Western State Hospital Master Plan approved by City of Lakewood
Monday, Dec. 19, 2022
DSHS Office of Communications
Tyler Hemstreet
tyler.hemstreet@dshs.wa.gov
(564) 201–0027
LAKEWOOD — A large piece of Washington state’s vision of transforming behavioral health includes constructing a therapeutically designed hospital on the Western State Hospital campus with 350 beds to care for forensic patients in a modern facility.
A significant benchmark in that vision was achieved late last month when the City of Lakewood officially confirmed the approval for the Western State Hospital Master Facilities Plan and State Environmental Policy Act review submitted to the city by the Department of Social and Health Services.
The 350-bed hospital building is just one project addressed in the Master Plan. Other projects include:
· Demolition of some existing buildings on the west side of campus to accommodate the new hospital.
· Construction of a new 18-bed residential cottage for the Child Study and Treatment Center.
· Construction of a treatment and recovery center in Bldg. 29.
· Land reserved for a potential new 48-bed community residential treatment facility.
· Other various building infrastructure and circulation improvements.
“This multi-faceted project is one more example of how we as a department are aligning with the governor’s priorities by building sustainable infrastructure, which supports our vision for creating a safe, comforting and healing experience for our patients,” DSHS Secretary Jilma Meneses said. “The modern facilities outlined in the Master Plan will also help us better prioritize and implement patient-centered, trauma informed care.”
The new hospital will also serve as a Forensic Center of Excellence and focus on providing state-of-the-art care for forensic patients, operating in an environment of care that supports safety and the delivery of evidenced-based and proven practices, and working hand in hand with local academic institutions to support research and innovation. Although construction of the new hospital construction requires demolishing some existing buildings on the WSH campus, the new hospital facility will augment, not replace, the majority of the existing WSH structures.
The new hospital is slated for construction to be complete between 2027 and 2029.
Outside of hospital staff members, patients, vendors and contractors, the general community will not see any significant construction activity on the campus until likely spring of 2023.
