(Navos’s West Seattle campus – King County Assessor photo)

Navos, which has inpatient and outpatient facilities at its campus in West Seattle, just announced it’s affiliating with Tacoma-based MultiCare Health System, saying this will “create the largest behavioral-health provider in Washington state.” It’s not a purchase or takeover, according to Navos spokesperson Alice Braverman; Navos is keeping its name as an “independent affiliate.” From the news release:

… Together, MultiCare and Navos will offer individuals more options for getting the care they need in Puget Sound communities and across the continuum of behavioral health care. MultiCare and Navos will work to integrate behavioral health and social services in settings where people already receive medical services, including primary care clinics, mobile outreach clinics, schools, offices and the home, which will help to address the region and state’s pressing need for behavioral health services.

… Current patients of both organizations will see little change and will continue to receive excellent care from the providers they know and trust in the same locations they visit now.

Navos started as Highline Mental Health Association, changing the name to Navos in 2008; MultiCare’s history is here. Their affiliation will require regulatory approval.