Former Kennewick TRIOS Hospital to become crisis center (Google street view)

The old hospital will now become the Columbia Valley Center for Recovery.

When TRIOS built the new hospital at Southridge, which opened in 2014, the birthing unit remained at the downtown Kennewick location on Auburn St. until 2022. At that point, the facility was emptied out. The original facility at 800 South Auburn St. had been the city's hospital for decades.

There had been discussion about putting medical offices and a walk-in clinic in the facility, but that did not happen. At that same time, there were discussions about building a mental health crisis center that could serve the entire region. Law enforcement officials were especially concerned about having a place to take people who were experiencing mental health issues, as opposed to the jail.

Now, after a long-term planning period, the groundbreaking will be taking place November 12th. According to the facility website:

"This is a multi-phase effort begun four years ago to provide comprehensive care for persons suffering from mental illness and/or SUD. Two campuses will provide services: The Auburn campus encompassing eight acres and 193,000 sq. ft., and the Bruneau campus currently having 22,000 square feet with the capability of expanding to 44,000 square feet."

Initial treatment options at the facility will include Withdrawal Management, Crisis Stabilization, Short-Term Treatment, and Residential Substance Abuse treatment. Officials say in the future, it could be expanded to include recovery housing and out-patient services.

The funding is in place to move ahead with the project, and following the groundbreaking, it is expected to be fully operational by 2025. To see the full scope of the project, click here.