A member of the Kennewick Public Hospital District who was among its board members to sell a then-bankrupt Trios Health and is now a supporter of the effort to turn the former downtown Kennewick hospital into a recovery center is stepping down. 

The hospital district announced Gary Long’s retirement on Dec. 19. He served on the district’s board for 10 years, with multiple stints as its president and treasurer. 

“Gary made an enormous contribution to the Kennewick Public Hospital District,” said Board President Mark Brault in a statement. “He guided the district through a difficult time; was tireless in his efforts to launch the Recovery Center at the KGH campus; and stepped into the treasurer role after the untimely death of Commissioner Steve Blodgett – all an enormous benefit to the district and the community.” 

The hospital district sold Trios Health to RCCH Healthcare in 2018, two years after Long joined the board. The sale came after the hospital went through Chapter 9 bankruptcy, with the sale allowing it to continue operating. 

“Going through the hospital’s transition and coming out the other side with a clearly defined structure of how to go forward was one of the toughest challenges,” Long said in a statement. “Saving the hospital was our greatest accomplishment.” 

Long’s retirement opens a vacancy on the board, which is open to any registered voter living within the boundaries of the hospital district. The deadline to apply is Jan. 29. 

The board nominated Grace Davidson, Benton County’s elections systems supervisor, for the position. 

Go to: kenkphd.com.