Former Chehalis Hospital Changes Hands

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    After attempting to sell the Providence Hospital Chehalis Campus for a number of years, Providence reached an agreement with a buyer on Tuesday for the sale of the century-old building.

    Craig Phillips of the Spokane based American Behavioral Health Systems, a drug and alcohol recovery center, will become the third owner of the building that has been a Chehalis mainstay for over 100 years.

    The purchase of the building will bring in an additional 60 jobs to the area, according to Providence Centralia Hospital.

    The purchase price was not disclosed. The facility on the 500 block of Southwest Washington Avenue was assessed in 2009 at $3.1 million, according to the Lewis County Assessor’s Office.

    “This is going to work out to be a win for the community and a win for us,” said Thomas Risse, chief financial officer for Providence Centralia Hospital. “We weren’t able to utilize it well. The buyer has a track record of providing services that are effective and this comes at a time when Lewis County needs more jobs.”

    The building should now be used to its full potential, he added, while allowing Providence to centralize in Centralia.



    “We’re pretty pleased,” Risse said. “‘Cause honestly it was just sitting there with just a few tenants.”

    The dialysis center will remain a tenant of the property, but Providence’s Addictions Recovery Center and staff will be moved to the Centralia location.

    A concession made during the sale will give the Addictions Recovery Center until July 15 to find a new location at the Cooks Hill and Scheuber Road hospital complex.

    Providence Centralia Hospital became the sponsor of the building in 1983, according to spokesman Chris Thomas. The Dominican Sisters built and had run the facility since 1907.

    The two groups merged in 1988 and it officially became known as a Providence location.

    Marqise Allen: (360) 807-8237