Tri-Cities’ only hospice house reopens after partial roof collapse forces evacuation
The area’s only hospice house has reopened after a water main break and partial ceiling collapse forced residents to be evacuated right before Christmas.
Chaplaincy Health Care said in a release that six of the 10 beds at its Kennewick hospice house reopened on Thursday.
Residents had been moved to the Kennewick Life Care Center while the house was repaired.
The other four beds, which are in the back of the house and had the most damage, will remain closed while that portion of the building undergoes more significant cleaning and repairs.
In 2021, Chaplaincy officials told the Herald that the house typically has six beds in use on average.
This week, the nonprofit expressed thanks to community and staff for acting quickly to keep the damage from spreading.
Chaplaincy said the building has been inspected and deemed safe to reopen. No patients or staff were hurt.
“Because we were able to restrict the area, move quickly on the cleaning, and block off the rooms which were affected by the water main break, we are safely re-opening our Hospice House today,” said Chaplaincy CEO Laurie Jackson. “The patients we care for in our Hospice House are the most critical, highly acute patients, and we want to make sure we can serve them in the best way possible. I am so grateful that we can reopen this quickly and with such safety. “
It is the only hospice house in Benton and Franklin counties and one of just 10 hospice houses in the state of Washington, according to Chaplaincy.
The Hospice House provides crucial services for patients with uncontrolled pain and symptom management, according to the organization. Hospice care is typically for patients nearing the end of life, and provides relief from symptoms and stress, as well as support for families.
Chaplaincy Health Care has been serving the Tri-Cities for more than 50 years, and opened the Hospice House in 1996.
Chaplaincy has been raising money to replace the facility, which was rapidly accruing expensive repair bills. In early 2021, it purchased 2.6 acres from the Port of Kennewick in south Richland’s Spaulding Park between Columbia Park Trail and Fowler Street.
Those plans were put on hold due to rapidly rising construction costs during the pandemic, according to an article in the Tri-Cities Journal of Business.
Chaplaincy is raising money to help cover the costs of the damages. Donations can be made online at https://bit.ly/3jEEymV.
