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Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division
Chinook Building
401 Fifth Ave., Suite 400
Seattle, WA 98104

Amnon Shoenfeld, Dir.
e-mail us
Phone:  206-263-9000
Fax:   206-296-5260
TTY:   711 Relay Service

Employee Directory

Department: Community and Human Services
Jackie MacLean, Director

Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT)

The Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) is an individualized treatment approach that offers intensive services in the community, 24 hours a day. PACT assists participants in their recovery from mental illness.

The program helps individuals stay out of the hospital and develop fulfilling lives in a community of their choosing.

PACT teams are made up of a variety of service providers that assist individuals with housing, employment, sobriety, social skills, and independent living. All services are offered based on each consumer's unique needs and goals.

PACT Provides:

A team of service providers that includes a psychiatrist, nurse, chemical dependency specialist, employment specialist, social worker, and peer specialist. Some of the key elements of PACT include:

  • Small caseloads with a ratio of about nine consumers for each staff person.
  • Rather than sending consumers to a variety of providers, the PACT team provides most of the services.
  • PACT provides most services in the community where the consumer lives.
  • Services are provided as long as they are needed rather than ending on a fixed date.
  • Services are flexible and are based on individual needs.
  • Crisis services are available 24 hours/7 days a week coverage.

King County has a total of 180 spaces available for PACT participants. Per PACT National Standards, each team enrolls four to six consumers per month. PACT, also known as ACT, is a nationally recognized service model.

King County operates two PACT Teams:

  1. Downtown and North Seattle- Operated by the Downtown Emergency Service Center.
  2. South and East King County- Operated by a coalition of NAVOS, Valley Cities Counseling and Consultation, and Transitional Resources.

PACT is one of the six 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.

PACT reflects the goals of Washington's Mental Health Transformation Project (external) and the King County Recovery Plan for Mental Health Services. PACT asserts that those individuals diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness will not be defined by their illness. Operating within a Recovery framework, PACT helps each participant develop the skills, awareness, and self-confidence to lead a life of purpose and meaning.

New:  Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) One Year Outcomes

If you know someone who might benefit from Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) services:

Also visit these sites for more information about PACT: