VA Breaks Ground on Kennewick Clinic
The Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center began construction on a new Kennewick clinic to replace the smaller Richland location.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Military Jobs
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The Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center held a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. Thursday for a new Kennewick VA clinic at 3811 Plaza Way. The project will replace the smaller clinic currently operating in the Richland Federal Building.
Why it matters
Veterans who need services not offered locally currently travel long distances, sometimes through dangerous weather, to reach facilities in Walla Walla or Seattle. Bringing more staff and services in-house is intended to increase provider availability and reduce reliance on community care wait times for the more than 5,000 veterans served in the Tri-Cities area.
The VA has allocated $48.2 million in federal funding, authorized through the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, for a 100,000-square-foot, two-story facility. The clinic is expected to add about 160 staff members, though the extraction does not state whether that figure includes current Richland personnel.
The players
Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center
The VA medical center that oversees the Tri-Cities-area veteran health system and led the groundbreaking for the new Kennewick clinic.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The federal agency that funds and operates the nation's veterans health system, including the Kennewick clinic project.
The details
The new clinic will add pharmacy, radiology with MRI capacity, dental, and other services, including primary care, mental health, prosthetics, laboratory services, optometry, audiology, physical therapy, HUD/VASH services, and Home-Based Primary Care. The VA says it will continue using community care and telehealth options to help veterans access care while the facility is built.
Timeline
Thursday: Groundbreaking ceremony held at 11 a.m. at the Kennewick clinic site.
2022: Honoring Our PACT Act authorized the federal funding for the project.
Early 2029: The VA expects the Kennewick clinic to open.
Roadmap
The clinic's $48.2 million in federal funding was authorized through the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, which expanded VA health services for veterans exposed to toxic substances. The Kennewick project extends that federal investment into the Tri-Cities, where veterans have relied on distant facilities in Walla Walla and Seattle.
Veterans in the Tri-Cities who currently drive to Walla Walla or Seattle for services not offered locally may eventually be able to receive primary care, mental health, dental, and radiology closer to home. Appointment backlogs at the Richland and Walla Walla locations are expected to ease once the clinic opens.
The takeaway
Veterans in the Tri-Cities should expect shorter travel for care once the Kennewick clinic opens, though the facility will not be ready until early 2029. Until then, community care and telehealth remain the primary alternatives for services not available locally.
What happens next
The VA expects the Kennewick clinic to open in early 2029, when the planned services and roughly 160 new staff positions are expected to come online.
Further reading
Explore more military jobs coverage for Kennewick veterans and the local defense workforce.
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