This June, SOUND built on the momentum of Mental Health Awareness Month with continued action, reflection, and celebration. We honored Juneteenth, recognized Men’s Health Month, and stood proudly with the LGBTQ+ community during Pride by expanding inclusive care and joining community events like the Trans Pride and Seattle Pride Parades. While our Orange Door campaign has ended, our commitment to accessible, affirming mental health care continues every day.
Words like “lockdown,” “social distancing,” “mask mandates,” and “herd immunity” became our common language in the aftermath of the pandemic. While these words carried significance to us all, another word emerged as Sound’s truth this past year: “resilience.” Our clients, our team members, and our leadership team were faced with ongoing obstacles and hard realities that truly tested us. And revealed a lot about us, too.
Organizationally, Sound prevailed, thrived even, over the past year. The pandemic thrust us into “triage mode,” where we quickly responded to the challenges it presented. We did not hesitate to take care of our team members, by extending paid sick leave and administrative pay for team members who had to stay at home to care for loved ones while working, and provided premium pay levels to team members who, due to client need, worked onsite at our locations. We rapidly outfitted each team member, more than 500 professionals with laptops so that team members could work from home when we all went into lockdown.
This past year, Sound acquired Community Psychiatric Clinic, a well-regarded behavioral healthcare provider in King County. With the acquisition of CPC, Sound increased the number of people served annually to approximately 26,000. We added four additional outpatient locations and dozens of properties. Though we are now generating $85 million of revenue on an annual basis, with 17 locations, the acquisition reflects a first step in an intentional growth strategy for the organization that will ultimately expand our reach beyond King County.
It’s all about the future. The work Sound has been undertaking over the past year, the investments we’ve made, the evolution of our business — it’s all about the future. Though our industry is rapidly changing, Sound keeps our vision on the future. The process requires equal parts enthusiasm and patience, flexibility and resolve and, importantly, a willingness to make difficult choices. Over the course of 2018, that is exactly what we’ve done. We’re building a great future for our clients, our team members, the larger community and we are doing it in so many ways.
This May, SOUND Behavioral Health unveiled its “Orange Door” campaign to raise awareness about mental health and substance use treatment in King County. Featuring interactive orange door installations across the region, the campaign symbolizes hope, healing, and access to care. SOUND is calling on the community to support its mission and join the movement for a healthier, more compassionate King County.
Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf chose SOUND Behavioral Health's Deaf Services Program for "My Cause My Cleats 2024."
King County has launched 10 new mobile crisis teams, expanding immediate mental health care access and reducing the burden on other agencies. Operated by DESC and SOUND Behavioral Health, these two-person teams serve adults in crisis across the county.
