Nov. 6—Gov. Bob Ferguson worked from the campus of Western State Hospital in Lakewood this week and toured the construction site of the new 350-bed forensic hospital, which is slated to open in 2028.
The extended tour comes amid concerns for staff and patient safety and staffing shortages at the 800-bed psychiatric facility. During the visit, Ferguson met with officials from the Department of Social and Health Services, patients and staff.
Following the visit, Ferguson said he “learned a lot about the patient journey, how our behavioral health care system is working, and how we can do better.”
“I look forward to taking what we learned and putting it into action,” Ferguson said.
According to Ferguson, the new forensic hospital at the site remains on track to open by August 2028 and is on budget.
Ferguson’s visit comes less than six weeks after a security guard at Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake was shot and killed in the facility’s parking lot. Sjan Talbot, an assistant secretary at DSHS, said during a news conference Thursday that the agency has “worked diligently” to review protocols and improve security at the facility following the shooting.
“We’ve developed a list of things like lighting assessments, radios that we use, newer vehicles for patrol, additional staffing, things like that,” Talbot said. “So we’re in the process now of compiling that information, working with partners, talking to our funding authority, to be able to put some things into place that will ensure our staff that they’re safe, but also keep the campus safe.”