Kitsap updates behavioral health services contract

On July 13, the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners approved a contract amendment that aims to support roughly 4,000 individuals in Kitsap, Clallam, and Jefferson counties, regardless of insurance coverage, to access behavioral health services.

Salish Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization executive director Jolene Kron said the contract aims to provide infrastructure changes to support implementation of House Bill 1813, which was passed in 2025, with program changes that went into effect July 1. “This amendment focused primarily on bringing oversight of facility-based crisis services under Salish BH-ASO. There are 16 beds in Kitsap and 6 in Clallam that provide this level of care. House Bill 1813 required contractual relationships between Administrative Services Organizations and Managed Care Organizations. Prior to Medicaid integration, Salish BH-ASO provisioned these services directly. House Bill 1813 brought the facility-based care in closer alignment with crisis services, with a single payer for care that includes the Salish Regional Crisis Line, Mobile Crisis Outreach Services, and Involuntary detention services for individuals in behavioral health crisis,” Kron said.

Kitsap County serves as the administrative entity for Salish BH-ASO and the state Health Care Authority (HCA), with no changes to funding or the contract end date (June 30, 2027) resulting from the amended contract, per county documents.

Salish BH-ASO has provided these services since Jan. 1, 2020. Before this date, during the previous iteration of the organization, Salish provided services for Medicaid and non-Medicaid services. “These contracts have been providing services to the un/under insured population since the late 1980’s. There are many programs that have developed over this time that continue to be funded by state funds or become eligible for Medicaid reimbursement,” Kron said.

County Commissioner Christine Rolfes said she’s excited about expanded opportunities for models of care. “We know this is a critical need for many families. I’m encouraged by the continued commitment to ensuring that people can access behavioral health crisis services regardless of their ability to pay. The amendment adds clearer definitions and operational expectations for crisis stabilization services, including 23-hour Crisis Relief Centers and Crisis Stabilization Units. Those are important pieces of a modern behavioral health system because they provide a community-based alternative to emergency departments or long-term hospitalization for people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. The contract also reinforces that services must be available to individuals who do not have Medicaid or other insurance coverage, which is a critical safety net for our region,” she said.

Kitsap updates behavioral health services contract

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