Pasco’s newest memory care assisted living facility was nearly full after being open for about three weeks.

There were two of the 17 rooms available in late October at Rosetta Assisted Living at 5921 Road 60.

It’s a good thing a second 17-room identical wing is ready to open once this one reaches capacity.

“We thought it’d be after Christmas, but I am thinking it’ll be (sooner),” said Crystal Worcott, the regional director for Rosetta.

Each building cost about $1.2 million to build. And plans to construct more buildings on the Pasco site are on the horizon.

“If we do get full, we will build more,” Worcott said. The location has room for two more buildings, she said.

Kelly Morgan of Method Studio, which has offices in Idaho, was the architect, and Headwaters Construction Co. of Victor, Idaho, was the general contractor.

Worcott said the need for assisted living services is huge in Pasco.

“Assisted living is just underserved over here. We have the two buildings in Kennewick, one in Richland. In Richland, we could have done another one as well, but property wasn’t as easy to find. When we found this lot (in Pasco), it actually wasn’t for sale; we convinced the guy next door to sell it to us. We love that it’s near a park and school,” Worcott said.

It’s across the street from Mariposa Park and just down the road from Barbara McClintock STEM Elementary School. Worcott said the Rosetta team is looking forward to fostering a relationship with the school.

The Idaho-based Rosetta Assisted Living has facilities in Montana and Washington. It sold its five buildings in Idaho about 18 months ago as the market became saturated with assisted living facilities and became a challenge to manage because they were spread far apart, Worcott said.

Rosetta offers specialized care for those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in a homelike environment.

But all senior citizens can call Rosetta home, from the elderly suffering from anxiety to those who have issues being alone, Worcott said.

“Our whole focus is enhancing the lives of the elderly. We just want to make them happy. And a lot of them are alone and tired, and they just need some love,” Worcott said.

At Rosetta, seniors eat fresh-prepared food in a cozy dining room. The Pasco facility features two sitting rooms with televisions, as well as an activity room for crafts and games.

There’s a spa area with a salon for haircuts and a jetted tub, and a laundry area, where residents can do their own or have staff manage it.

“It’s very much a home setting, not a facility setting,” Worcott said.

Each room has its own toilet, sink and shower. Rooms come furnished with a bed, nightstand and dresser, though residents are welcome to bring their own furniture. Some rooms are larger and can accommodate couples.

“We don’t really love the large model. This has been our niche to do small, with 16 and 17 rooms. Both (Pasco wings) can go up to 23 people and that would be max we would do,” Worcott said.

She’s been with Rosetta for more than six years. “I love the elderly. As a nurse, I could work anywhere, but this is my calling,” she said.

Rosetta employs about 40 people in the Tri-Cities. Each home is staffed 24 hours a day so residents can receive help with nighttime needs.

“This is their home and we just come in there and work for them,” Worcott said.

The love for serving seniors is why Kelsie Blanco has been working for Rosetta for nine years. She’s the Pasco home administrator. “It was my first job out of high school and I’m still here,” she said.

She loves being able to develop relationships with residents. “Working in the hospital settings, you’re not going to get the same people. You might have the same patient for a week. A lot of them don’t have family and you are their family,” Blanco said.

Blanco enjoys food shopping for the seniors and picking up their favorite treats.

“I buy a lot of pudding cups, Jell-O cups, Debbie brownies and lots of ice cream because they love those,” Blanco said. “My goal is for them to have the best years for their last years.”

Rosetta homes often are seniors’ last stop.

“We do bring in hospice care and palliative care, and home health can come in. We care for them all the way to end of life,” Worcott said.

All of Rosetta’s services, from the furniture to special food requests to the administration of medicine, are included in the monthly fee, which is based on the level of care needed.

Most residents are considered level 2, or those who need help in the bathroom or with laundry. A level 1 resident needs minimal assistance. A level 3 resident is typically a diabetic with insulin who has a higher level of care needs.

Monthly cost for a level 1 resident is $4,200; level 2 $5,200; and level 3 $6,200.

Residents are reassessed every six months, or as needed.

Rosetta accepts Medicaid and residents can apply it as soon as they move in. “Most facilities have a one- to two-year requirement (of private pay) before they can roll onto Medicaid. This does open up more doors for us a lot faster,” Worcott said. “We take Medicaid straight out of the gate.”

Rosetta Assisted Living: 5921 Road 60, Pasco; rosettahomes.com; 509-412-1777.