The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs plans to have a site selected for a new Tri-Cities clinic by next spring. But it’s keeping further details out of the public eye for now, namely how it’s going about narrowing in on a site.

The agency still plans to build the clinic or remodel an existing building within a roughly 34-plus-square-mile area of west Kennewick and south Richland that’s bounded by interstates 82 and 182, Highway 395 and State Route 240.

Linda Wondra, a public affairs officer for the Walla Walla VA Medical Center, confirmed that the agency expects to have a site selected by April 2025 but said details about the selection process weren’t available.

At one point, Vista Field in Kennewick was raised as a possible location, but nothing has come before Port of Kennewick commissioners.

The new clinic will replace the existing one in the Richland Federal Building, and it’ll offer a variety of specialties in addition to what’s currently provided locally. Those specialties include radiology, optometry, dental, audiology, prosthetics, home-based primary care, laboratory and pharmacy services. 

The goal is for it to open in 2028.

Wondra has said the new expanded clinic is needed.

“We have outgrown (the existing clinic) and cannot provide the services our veterans need within the existing space,” she told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business in July 2023. “The veterans in the Tri-Cities area can be better served by expanding services...to reduce travel time and increase efficiency in providing the world class health care the veterans deserve.” 

More than 10,000 enrolled veterans in the Tri-Cities and Boardman, Oregon areas will benefit from the new clinic, she said at the time.

The project has been estimated to cost $21-plus million. 

It’s been selected for funding under the PACT Act, a major expansion of veteran health care and benefits.

The existing Richland clinic opened in 2008. It offers services including primary outpatient care, women’s health care, mental health/social work support and homeless veteran housing support.

An interim expansion of the existing clinic is in the design phase now. The project includes adding physical therapy and expanding behavioral health support, and it’s projected to open in the middle of next year.