In a significant stride towards enhancing behavioral health care, the Harborview Bond Program (HBP) received a $5 million grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce Behavioral Health Fund to expand behavioral health facilities at Harborview Medical Center (HMC). The grant initiative, part of a broader program established in 2013, seeks to bolster community providers and increase service capacity for behavioral health across Washington state.

HBP will use the grant to launch planning efforts for an innovative, accessible, and sustainable medical facility integrating primary care with related behavioral health services. The grant will also support planning for new programming spaces to address the forecasted growth in hospital programs and services. In addition, the grant will fund pre-design work for the newly acquired Ninth and Alder property, located on the corner of Ninth Avenue and Alder Street, and service expansion at the Pioneer Square Clinic.

HBP purchased the 1.6-acre Ninth and Alder land parcel, adjacent to HMC, in August 2024 to help expand the Harborview campus to meet the region’s growing demands for physical and behavioral health care. The property is also strategically located to provide needed construction staging and parking space for the new medical tower under the Harborview Bond Program.

The expansion of health services is vital as Harborview serves the most marginalized populations in the community. This project seeks to provide a facility that will add critically important space to treat the growing population seeking and needing behavioral health services. The facility will provide HMC with the opportunity to provide behavioral health services that could ultimately reduce negative and costly outcomes such as homelessness, involuntary treatment, and suicide. Investing in prevention and early intervention will help more people stay healthy and result in fewer needing crisis care – ultimately, saving money, supporting communities, and saving lives.

By strategically positioning behavioral health and related services in the First Hill and Pioneer Square neighborhoods, HBP aims to increase accessible and supportive environments for those in need.