$50M recovery center finally to open in Tri-Cities, after years of work and delays

The Tri-City area’s status as the only major metropolitan area in the state without a residential substance use treatment facility ends Saturday, June 20.

That’s the day the Tri-Cities first inpatient treatment and recovery facility, the Columbia Valley Center for Recovery, will open to clients.

It will be a place for “hope, for healing and for peace,” said Matt Rasmussen, Benton County’s deputy administrator and a champion of the project, as the center prepared to open.

Initially, the center will offer a residential treatment center and crisis stabilization, with additional services to be offered, pending state pharmacy licensing approval, said Comprehensive Healthcare, the service provider for the center.

Supporters who worked to get the $50 million facility believe it will save lives and that Southeast Washington families will be able to make more memories with their loved ones going through drug or mental health struggles.

The need is there — on average, one Tri-Cities resident loses their life to addiction about every five days, a higher rate than the state average.

The most recent Community Health Needs Assessment prepared by the Benton-Franklin Health District identified behavioral health, particularly mental health and substance use disorder treatment, as one of the largest unmet needs in our community.

The recovery center has taken years to become a reality, with a feasibility study to use the former hospital building commissioned by the Kennewick Public Hospital District board in 2020.

Michele Gerber, who fought to get the center after launching the Benton Franklin Recovery Coalition in 2019, said at a ribbon-cutting in April that the recovery center will bring affordable services closer to home for Tri-City families in need.

The project was pushed along by city and county officials, as well as the nonprofit Benton Franklin Recovery Coalition and the Benton Franklin Behavioral Health Advisory Committee.

The center initially was expected to open the first weekend of May, but has not been able to accept any clients until Saturday as it waited for a license from the Washington state Department of Health.

The delay was initially linked to a paperwork issue — a change to a new address for the center to reflect the location of the entrance that clients will use.

The original address of the old Kennewick General Hospital was put on Benton County’s applications to the state, but the entrance to the recovery center for the building will be on 10th Avenue rather than the Auburn Street main entrance around the corner used by the hospital.

Staff have used the delay for training, with Benton County covering the costs at about $750,000 a month without reimbursement under its “Start-up Agreement” with Comprehensive Healthcare. That means the county is out as much as an estimated $1.5 million due to the delays.

Alternative to jail, ER

“The facility brings intensive support closer to home, so people can access care in their own community and near the family, providers and support systems that are so important to recovery,” said Jodi Daly, chief executive officer of Comprehensive Healthcare.

It is designed to be a “no wrong door” treatment center.

That means it will serve anyone with a need, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. It will serve as an alternative to arrest and incarceration or to treatment at an emergency room for people in a behavioral health crisis.

This approach is critical for law enforcement intervention. It will allow officers to bring in someone in crisis without having to involve them in the criminal justice system.

Franklin County still needs to work out a third party contract with Comprehensive Healthcare to pay for reimbursements, but law enforcement officials are eager to begin the partnership.

Recovery center programs

Services at full operation will include:

Short-Term/Sobering — A 23-hour observation unit that focuses on stabilization and sobering up. This unit will be structured like a living room setting with pods for recliners. Patients will be assessed here to determine longer care needs.

Crisis Stabilization — This unit is designed for clients whose primary diagnosis is mental illness related. Services will include assessment, diagnosis and treatment for those without the need for longer stays. Typically, they’ll spend five days or fewer here, but longer stays can happen voluntarily or by court order.

Withdrawal Management — This unit will provide secure withdrawal management and stabilization services. Patients will be assessed, stabilized and cared for while detoxing. There will be two levels of detox, one with monitoring and patient administered medication and the other with 24-hour medical care by nurses and doctors.

Co-occuring Residential Substance Use Treatment — This unit will be for longer-term substance use treatment, often for patients who also need some mental health treatment. The length of the stay will depend on ongoing assessments and progress toward treatment goals.

How to access recovery center

The center will be open to anyone in Washington despite being owned by Benton County. Comprehensive Healthcare will manage reimbursements. Involuntary treatment through court orders also will be available for people in active crisis.

Patients enter through triage.

Anyone can walk in voluntarily, or local police and emergency services can bring someone in through a dedicated first responder entrance. Staff in a centralized triage area will evaluate patients and determine which center services are right for them.

Initially, the center will not provide youth services, but has space to expand offerings if funding becomes available.

Cory McCoy and Eric Rosane of the Tri-City Herald contributed to this report.