According to Mental Health America’s 2023 Prevalence Data, Washington is number 46 in the US for prevalence of mental illness in adults. Yet as of 2016, there were 17 counties without a single practicing psychiatrist. As a result, many care 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 was established to support providers throughout 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 capacity of our state’s healthcare workforce by using every psychiatric consultation as an opportunity for education that can be applied to and benefit future patients
- To support the mental healthcare needs of patients across Washington State
The PCL is funded by the State of Washington and administered by the Washington State Health Care Authority.