STAR Center opens on Skagit County Crisis Stabilization Campus in rural Washington state

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April 16, 2026

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Aiming to reduce the stigma around mental health treatment by building trust and relationships within the community, the STAR (Stabilization, Treatment and Recovery) Center on the Skagit County Crisis Stabilization Campus opened this spring, providing care for a rural region of Washington state. 

The 22,500-square-foot facility has 48 voluntary, inpatient mental health beds. Of those, 16 are crisis stabilization beds, 16 are acute detox beds and 16 for those needing longer term addiction and mental health care. 

Trauma-informed design principles were crucial to this project. Shared spaces provide abundant access to daylight, intuitive wayfinding and designated therapy and activity zones to provide calming and moments of both socialization and privacy. Nearby nurse stations are designed to be open based on patient acuity with a welcoming approach to supervision and engagement. 

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The outdoor courtyard allows for fresh air and a break from the indoor patient space.

Workspace for care providers is accessible and flexible, and there are designated respite areas for staff both indoors and outdoors. Providing a comfortable and supportive work environment builds a sense of community and trust and aims to improve staff retention.

The connection to the outdoors was another critical component of this project, particularly an abundance of access to natural light and outdoor spaces. Individuals experiencing substance abuse and mental health crises can especially benefit from a reintroduction to the rituals of daily life and the body’s natural circadian rhythms.

Views throughout the facility allow patients to experience things up close as well as in the distance, connecting them to direct light and the regular passage of the day. Gracious windows with broad and distant views, views of the sky plus high ceilings in common areas and therapy rooms create a feeling of openness.

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Exposed beams in the ceiling connect back to the forest setting of the center, along with soft lighting and a muted color palette.
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Staff spaces overlook the patient beds for visualization while also being close to the courtyard.

The STAR Center’s exterior compliments its surroundings and visually integrates into the community like any other health and wellness facility. Exterior colors and finishes work in harmony with the landscape and reference the rustic surroundings of Skagit Valley’s farmhouses, wood barns and stone masonry. This non-institutional approach to materials and massing further destigmatizes mental health and substance use inpatient treatment.

Testimonials

  • The design is meant to feel open and inviting, and act as a place of safety and refuge. Allowing people to feel centered stable through calming interior palettes while still having plentiful sightlines and access to the surrounding Skagit Valley was important.

    Aimee Duquette, AIA, LEED AP Project Manager for STAR Center
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An outdoor courtyard is directly adjacent to patient spaces.
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The center is open and allows for socialization with other patients.

The outdoor patio includes options for seating, so patients can comfortably and safely experience therapy with all senses, from listening to the birds, to smelling the surrounding landscape and agriculture to feeling the leaves.

The Crisis Stabilization Campus for Skagit County came to life because of advocacy from members of the North Star initiative, a public-private partnership between Skagit County, four local cities, housing and healthcare providers, first responders and other local leaders.

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The entrance of the center that features a rain drain, a more decorative alternative to a gutter downspout.

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