While Cascade Community Healthcare received a $750,000 state grant to partly fund a 16-bed inpatient treatment facility in Chehalis, the process to put shovels in the ground has been a challenge.
“It’s just been one thing after another with the state on this one,” said Cascade CEO Richard Stride.
According to the state Department of Commerce, the funds were directly appropriated to fund the first phase of the project, which includes purchasing the land and a survey.
Construction on the project was originally slated to begin last summer, with the facility to open to patients sometime this year, according to previous Chronicle reporting. After initial zoning concerns with the Chehalis, Stride said last May he was happy with an agreement the organization reached with the city.
But after two and a half years of delays, the project faces another setback.
Currently, the building is classified under institutional building code instead of residential building code, which local legislators say would increase costs. A new designation by the State Building Code Council, which was set to go into effect next week, would allow the project to be built in residential building codes. A decision by the council now isn’t expected until mid March.
“We’ve been waiting for like two and a half years,” he said.
Eventually, the inpatient facility will be built at 135 W. Main St., where Cascade currently offers Substance Use Disorder services and Medication Assisted Treatment. The project will renovate space on the second floor of the building.
In total, the construction will cost roughly $1.3 million to build. Cascade is looking into grants and other funding sources for the remainder of the costs, though it will self fund a portion of the project if needed.
“That’s how strongly we feel about it,” Stride said. “It needs to get done.”
Part of the urgency, Stride said, is the lack of a similar facility in Lewis County, with patients driving to Olympia or other cities outside of the county for treatment. Another concern is getting people who want help the help they need, when they need it.
Stride said it’s crucial to reduce the time after a patient either decides or faces a court mandate to seek treatment. Any delay, he said, could mean the patient is no longer willing to receive help or could cause additional harm.
“It’s critical that these things happen in a pretty quick timeline,” Stride said.
