The state Department of Social and Health Services will not allow most visitors at its 24/7 facilities, the agency announced Tuesday.
“This was a difficult but necessary decision,” Sean Murphy, Assistant Secretary for the agency’s Behavioral Health Administration, said in a news release. “The most important thing right now is to stop the virus from spreading into our institutions and keeping our clients and staff safe.”
Residential habilitation centers and 67 state-operated living alternatives operated by the Developmental Disabilities Administration will also stop allowing visitors. Impacted residential habilitation centers include:
• Rainier School in Buckley.
• Yakima Valley School in Yakima.
• Lakeland Village in Medical Lake.
• Fircrest School in Shoreline.
These locations will allow only legal professionals and advocacy organizations to visit.
• Western State Hospital in Lakewood.
• Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake.
• Fort Steilacoom Competency Restoration Program in Lakewood.
• Maple Lane Competency Restoration Program in Rochester.
• Yakima Competency Restoration Program in Yakima.
• The Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.
There will a medical screening process in place for visitors “until the risk of COVID-19 has been mitigated,” the news release said.
