Benton County Commission: Progress in the wake of COVID-19

Despite the trials, tribulations and hardships of 2020, Benton County persevered and adapted to continue to serve the community and our residents. While we know everyone has COVID fatigue, the pandemic played an important role in how the county conducted business throughout 2020 and how we will continue to do business in the coming year.

Benton County has partnered with various agencies, including the Washington State Department of Health, the Benton-Franklin Health District, city governments and more to adapt to changes required to serve the community. The Benton County Fairgrounds has hosted both the COVID-19 contact tracing team and the Mass Vaccination Site, which are both far exceeding expected metrics for success.

The Mass Vaccination Site has continued to be the highest-performing mass vaccination site throughout the state, largely thanks to the coordination of the National Guard, Department of Health and the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team, of which Benton County is a member.

The county received over $15 million in Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Stability (CARES) Act funds to use for COVID-19 related expenses. Over $6.1 million was disbursed to 332 local businesses, non-profit, and childcare providers in the form of Community Support Grants to offset financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, with no repayment requirements.

While we couldn’t help everyone, we are incredibly proud to have been able to assist our business community in such an impactful way and hope to continue to see the positive effects of those grants for years to come.

The COVID-19 pandemic also required the county to adjust its service model, not only for office staff but for the courts and justice system as well. A team of county staff, in partnership with countless vendors, has successfully implemented a virtual court system to allow for remote participation in hearings and trials. This historic effort would not have been possible without the CARES Act funds received, or the hard work of our staff and the patience and support of the community.

In addition to our COVID-19 response, Benton County has continued its progress on the new Administration Building on the Justice Center campus in Kennewick. This building, due for completion this year, will combine multiple offices to create a “one-stop shop” model for residents seeking services from the assessor, auditor, treasurer, commissioners and various administration departments.

The Courthouse in Prosser is also receiving some major upgrades to better facilitate Board of Commissioners’ meetings and other public meetings. We look forward to being able to share that space with our community when it is safe for us to meet in person.

Throughout 2021, the county will be collaborating with the Benton-Franklin Recovery Coalition to pursue any available federal or state funding for the Three Rivers Behavioral Health Recovery Center, which will serve the entire region as a facility for detoxification services, secure withdrawal management services, an alternative to incarceration and/or repeated crisis calls and hospital emergency department visits for those with mental health or substance use disorders.

The At-Risk Youth Services Center continues to be a priority as well, as we continue to seek funding from various sources to better serve the needs of the Juvenile Justice program, including increased classroom and court space for non-incarcerated youth and their families to receive much-needed services and access to programs such as diversion, education and GED services, mental health, substance use, family counseling and more.

We encourage our residents to visit our website at www.co.benton.wa.us and to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date information on county news, programs, services and events.

This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 12:48 AM with the headline "Benton County Commission: Progress in the wake of COVID-19."