More services, 10 times the space planned for new $48M Tri-Cities VA clinic
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- New VA clinic in the Tri-Cities costing more than Congress expected
- The new clinic will span 100,000 square feet and add multiple specialty services.
- The facility will serve about 9,000 enrolled veterans when it opens in a few years.
The Veterans Administration is making plans to open a health care clinic in the Tri-Cities that will be more than 10 times as large as the current Richland clinic and offer many more services.
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee has authorized just over $48 million for a new clinic, said Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash.
Congress, with support from the Washington congressional delegation, approved spending for the new clinic in the Honoring Our PACT Act in 2022, and former President Biden signed it into law in August 2022.
But when the VA obtained bids for the Tri-Cities and other new clinics across the nation, 18 of the bids, including the bid for the Tri-Cities, came in above the amount approved by Congress, according to the staff of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
Inflation, higher labor costs, supply chain challenges and related factors impacting the construction and real estate sectors all increased the price tag for the project, according to Murray’s staff.
As a result, the VA requested a higher cost facility for the Tri-Cities and some other clinics, which Congress approved in a process that had been streamlined by the PACT Act.
Murray had initially won Senate support for $36 million for an expanded Tri-Cities clinic, as Newhouse worked for support from the House.
With the project now moving forward, Newhouse called it a “historic investment” that would revitalize veteran care in the greater Tri-Cities area.
Now the Veterans Administration has a primary care clinic in the Federal Building in Richland, with Tri-Cities veterans driving to Walla Walla to access the more extensive service offered by the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center there.
But the current Richland clinic is only 9,800 square feet.
The new clinic is proposed to have about 100,000 square feet, according to the VA.
It will add several specialties, including radiology, optometry, dental, audiology, prosthetics, in-home primary care, laboratory and pharmacy services.
It is expected to serve about 9,000 veterans who are currently enrolled for VA services in the Tri-Cities and Eastern Washington area.
However, they will have to be patient.
The clinic is not expected to open until 2029, with the clinic in the Federal Building at 825 Jadwin Ave. closing then, according to the VA.
“Better access to modern care, benefits and services for veterans has been a top priority during my time in Congress, and I am pleased to have secured the necessary funds to deliver new resources that will directly benefit those in our area who have service,” Newhouse said.
Murray said in 2022 during her effort to win money for the new VA clinic in the Tri-Cities that additional services in the Tri-Cities would be a “huge game changer,” allowing veterans to access services closer to home.
She also noted that the new clinic would create jobs in the Tri-Cities as it is staffed.