A Prosser assisted living facility has undergone a major expansion and remodel as well as a name change, thanks to the partnership of two longtime Yakima Valley families.

The $2 million in improvements at Amber Hills Assisted Living, formerly Sheffield Manor, finished up about a month ago under the watchful eyes of the brother teams of Andy and Bill Den Hoed and Jeff and Randy Hyatt.

Since 1944, Hyatt Family Facilities has operated skilled nursing facilities in the Yakima Valley. The Den Hoed family are longtime Prosser residents who own Den Hoed Wine Estates.

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing better that you can do than help people age gracefully. That’s what my main drive is. It’s not just to have a factory where you hold people, without any feeling, where they don’t feel important. We want to make people feel important,” Andy Den Hoed said.

The addition of two new wings and 12 rooms at the facility at 125 N. Wamba Road in Prosser will accommodate 40 residents.

New features include an in-house salon, spa room with walk-in jacuzzi, new family entertainment room, a new bus with easy wheelchair and walker access, and the latest call assist for enhanced safety.

Andy Den Hoed thinks about his parents when talking about assisted living facilities.

“As far as I’m concerned, my parents are in their 80s and their mind still think just like I think. They want a nice place to live, they want fun stuff to do, they want activities. It’s just their bodies aren’t as able to do the things that I can so that’s why they need to go into assisted living homes. And my main focus is going to be on activity, being active and having a beautiful place for them to age in,” he said.

Randy Hyatt is fourth generation of a family involved in the business of senior care facilities. “We’ve kind of got it figured out,” he said, explaining why the Den Hoeds teamed up with the Hyatts on the Prosser project.

“We’ve got a great facility filled with a lot of staff who have been there a long time. Longevity equals experience. We’ve got great partners who are passionate. We’ve got management — we just didn’t start doing this last week — we have experienced operations, a seasoned staff and a nice place to stay. All that should equate to a great experience for a family member,” Randy Hyatt said.

Andy Den Hoed said he wants to attract and serve residents from the Tri-Cities to Yakima. “We’re right now drawing from Zillah to Benton City. I’d like to get people from the Tri-Cities and maybe Seattle because a lot of people love Prosser because of the wine business. Prosser’s got a lot going on and I hope we can give something back to the community,” he said.

Amber Hills’ 5.5-acre lot borders 30 acres along the Yakima River where Andy Den Hoed hopes someday to build an independent living facility. “I think there’s a need for that, too,” he said.

The newly remodeled facility opened Aug. 15.

For more information go to hyattfamilyfacilities.com/amber-hills or call 509-786-3100.