See old hospital’s rebirth into a place where struggling Tri-Citians can start over
While the old Kennewick General Hospital might look the same from the outside, crews are doing a lot more than just applying a new paint job inside.
Last used as the Trios Birth Center before it closed three years ago, the facility is being stripped down and turned into a place for struggling Tri-Citians to find a new lease on life.
Nearly everything inside the old hospital will be new once work is complete for the Tri-Cities’ first public recovery center.
The county also recently got some good news on its plans for recovery housing in a separate portion of the building.
Construction crew have gutted the first floor of the aging facility and are rebuilding its interior from the ground up.
Floors have been ripped out, walls knocked down, electrical and mechanical systems completely redone as part of the massive project. The facility renovation is being designed and constructed by Bouten Construction and NAC Architecture.
Because they’re doing a nearly full interior rebuild, rather than just a quick renovation, some supply issues have caused setbacks, but Bouten says it’s working to make up time where they can.
Deputy County Administrator Matt Rasmussen told the Tri-City Herald that they’re currently on track for a late March 2026 completion.
The center will then be handed over to Comprehensive Healthcare so their staff can begin training and prepping for patients.
The Columbia Valley Center for Recovery will open a few weeks after that. It will be a “no wrong door” facility, meaning anyone in the area seeking help for mental health or addiction issues can be treated, regardless of their health insurance.
The recovery center is owned and being built by Benton County, but Franklin County and all the cities in the area are contributing.
Addiction recovery housing
Benton County looks to be on the cusp of securing $3.8 million from the state’s proposed capital budget for recovery housing for a portion of the second floor of the facility.
The funding still needs to reconciled by the House and Senate and approved by Gov. Bob Ferguson, but the proposed allocation in each budget proposal is similar.
The Three Rivers Recovery Housing project will be operated by Seasons Housing, while the recovery center will be run by Comprehensive Healthcare.
While the funding is only about half of what the county requested, Rasmussen said that it will let them get started while pursuing some other options to reach the $7.8 million estimate total project cost. They’ve allocated $1.2 million to redesign that portion of the hospital.
The housing involves converting 14,000 square feet of former hospital rooms on the second floor into 17 double-occupancy apartments. There also would be an apartment for an on-site program manager.
The apartments would have their own bathrooms and use common areas for group meetings and entertainment, such as a TV room and game room, plus a shared kitchen and laundry area.
Rasmussen said the county is currently working to determine whether they should start with a smaller number of rooms with the money likely to be allocated this this year and add more later, or take the entire project as far as they can and find additional money to finish it.
Seasons will operate the program as part of “phase two” of the recovery center.
It will likely open seven to eight months after the recovery center, with residents moving in around mid-2026.
The rent will be based on HUD fair market rates for the county, and Seasons will be able to help residents navigate rental assistance programs through the county if needed.
The units are intended to be available for people in recovery as they go through their programs and find stable housing. Most will stay one to two years.
How is it being paid for?
Construction is expected to cost $23 million to $27 million, with another $11 million already approved for “betterments,” which are quality of life improvements and will allow for more of the treatment rooms to be built for single occupants, and add a commercial kitchen.
That doesn’t include the $9 million for design and construction of the recovery housing, about half of which has now been secured.
Turning the shuttered hospital into a state-of-the-art place for anyone in need to get help with mental health and addiction issues in the area has been a monumental tasks for Tri-Cities leaders and a group of dedicated volunteers.
Operational funding will be paid for through mental health and chemical dependency sales taxes in Benton and Franklin counties, as well as supplemented by state opioid lawsuit settlements which send annual payments to cities and counties.
The county paid $1.8 million to buy the old hospital and another $5 million was spent on a building at the old Welch’s Juice plant downtown. The county ultimately chose to set the second building aside for other uses.
Most of the $42.5 million already secured came from local and state money.
The total project is nearing $50 million in committed funds, with funding recently announced for new projects.
The Columbia Center Rotary Charity is donating $250,000 to build a family room at the recovery center.
The Family Room will serve as a reconnection room to help with healing and support recovery for individuals, according to an announcement from the organization.
The Benton Franklin Recovery Coalition also recently launched a fundraiser for its donor wall, which will recognize individuals or organizations who have donated $1,000 or more.
The hospital is 198,000 square feet and so far only about one-quarter of that space has been allocated for confirmed projects.
The county hopes to eventually add more services for people in recovery, as well as juveniles.
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
