04/10/2026
RFA, CASCADE EXPAND MENTAL HEALTHCARE PROJECT COUNTYWIDE: The Riverside Fire Authority (RFA) and Cascade Community Healthcare have successfully completed a year-long pilot project that provided immediate mental health care to persons experiencing a mental health crisis.
The project allowed emergency medical responders in RFA’s service area to transport those patients directly to Cascade’s Crisis Stabilization Unit Release Center in Centralia instead of a hospital emergency department. This pilot was conducted in anticipation of opening Cascade’s Crisis Relief Center (CRC).
Based on RFA and Cascade’s performance and project outcomes, the Washington State Department of Health has granted permission to expand this alternate patient destination capability to all fire departments and EMS agencies throughout Lewis County.
Traditionally all 9-1-1 response patients transported by ambulance were taken to a hospital emergency department, where they may later be taken to Cascade for specialty care.
RFA’s Lt. Jason Shepherd, who manages the project, said, “By being able to take patients directly to Cascade’s Crisis Stabilization Unit, the pilot project reduced time and streamlined their care. It also gave Cascade and RFA time to work out any issues that arose in order to be able to move forward seamlessly into the opening of the CRC.”
Here's the rest of the news release from the Riverside Fire Authority:
“Our primary goal was to get patients experiencing a mental health crisis to the most appropriate care in the least amount of time, Shepherd said. “Patients benefited by going directly to the CRC, a safe environment where they were cared for by people specializing in taking care of their needs.“
According to Cascade’s Chief of Inpatient Services Mindy Greenwood, patients brought to the CRC enter a calming environment where they receive a nurse assessment, followed by mental health and psychological evaluations by mental health professionals. They can also do immediate lab work in-house.
“Our first goal is to get them out of their immediate crisis,” Greenwood said. “They are surrounded by kindness and human compassion, which are both critical to their recovery.”
Under state law, patients may stay for up to 23 hours and 59 minutes in the 18-bed CRC. After that, they either leave, or may choose remain at Cascade in a longer-term unit. There they receive three nutritious meals a day, showers, a bed, individual and group therapy, and medication therapy in a homelike setting.
Greenwood said these patients generally stay at Cascade for three to five days. “While they are here, we develop a stabilization plan and connect them to the resources they need to stay stable on their own,” she said.
RFA Fire Chief Kevin Anderson praised RFA responders and Cascade for accomplishing this landmark goal for the community. He said, “This project reflects the very best of what strong community partnerships can accomplish. By streamlining resources and improving access to specialized care, individuals experiencing a mental health crisis are able to receive meaningful, immediate support.”
Shepherd said the next steps for implementing this capability countywide include developing patient care protocols for all county EMS responders to follow, and training them to accurately use screening tools to identify patients in crisis who can benefit from this program.
EMS Medical Program Director for Lewis County, Dr. Peter McCahill, is also very pleased with the pilot project’s outcome and expansion to countywide coverage. “I am incredibly grateful to our partners at Cascade for being willing to take on this project. Resource management is always a concern and this program provides benefits on so many levels,” McCahill said.
“Most importantly,” McCahill continued, “it allows eligible patients experiencing a mental health crisis direct access to a therapeutic environment. Secondly it helps to address the issue of crowding in our local ER’s. Mental health resources are in short supply across the country and I am excited to see Lewis County setting a positive example with this partnership.”
Countywide implementation is anticipated to be in place by April 1, 2026 when the updated Lewis County EMS Patient-Care Protocols go into effect. Shepherd said EMS responder training will be included in the 2026 EMS Protocol update, with an emphasis on how to identify patients who would benefit from this service.
Anderson noted, “Our responders now have a more effective option for addressing the complex mental health needs we routinely see. This is the core purpose of RFA’s Community Assistance, Referrals and Education Services (CARES) program — to identify the underlying issues affecting our patients’ quality of life and connect them with the community resources best equipped to help.”
(RFA news release)
