Compass Health to purchase county building in Friday Harbor, continuing long-term services locally

State funding and a decades-long county partnership secure the building’s future

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

Compass Health, a community-based healthcare agency supporting youths and adults, is purchasing the building it has been leasing long-term from San Juan County located at 520 Spring Street in Friday Harbor, thanks to strong collaboration with county leaders and Washington state lawmakers. This deal will enable the non-profit behavioral health provider to continue to care for island communities with locally based teams.

“Thanks to the dedication of Compass Health and fellow lawmakers, residents can continue receiving behavioral health support right in our own backyard,” said San Juan County Councilmember Kari McVeigh. “Other rural communities face similar challenges in ensuring the availability of high-quality care that’s accessible and delivered by folks who live and work locally. We’re fortunate that with this purchase, our county residents can continue accessing these life-saving services.”

Compass Health has served San Juan County residents for more than 20 years from the Friday Harbor location, which it leased from the county for more than a decade, as its operational hub. When it became clear the building didn’t fit into the county’s long-term property management plans, leaders came together to explore an ownership transition. This was a critical step, as the facility’s infrastructure and zoning make it the only existing option on San Juan Island to house Compass Health’s local services, including outpatient counseling, crisis outreach, and substance use treatment.

Thanks to a $1.8 million investment from the Washington state capital budget and Department of Commerce grants, Compass Health will own the facility. It’s a win for everyone involved: The county will reinvest funds from the purchase into other high-priority projects, and the acquisition doesn’t require any additional operating dollars for Compass Health’s ongoing services, while also avoiding disruptions and costly moving expenses.

“For more than 20 years, San Juan County has been our home and our partner, and this building purchase is proof that we’re here to stay,” said Tom Sebastian, Compass Health president and CEO. “We’re deeply grateful to San Juan County and to the Washington state lawmakers who understood what was at stake for our valued rural communities and made sure we could keep caring for our neighbors across the islands for the next 20 years and beyond.”

Over their two-decade relationship, San Juan County has contracted with Compass Health for opioid settlement-funded initiatives, sent referrals through law enforcement and the courts, and supported the organization as it expanded from a group of traveling clinicians to a locally staffed team, meeting the needs of the entire county.

Compass Health leaders signaled their appreciation for funding that is increasingly being funneled toward projects like this: long-lasting, community-based care that alleviates pressure on hospitals, police and first responders statewide. 

“This building means our clinicians, our outreach teams and our crisis responders have a permanent home in Friday Harbor,” Sebastian said. “San Juan County has trusted us to be here for 20 years, and now, together with the state, we’re able to make that commitment permanent.”