Kennewick hospital district commissioner, Tri-Cities performing arts supporter dies
The Tri-Cities has lost a longtime member of the Tri-Cities performing arts community and a Kennewick Public Hospital District commissioner who helped steer the Kennewick hospital through bankruptcy.
Steve Blodgett, 72, of Kennewick, died Thursday at his home four days after resigning from the hospital district board due to declining health.
He had cancer, but remained active in his volunteer activities, including Adult Day Services in Kennewick, until just days before his death, said Rick Reil, Blodgett’s longtime friend and a fellow hospital district commissioner.
Blodgett was picked to join the board in late 2017 and his current elected term would have expired in 2028.
When he joined the board, Trios Health was a community-owned public hospital that had recently filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy during a challenging economy for hospitals.
“His expertise in business management was a great benefit to the district when it was going through bankruptcy,” Reil said. “He really jumped in and helped when we really needed it.”
Blodgett played a key role in keeping a hospital operating in Kennewick, Reil said.
The district was able to find a for-profit buyer — RCCH HealthCare Partners, now LifePoint Health — for what was formerly Kennewick General Hospital.
Bankruptcy court proceedings determined that the Tri-Cities would not have adequate health care services without the hospital and required the hospital district to continue operations for 26 years.
Blodgett’s concerns over access to quality health care led him become a district commissioner and to work to make the community a healthier place, says his biography on the hospital district website.
He served as secretary of the hospital district board and had been the appointed treasurer since 2017, reviewing financial statements and preparing budgets.
Blodgett also was the treasurer of Adult Day Services, a hospital district program, and helped streamline operations and procedures there, Reil said.
Blodgett, who lived in Kennewick for 49 years, retired from a career in finance and accounting in 2014.
He had worked as the financial controller for Ag Engineering & Development and also had worked for BioGro Inc. and the Red Lion Hotel. He had a talent for helping turn around businesses that were in dire financial straits, Reil said.
Hospital commissioners agreed at their Thursday meeting to donate $500 in Blodgett’s name to Mid-Columbia Mastersingers to honor his contributions to the Tri-Cities arts community. The money comes from personal donations by the commissioners, rather than taxpayer money.
Blodgett was active in many arts groups through the years, including the Mastersingers, the Richland Players and Mid-Columbia Musical Theatre.
He also was the past president of a Kiwanis club, a member of the Kennewick High Band Boosters and Eastgate Parent Teacher Association, and a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America, the Tri-City Herald reported when he joined the district board, replacing Don Campbell, who resigned.
A decision on how the commission will fill his vacant seat was not made immediately.
Blodgett is survived by his wife, Ginger, six grown children and grandchildren.
Mueller’s Tri-Cities Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. A service is set for 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, at the Church of Latter-Day Saints meeting house at South Olympia Street and West 45th Place in Kennewick.
