The Children’s Long-Term Inpatient Program (CLIP) is Washington State’s most intensive inpatient psychiatric treatment program for patients ages 5 through 17. This report describes the characteristics of children and youth discharged from CLIP in state fiscal years 2013 through 2018, compares these patients’ characteristics to those in the broader population of children and youth enrolled in Apple Health, and documents short- and long-term outcomes for CLIP patients. Results show that CLIP patients have extremely high needs at baseline, and that admission to CLIP appears to help stabilize this population during the episode of care. Nevertheless, most CLIP patients in the study population experienced an acute BH crisis event within the year following discharge and 5-year outcomes indicate substantial long-term challenges. Policy recommendations are discussed.
