SEATTLE — In his record-breaking tenure as Washington House speaker, Frank Chopp never spearheaded legislation, preferring to work behind the scenes.
So when, in 2019, he brought forward a bill to create a new psychiatric teaching hospital at the University of Washington, his fellow lawmakers quipped that he might not understand the legislative process.
That facility opened in 2024. And, on Tuesday, it was dedicated in his honor. Chopp died last year at age 71.
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The $244 million hospital has had a bumpy start. Its opening was delayed, and even after launching, it had to halt admissions due to a lack of public defenders available to represent patients held involuntarily during court proceedings. Even after resolving that issue, the hospital had problems filling its beds, leading to layoffs, as reported by The Seattle Times.
Half of the rooms in the facility, which is located on the UW Medical Center’s Northwest campus in north Seattle, are for long-term care to patients committed civilly under the state’s Involuntary Treatment Act. It also has 25 beds specifically for older adults in need of mental healthcare.
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Its purpose is two-fold. For one, it addresses a lack of beds for patients. And the teaching hospital helps train psychiatry residents, with the goal of relieving a mental healthcare provider workforce shortage.
The hospital is now known as the Frank Chopp Center for Behavioral Health and Learning. The University of Washington Board of Regents had approved the renaming last May.
Chopp’s death from cardiac arrest came just months after his retirement from elected office. He had served Seattle’s 43rd Legislative District since 1995, and led his caucus for two decades. Chopp stepped aside as House speaker in 2019.
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He’s hailed for a political career focused on helping the state better serve its most vulnerable residents, fueled in part by his sister’s own challenges with a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
“Frank’s drive to improve behavioral healthcare for all citizens of Washington state was really informed by watching Jo-Anne get up every day,” said Chopp’s wife, Nancy Long.
Chopp saw himself as a community organizer, first and foremost, Long said, adding that on their marriage certificate, his job was listed “urban guerrilla.”
His fingerprints were all over some of the state’s most vital programs and projects, including Apple Health, the Housing Trust Fund, Fair Start for Kids, and the Workforce Education Investment Act. Lt. Gov. Denny Heck has called him “the greatest legislator in the last century.”
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He leaves a legacy, but also what King County Executive Girmay Zahilay called “disciples” who were touched by Chopp’s work. Chopp’s daughter, Ellie, works in Zahilay’s office.
Gov. Bob Ferguson said that when he drives over a bridge named after someone, he can’t help but look them up. He hopes naming the center after Chopp will have the same effect.
“While we all knew and worked with and loved Frank,” Ferguson said, “let’s be honest, many people out there don’t, but when they come through those doors, in whatever form they come through those doors, years from now, I have no doubt that many of them will Google his name. And they’re going to learn about Frank what we all know.”
Many of Chopp’s political allies noted Tuesday the irony of naming a building after Chopp, who really wasn’t interested in getting credit.
“Frank must have had a surgery to remove his ego,” former Gov. Jay Inslee said.
The university has also set up a scholarship fund in Chopp’s name for students interested in learning behavioral health policy. Dr. Jürgen Unützer, chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the UW, brought the idea of the Chopp Scholars Program to the former speaker just days before his death.
Chopp, a UW grad, loved it, Unützer said, but had one gripe: “Does it have to be called Chopp?”
This story was originally published by the Washington State Standard.