According to Mental Health America’s 2023 Prevalence Data, Washington is number 46 in the US for prevalence of mental illness in adults and yet 17 of Washington’s 39 counties do not have a single practicing psychiatrist. As a result, many healthcare providers are treating patients with behavioral health conditions, including substance use disorders, with limited to no support from a trained mental health specialist.
The Psychiatry Consultation Line (PCL) was established in July 2019 to support providers across Washington by providing convenient access to psychiatric consultation.
We hope to achieve three primary goals with the implementation of the PCL:
- To function as a consultation safety net for healthcare providers across the state who are challenged with treating an increasing number of complex patients with mental health and/or substance use disorders
- To build the capacity of our state’s healthcare workforce by using every psychiatric consultation as an opportunity for education that can be applied to current and future patients
- To support the mental healthcare needs of patients all across Washington State
The PCL is funded by the State of Washington and administered via contract with the Washington State Health Care Authority.