For Immediate Help:
- For a life-threatening emergency, call 911
- For Suicide Prevention: 988 (TTY Users dial 711 then 988)
- For 24-hour crisis counseling and referrals: Washington Recovery Help Line in your area
Western State Hospital cares for adult psychiatric inpatients on our campus located in Lakewood, Wash., which is seven miles south of Tacoma. We opened in 1871, and ever since the hospital has played a vital role in helping generations of Washingtonians receive therapy and treatment for mental illness. Western State Hospital is one of the largest inpatient psychiatric hospitals west of the Mississippi, with more than 800 beds.
WSH is one of two state-operated psychiatric hospitals for adults in the Washington, and primarily serves patients from western counties. Eastern State Hospital, the other state-operated psychiatric hospital for adults, primarily serves patients from eastern Washington. The Child Study and Treatment Center, also located on the WSH campus, provides psychiatric services for children 5-18 years old from throughout the state.
It is important to know that if you believe you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis that Western State Hospital is not a designated crisis responder (DCR) – or in other words, the first resource to pursue.
In Pierce County, the MultiCare Mobile Outreach Crisis Team serves as the region’s most comprehensive DCR. In neighboring Thurston County, the DCR that serves residents there is Olympic Health and Recovery Services, and in King County, the DCR is Crisis and Commitment Services.
- In the event of an immediate emergency, call: 911, or the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number: 988.
- For 24-hour crisis counseling and referrals: Washington Recovery Help Line in your area
Unlike patients at those hospitals who may voluntarily seek help, patients at Western State Hospital have been involuntarily detained either through a court order or from medical professionals serving at a DCR or hospital.
Information and Services
- General Information
- Campus Map
- Hospital Administration
- Hospital Services
- Patient Care Centers
- History of WSH