This Tri-City project is so critical it has Western WA support. That’s encouraging | Opinion

When the Tri-Cities has a project in need of a financial boost from Washington state, it’s helpful to have west side lawmakers on our side.

So we’re grateful the community’s future Benton County Behavioral Health and Recovery Center has the backing of a couple of Puget Sound Democrats.

With construction costs rising, backers of the recovery center asked the Legislature for another $5 million to pay for a specific piece of the project — the residential inpatient substance use treatment facility.

Sponsors of the $5 million capital budget request are Rep. Skyler Rude, R-Walla Walla; Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline; Sen. Perry Dozier, R-Waitsburg and Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond.

With the recent change in legislative district boundaries, the planned treatment center in east Kennewick is in the 16^th Legislative District — Rude and Dozier’s territory.

But to have two Democrats from the Puget Sound area also onboard is especially encouraging, and indicates just how necessary this project is.

Creating a compassionate place where people struggling with addiction can receive inpatient care is what Michele Gerber has wanted from the start.

Gerber launched the Benton Franklin Recovery Coalition over four years ago with the goal of developing a detox facility in the community.

At the time, she noted that the Tri-Cities is the third largest metropolitan area in the state, and the only community of its size not to have a safe place where people can go.

With our county jails tending to be the default location for addicts and those with mental health issues, Gerber’s efforts caught the attention of law enforcement officials and other community leaders.

Now the Tri-Cities is on its way to getting a two-site project.

One location will be in the old Kennewick General Hospital building and the other will be at nearby 10 East Bruneau Ave, the old Welch juice facility. Once fully open, the new center will provide a variety of services that include treatment assessment, medical help to withdraw from addiction, residential inpatient treatment, recovery housing, job training assistance and youth services.

Gerber told the Herald that she and members of the coalition are grateful for the support from both sides of the aisle.

“It’s extremely rare, and very beneficial, to have robust support from both political parties. Fortunately, these legislators realize that our area presently is deficient in services for addiction and mental illness, and that the Recovery Center will mean improved health and cost savings for all residents of southeast Washington,” Gerber said.

Drug addiction is a disease and should be treated that way. Gerber and other members of the recovery coalition have been on a mission to get rid of the shame surrounding addiction, as well as connect community resources in such a way that addicts can get the help they need more easily and more quickly.

So far, the remodeling project has been awarded $9 million in grants from the Legislature and $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding from Benton County.

But much of the state grant money was allocated for specific purposes — like crisis stabilization and observation.

That’s why another $5 million is needed from the state to cover the substance abuse treatment facility. Once the buildings are ready, a 0.1% sales tax increase in both Benton and Franklin counties will fund the center’s operations.

The Tri-Cities is so close to getting all the money it needs to develop this life-changing facility, we hope that this last budget request is granted.

It’s great to have our Tri-City area lawmakers pushing for this — and that includes 8^th District Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick and Republican Reps. April Connors of Kennewick and Stephanie Barnard of Pasco.

But it is even more encouraging that lawmakers who don’t live here also recognize the need.