Assaults on staff rise sharply at state-run behavioral health hospital for children

San Juan Cottage for youth aged 15 to 17 at Child Study Treatment Center in Lakewood. (Department of Social and Health Services)

Washington’s only behavioral health hospital for children is seeing a dramatic rise in assaults on staff this year.

That’s according to early 2024 data from the Department of Social and Health Services. The figures show the rate of assaults has more than doubled compared to all of 2023.

Last year at the Child Study Treatment Center in Lakewood, the state recorded 32.8 assaults per 10,000 “patient days” — defined by the department of Social and Health Services as the number of days all patients spend at the center combined. From the start of this year to April, the state recorded 84 assaults per 10,000 patient days.

That’s despite the rate of assaults decreasing at the state’s two adult behavioral health hospitals, particularly Eastern State Hospital, which saw reported assaults on staff decrease from 7.91 per 10,000 patient days in 2023 to 4.27 per 10,000 patient days for the first three months of this year. Western State Hospital saw rates decrease slightly, from 8.68 per 10,000 patient days to 8.58 assaults per 10,000 patient days.

There were 51 reported assaults on staff at Western State Hospital during the first three months of the year and 15 reported at Eastern State Hospital.

Violence at the adult behavioral health hospitals surged last year , and employees at the state’s behavioral health hospitals have raised safety concerns for years for both patients and staff.

The state’s report did not provide data on the number of assaults happening at the Child Study Treatment Center. The report attributes an increase in reported injuries from assaults to a “small number of patients” admitted in 2023 who still reside at the center in this year.

“One patient has been reported for some form of aggression on nearly a daily occurrence,” the report notes.

A growing population of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities may also be contributing to increased assaults on staff, the report says, as well as “significant staffing challenges,” increased overtime and difficulties retaining workers.

According to the report, the vacancy rate is 25.2% for psychiatric care counselors and 23.1% for registered nurses. As of May 2024, 14 staff are out due to injuries.

The report highlights a number of projects to improve safety at all three behavioral health hospitals, including building additional “seclusion rooms,” new staff training and expanding use of evidence-based behavior therapy.

A spokesperson for the Department of Social and Health Services, Tyler Hemstreet, said the agency is also “incorporating more verbal de-escalation training into daily operations as well as continuing work to reduce vacancy rates across the facility.”

“ The safety of our staff and patients at Child Study and Treatment Center and all of our 24/7 facilities is one of our highest priorities, and we continue to focus our efforts in this area,” Hemstreet said.