Nearly half of the counties in Washington have no practicing psychiatrists or psychologists. The Psychiatry Consultation Line (PCL) aims to increase access to specialty mental health and substance use care by providing on-demand consultations to providers across the state, 24 hours/day.

Launched in 2019, the Psychiatry Consultation Line (PCL) connects community providers in Washington state who want advice regarding adult patients with mental health and/or substance abuse disorders to psychiatrists at the University of Washington. Providers call 877-WA-PSYCH (877-927-7924) and after a short intake with a UW health navigator, are connected to a UW psychiatrist.

In Fiscal Year 2024, the PCL completed 1,286 consultations with 702 providers to help 1,172 patients in 35 of Washington’s 39 counties. This is a 9% increase from 2023, and the PCL’s growth occurred in more than half of Washington counties. We are pleased that many rural communities had higher PCL call rates per 100,000 residents compared to the more well-resourced counties in the state.

A provider satisfaction survey was sent to all providers who received a psychiatric consultation. Survey responses are anonymous, but we do ask the provider for their credential type and the county in which they practice.

A nurse practitioner from Ferry County wrote: “Patients with complex medication regimens to manage bi-polar, schizophrenia, and similar conditions are daunting patients to get. As a primary care practitioner, the feeling of inadequacy to care for these patients is significant and given options, I’d refer these patients to a psych specialist. However, that is frequently not an option in the rural area where I work and that is where PCL comes in. I know I have someone to call and they will help me navigate monitoring, safety, screening, and medication management KINDLY! I don’t have to worry about sounding stupid, I just need to call and then follow-up with them as needed. It has given me the power to offer services to my patients I otherwise could not, and it gives them second-hand access to some of the state’s best psychiatric care. I’m beyond thankful for PCL. I recommend it to all my colleagues. If you work in a clinic with limited access to psychiatric/mental health services, the PCL can be an enormous asset – use it!”