Hospitals in Action >> Case Examples

FRANCISCAN HEALTH SYSTEM - Tacoma, Washington 
Sobering Center of Tacoma

What is it?  
Franciscan Health System is a founding sponsor of  the Sobering Center of Tacoma that provides public inebriates with a safe place to “sleep if off,” to take a shower, have light snacks, and connect with resources that can help them get their lives back on track.  The 11-bed center is located in downtown Tacoma in a building that houses a detoxification facility and several social service agencies. The Sobering Center’s case manager works with people to help find housing and other assistance if they seek it. The public/private partnership that established the center is comprised of Franciscan Health System, MultiCare Health System, Pierce County, the City of Tacoma, and the Tacoma Metropolitan Development Council. 
 
Who is it for? 
The Sobering Center is for chronic, homeless adult men and women from the Tacoma and Pierce County area. 
 
Why do they do it?  
The center is intended to protect homeless, chronic alcoholics, but also to relieve stress on emergency responders and divert unnecessary visits to the community’s already-strained hospital emergency rooms. In the past, individuals that were “picked up” for public intoxication may have been brought to a hospital just to sober up for up to 8 hours.  Now they are assessed and if they are not in need of medical attention they are brought to the center. Individuals are referred to the center by one of the community’s hospitals or emergency responders; or they may go to the center on their own to get in out of the elements and receive respite care.
 
Impact: 
Since opening, the center has logged more than 8,400 encounters with inebriated men and women. The number of individuals that make use of the center varies, often by season, but can be from 135 to 279 per month. There is a core group of 25-30 individuals that re-visit the center frequently; previously those individuals were showing up in the ED on a regular basis.  Since the Sobering Center opened, visits to the emergency departments by inebriated adults seeking a safe place to sober up have declined. Franciscan and MultiCare each donated $100,000 to help launch this program, and continue to contribute a like amount every year to keep the program in operation. Franciscan Health System is affiliated with Catholic Health Initiatives, one of the largest non-profit health systems in the nation.

Contact: Gale Robinette   
Marketing and Communications
Telephone:  253-382-3850
E-mail:  GaleRobinette@fhshealth.org

Or

Contact: Dianna Kielian
Senior Vice President for Mission
Telephone:  253-581-3111
E-mail:  diannakielian@fhshealth.org