Here are $50+ million of Tri-Cities hospital construction, expansion projects under way

Over $50 million in health care projects are currently under construction in Tri-Cities — a glimpse at the commitment the industry is making to the region.

The growth helps to eliminate the need to travel for hours for medical care, when going to Spokane or Seattle may often have been required in the past.

Specialized services are largely tied to the size of the region’s population, and Tri-Cities is one of the fastest growing areas in the state, Karl Dye, president of the Tri-Cities Development Council (TRIDEC), said during a recent session on the economy.

The population explosion in Benton and Franklin counties in the past two decades also has helped turn Tri-Cities into a hub for medical care for its nearly 300,000 residents and beyond.

People from nearby communities, such as Connell, Prosser and Walla Walla, as well as small towns just across the Oregon border, come for services here as well, Dye added.

More medical workers

And that’s reflected in the growth of medical field jobs.

In 10 years, the number of people working in health care and health education services jumped a whopping 48 percent in Benton and Franklin counties, according to data from the Washington Employment Security Department.

That’s 6,000 more workers in the field, and is the second highest employment group in Benton and Franklin counties, topped only by government workers.

“We are blessed to be in a robust community,” said Micheal Young, vice president of operations for the Eastern Region of Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic. “The downside is that it takes time for support services to catch up.”

Several projects are underway in Tri-Cities to meet the need.

Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic is two months away from opening its newest $20 million facility, the Miramar Health Center, in Kennewick. The Vista Field facility is at 6451 W. Rio Grande Ave.

The clinic already operates Dentistry for Kids and Columbia Basin Pediatric Dentistry, both in Kennewick, as well as an existing Miramar Health Center in Pasco.

The group also has clinics throughout Washington and Oregon.

The Miramar Health Center in Kennewick will largely serve those who do not have insurance or who have Medicaid when it opens May 10.

The clinic will offer family medicine, adult and pediatric dentistry, as well as an on-site pharmacy.

When fully staffed, the clinic will create 15 new general practitioner positions in Tri-Cities, as well as hire two new dentists.

“Tri-Cities has grown a lot in the last decade and there is a huge need for additional medical providers,” Young said. “We are looking to be part of that solution.”

Other projects

▪ Trios Health is building a $22 million birthing center at its Southridge hospital campus. The two-story tower addition will be finished in spring 2022 to provide labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum care.

▪ Alliance Women’s Health of Richland teamed up with Tri-City Foot and Ankle Center for a $1.6 million project at 9613 Sandifur Parkway in Pasco.

Alliance is hiring an additional obstetrics and gynecology physician to focus on pregnancy when it opens in the fall.

Tri-City Foot and Ankle also said it will now have the capacity to add physicians in the future.

▪ Advanced Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics is building a $2.5 million clinic just down the street at 9720 Sandifur Parkway. The practice is scheduled to move from its rented space on Wrigley Drive to the new location in October.

▪ Sana Behavioral Health based in Salt Lake City will open a $2.8 million inpatient behavioral health hospital for geriatric patients this year, as well.

Physicians at the 16-bed facility at 7319 W. Hood Place will treat patients ages 55 and older with health issues such as severe depression, schizophrenia and psychosis.

▪ Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richand is spending $4 million on a big upgrade to replace existing mechanical equipment. The hospital is updating aging supply air fans dating to 1969 in order to increase airflow capacity to accommodate future expansions.

“Being able to access care is a big factor in the quality of life to attract companies and keep people here,” Dye said.

Dye told the Herald that the population growth spans the demographics — indicating people are coming to Tri-Cities for jobs and not just for retirement.

In conversations TRIDEC and other city leaders have had with companies considering moving to the area, he said services such as medical options are often a major deciding factor in the decision on whether to locate.

“From our perspective, it is great that can be a growth of services,” Dye said.