In early March, a patient at Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital in Tacoma jumped over a counter, punched a nurse, clawed and spit at staff members and bit one worker so hard in the forearm that the wound required stitches, according to police records.
Eleven days later, a different man allegedly beat a 63-year-old fellow patient unconscious and left her clinging to life. The victim died from her injuries on Monday, the Tacoma Police Department said. A hearing is tentatively scheduled for next week on whether the suspect, 25-year-old Elias Santos Salcedo, is mentally competent to face charges.
Those violent incidents occurred amid two trends: Police have been increasingly summoned to Wellfound, 3402 S. 19th St., and a hospital operator says the patient population has grown significantly.
The number of assaults reported to law enforcement has doubled at the Tacoma psychiatric hospital over the past three years, according to The News Tribune’s analysis of Tacoma police call logs.
While the two-fold increase corresponds with a similar rise in all police calls for service to Wellfound’s address since 2022, reported assaults have grown faster as of late. Between 2024 and 2025, assault calls jumped by 59%, the call logs show. Calls for all incidents, from suspected crime to medical aid, climbed by less than 12% during the same period.
In 2025, 67 assaults were reported — the exact number as in 2024 and 2023 combined, according to the data. This year, 16 assault calls logged through mid-March equal the tally from the same period last year, the data shows.
MultiCare, which operates Wellfound in a joint venture with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, pointed to a nearly two-fold increase in patient population when asked about the increase in reported assaults.
The average daily census at the 120-bed hospital, which opened in 2019, was 105 patients last year, MultiCare said. By comparison, the average was 103 patients in 2024; 74 in 2023; and 57 in 2022, according to the health care system. In 2023, a MultiCare spokesperson told The News Tribune that the patient census was capped at 72 due to inadequate staffing, but more beds were planned to open that year.
“Like many behavioral health systems nationwide, Wellfound has experienced an increase in patient volume, particularly among individuals presenting with higher acuity needs,” MultiCare told The News Tribune in a statement for this story. “As patient volume and acuity rise, it is expected that the number of reported incidents of varying degrees may also increase. Importantly, not all incidents reflect serious harm; many involve minor events as patients have access to call 911 directly.”
Of 192 reported assaults since 2021, a dozen led to an arrest — 11 of which were on suspicion of a felony, according to the analysis of computer-aided dispatch (CAD) logs, which provide basic details of incidents when officers are dispatched to a location either through 911 calls or their own initiative.
Most commonly by far, reported assaults resulted in police taking a formal or supplemental report. Other calls were deemed solved on arrival, noted to be a mental health contact, or canceled, or officers were unable to reach the caller, the logs show.
MultiCare told The News Tribune that police assistance might be requested when there’s an immediate safety concern or when additional support is needed to protect patients or staff.
“Wellfound continues to strengthen its culture of safety through enhanced de‑escalation training, trauma‑informed care practices, updated safety procedures, and continued review of incident data to reduce risk and prevent harm,” MultiCare said. “These efforts are especially important as communities across the country, including health care settings, are experiencing an increase in incidents of violence and aggression.”
Three years ago, the union representing employees at Wellfound filed a complaint with the state over working conditions, including a reported rise in workplace violence, inadequate training to reduce violence and unsafe conditions for patients, The News Tribune previously reported. Ultimately, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries found that there weren’t enough employees represented on a safety committee, but the general violation didn’t carry a fine, according to a post-inspection document provided by the department Tuesday.
Efforts to interview someone from the workers’ labor group, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, about the increase in reported assaults and the 2023 complaint were unsuccessful.
“Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital is committed to providing a safe environment for patients, staff, and visitors,” MultiCare said. “Safety remains a core priority and guides our clinical practices and operational decisions, supported by ongoing investments in staff training, facility security, and evidence‑based care practices.”
Despite the increase in population, the health care system said that its data showed a nearly 50-percent decline in “aggressive events” between the first two months of 2025 and the first two months of this year.
According to call logs, the number of calls reporting an assault to police increased from 10 to 13 between those periods.
The News Tribune
Shea Johnson is an investigative reporter who joined The News Tribune in 2022. He covers broad subject matters, including civil courts. His work was recognized in 2023 and 2024 by the Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington Chapter. He previously covered city and county governments in Las Vegas and Southern California. He received his bachelor’s degree from Cal State San Bernardino.
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