Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT)

DESC is honored to be one of the few agencies in Washington to deliver a Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT). PACT is a nationally recognized practice that works with people with serious and persistent mental illness, assisting them in their journey towards recovery. The PACT model is distinguished by its intensive outreach and team-oriented, trans-disciplinary approach.

More than 25 research studies demonstrate that PACT reduces hospital stays and improves housing stability while being more satisfactory to participants and their families than standard care. PACT is one of the 6 practices endorsed by the “Evidence Based Practice Project” sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and several state and local agencies.

The traditional case management model usually involves one or two case managers who are responsible for a list of about 10-50 clients. In a PACT model, the entire team is responsible for every participant. PACT teams have daily team meetings in which they review the status of each person they serve and make a daily schedule of services to be provided in accordance to each participant’s current wants and needs.

DESC’s PACT team consists of a psychiatrist, nurses, mental health professionals, chemical dependency specialists, vocational specialists, social workers, and peer specialists all working together to help PACT participants reach their goals. Staff provide most services off-site, in the community where the help is needed. There is no time limit or mandatory cut-off point for services, but some participants do “graduate” to less intensive services.

If you’d like to learn more, visit the King County page for PACT Services.

If you or someone you know is interested in receiving PACT services, contact Chris Mitchell at King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division at 206-263-8951 or pact@kingcounty.gov.