DSHS to close portion of Rainier School in Buckley

OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services announced this week that it will close a portion of Rainier School by July 31, 2023. The decision impacts Program Area Team C, or PAT C, which provides specialized care and independent living skills training for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The closure is part of a settlement agreement reached between the Health Care Authority, which manages the state’s Medicaid program, and DSHS, which operates Rainier School. DSHS pursued an agreement as opposed to an appeal of decertification by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services so that staff and families would have more time to transition and safely support PAT C’s 53 remaining residents. Read more on the DSHS Medium page.