Building the Future of Behavioral Healthcare: The Next Chapter of Compass Health

Compass Health has been serving Northwest Washington for 123 years – that’s more than 12 decades. As you can tell from our history, that time has been marked by steadfast growth and innovation to better meet the needs of our region.

From our humble beginnings as a community-run orphanage to becoming one of Washington’s largest behavioral healthcare providers, Compass Health has evolved many times during the history of our organization. To continue to meet community needs, we’ve combined with several organizations, moved, renovated and built brand new facilities, expanding our footprint to more than 20 locations across five counties. With this growth, we’ve added hundreds of dedicated team members to ensure we’re there to support individuals, youth, and families when they need us most.

Like other centenarians, we’ve faced challenges along the way, and some years have been more difficult than others. But our 123-year journey is a testament to the strength and resilience of our organization. It reflects our team’s ability to adapt and evolve, ensuring we can serve those who rely on us.

In 2024, we decided to embrace yet another opportunity to redefine our direction and chart a course for the future.

We took a close look at the headwinds facing Compass Health and other behavioral health agencies across the state – things like funding constraints, workforce shortages, state and federal policy changes, and the increasing demand for our services, to name a few. Through that process, we identified our biggest strengths and areas of focus – and what emerged is a greater understanding of how and where we can make the biggest impact.

With that, we are excited to usher in the next chapter for Compass Health, one that is guided by our refreshed vision, mission, and values.

At Compass Health, we are envisioning a future with communities where everyone receives equitable support to heal and thrive.  

It is our mission to create hope and support paths to recovery by promoting whole person care.

In order to realize our vision, and to achieve our mission, we’re operating with a new shared set of values:

• Accountability – Accountability embodies our commitment to personal responsibility, integrity, and transparency in every aspect of our work. 
• Growth – Investing in our people and services to creatively meet the needs of the community. 
• Collaboration – Collaboration requires us to join together with clients and community partners to serve the whole person. 
• Equity – Dedicated to dismantling individual and systemic barriers that perpetuate inequities, while collectively building a culture of inclusivity, fairness, and psychological safety. 
• Respect – We show respect by recognizing each other’s humanity, and treating all with trust, dignity and kindness.
• Compassion – We care for others and ourselves, without judgement, offering an open heart, empathy and hope.

We’re committed to a brighter and better future for behavioral healthcare in Northwest Washington, and we are dedicated to doing our part to bring it to fruition. This is the first step of many on a path toward lasting transformation.

Thank you for being a part of our journey.

Tom Sebastian, CEO, Compass Health