Admissions

The admissions process for treatment starts with an intake assessment. You can access this free service in several ways:

1. Call us at 253-301-5400, any hour of the day or night. Our qualified intake professionals are here to help you determine the best next step.
2. Walk in to Wellfound. While an appointment is preferred to ensure we can help you right away, we also encourage you not to wait to seek help. If you are in crisis, you are welcome to come straight to the hospital for an in-person assessment. We are here for you.
3. Your health care provider may recommend an assessment and can call or fax your information to (253) 301-5402.

At an intake assessment we ask questions, obtain your health and treatment history, take your vital signs and get an understanding of your current symptoms. We gather the information we need to ensure you get the timely psychiatric care and support that is right for you.

An intake assessment will be conducted in person. It is important to know that an intake assessment is not a psychiatric assessment.

We are here to provide the best care possible to evaluate and treat adults who need short-term hospitalization for a mental health condition or crisis who do not have any other serious medical conditions or injuries.  We treat common psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, psychosis, acute depression, suicidal thinking, self-injury, mania and more.  You will need medical clearance, meaning you have no health conditions that would prevent you from fully participating in your treatment program. You will also need to meet basic admissions criteria. Our goal is to ensure you receive the treatment right for you.

As a behavioral health hospital, we do not provide primary medical care or addiction treatment. We do treat patients, who meet our admissions criteria, that may also have a history of substance use disorders as well as for secondary, stable medical concerns. If treatment here at Wellfound is not the optimal setting for you, we will provide resource assistance to help you find the appropriate care you need.

Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital is licensed to treat adult patients ages 18 and above.  If you and your family member need adolescent or pediatric mental health care, (ages 17 and under) and are unsure where to turn to in the Tacoma/Pierce County area, please contact the Pierce County Community Crisis line at 800.576.7764 or our professional Intake Team at 253.301.5400 for further guidance and/or assistance.

After you enter the unit, our professional staff will sit down with you to talk about past or current treatment, and work with you to develop a treatment plan. Your treatment plan will be unique to you. It will include goals to help you and the members of your treatment team understand what each of you would like to see accomplished during your stay.

Our treatment is highly individualized, so we will take time to learn about you — ask you what you enjoy, what gets on your nerves, what is important to you. You can expect to have an array of group meetings and meeting times with members of your treatment team throughout the day. Your days will be structured, but no two days will look exactly alike.

Please bring the following for your hospital stay at Wellfound:

• Casual, appropriate clothing
• Approved personal care items (hygiene products)
• Prescription eye glasses if needed
• Reading material, journal, coloring books

See Planning Your Stay for more detail about what to bring and what to leave at home.

• Wellfound is a smoke-free facility. No cigarettes, smoking or vaping products or devices are allowed. Smoking cessation aids (patches) are available for those who need them.
• Other items not allowed include sharp objects, lighters and matches, medications including medical prescriptions, cell phones, electronics or outside food or drink.

See Planning Your Stay for more detail about what to bring and what to leave at home.

We encourage you to send items home with loved ones if possible. There is limited storage available for items not allowed on the unit. If needed, valuables will be accounted for and safely stored until you are discharged from the hospital.

• Patients are allowed visits with 1 support person per day.
• All visitors must be 18 years and older.
• Visits are scheduled for 25 minutes.
• All visits must be pre-approved and scheduled by the patient’s treatment team.
• Visitors may NOT bring food in. Any other items will need pre-approval from the treatment team.
• Visits will occur from 4 PM to 8 PM outside of group and meal times, which may vary by unit.
• Visitors will need to secure all belongings including cell phones, wallets, coats, bags, etc. and present an ID.

Large televisions are located in each unit’s common areas. You may receive phone calls on the unit’s central phone number. Please ask a Wellfound representative for this number.

Your team will include professionals from many disciplines:

Physicians and advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) specializing in behavioral health will look after your physical well-being. These staff members will meet with you one-on-one for your assessment to discuss treatment options. Nurses are on site 24 hours a day.

Social workers specialize in individual and family therapy, crisis intervention, consultation and advocacy. Social workers also assist in your discharge or transition to other levels of care.

Recreational therapists provide individual assessment and therapeutic groups targeted to meet specific treatment goals to improve and enhance emotional, mental and physical well-being.

Care coordinators help patients connect with their support systems and treatment teams outside of Wellfound. If you do not have sufficient outside support, a care coordinator can help connect you to services you need to succeed in your continued recovery outside of Wellfound.

Mental health technicians monitor the common areas of the unit to ensure safety.

Individuals may be admitted involuntarily to the hospital by court order under our state’s Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA). The law is there for protection when people are unable to make care decisions for themselves, or there is concern for a person’s safety or the safety of others. Admission helps ensure people receive the timely psychiatric care they need while keeping everyone safe from harm.