, recover, and rest, while working to secure more permanent housing solutions. Sometimes, this program is the difference between building a home and continuing life on the street.
With 20-25 weekly referrals, community support of this program is critical. You can support Compass Health’s Emergency Motel Voucher Program by donating today.
Taking Care of Your Mental Health this Holiday Season
We’ve compiled a list of some mental health tips to help you take care of your mental health this holiday season.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff
- Commit to kinder self-talk
- Stick to a budget
- Prioritize your happiness
- Reserve a day for all you
Get In Touch
Compass Health is here to help. Whether you have questions about our services, want to share your feedback or a success story, have a media inquiry, or are seeking more information on a training or job opportunity, contact us today for assistance and support.