Kennewick Woman of the Year, Columbia Rotary donate big to recovery center
Community members recently pitched in $675,000 toward improving the quality of life for patients at the Tri-Cities’ first public recovery center.
The Benton County Recovery Coalition announced Thursday that not only did their annual Unite for Recovery Breakfast raise $175,000, but they also received two gifts of $250,000 each for improvements at the future Columbia Valley Center for Recovery.
The gifts come from the Columbia Center Rotary Charity and philanthropist Sue Frost, according to a news release from the coalition.
Frost, formerly Watkins, was recently named Kennewick Woman of the Year for her decades of service to the city as director of the Port of Kennewick and as a community leader.
Her donation will go toward helping build out a Wellness Room, which would be like an indoor fitness area.
“The incredible support shown at our Unite for Recovery breakfast, combined with the generous donations from Sue Frost and the Columbia Rotary Charity Fund, will help us bring essential recovery services to our community,” said Michele Gerber, President of the Benton County Recovery Coalition. “These funds directly support the Columbia Valley Center for Recovery, bringing us closer to our vision of comprehensive care in our community.”
The donation from the Rotary charity is earmarked for a Family Room.
That space will allow patients to visit with their loved ones while staying at the recovery center.
When it opens the facility will offer four key services: short-term treatment, crisis stabilization, withdrawal management, and residential substance use treatment.
Benton County is also on the cusp of securing about half of the money needed to begin working on recovery housing in a different part of the facility, thanks to proposed allocations from the state’s capital budget. Those funds still need to be reconciled in a final budget and sent to the governor for approval.
Construction at the old Kennewick General Hospital is on track for a late March 2026 completion. After that Comprehensive Healthcare will take over as the contractor and get staff trained and ready to begin treating patients.
The recovery center is expected to open within about a month of Comprehensive taking the reins. It will be a “no wrong door” facility, meaning anyone seeking treatment will be helped regardless of their health insurance status.
The facility, at 900 S. Auburn, is being rebuilt by Benton County, and funded through the mental health and addiction recovery sales tax and opioid settlement money with Franklin County and the cities in both counties.
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
