Airlift Northwest’s Yakima base connects Tri-Cities patients to advanced care in Seattle, using fixed-wing planes and round-the-clock nursing crews.

Financial records show Trios and Lourdes hospitals in the Tri-Cities still struggling years after private equity firm LifePoint's acquisition.

An addiction treatment clinic that first launched in Kennewick more than a decade ago has grown to 80 locations across nine states, and in 2025, treated more than 7,000 patients in Washington. 

From the Marines to financial services to the dentist's chair, this dentist said every chapter of his career prepared him for what he now considers his calling – the work he's been doing at his own Pasco practice.

Kennewick’s Grace Clinic is bracing for a surge in patients. The free medical and dental clinic – the only one serving both Benton and Franklin counties – expects demand to spike as Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies expire and Medicaid eligibility rules tighten under H.R. 1, the federal budget law also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Only months after wrapping up construction at Columbia Valley Center for Recovery, Benton County has broken ground on a related project aimed at giving those who leave the residential treatment facility the best opportunity to land on their feet.

It’s been 15 years since Washington voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative setting new standards for training and certifying home care aides. But while the changes included in Initiative 1163 have improved safety for people receiving care, the certification process for aides has been rife with bottlenecks, according to a new state audit. Most prospective aides don’t even finish the process.

Nearly one in four U.S. workers – about 23 million adults – are staying put in jobs they want to leave because of the fear of losing healthcare coverage, according to a recent study. 

A Medicare pilot program that uses artificial intelligence to make coverage decisions will continue to be used in Washington state for the time being. 

It’s a landmark moment for the endeavor known as WA Cares, envisioned as a means to help Washington’s workforce afford long-term care and services as they age.