New building planned for mentally ill

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County commissioners approved $150,000 to prepare land for a boarding home for people with mental illnesses or developmental disabilities.

The commissioners approved a $100,000 grant and a $50,000 loan to Grant Integrated Services, formerly Grant Mental Healthcare, as part of the state-funded Strategic Infrastructure Program (SIP). The program uses part of a state’s sales tax refund to help rural counties with economic development.

The proposed 21,000-square-foot building plans to house about 12 individuals needing more support, cutting down on the number of people needing to be in a hospital, said Jalane Christian-Stoker, Grant Integrated Services’ executive director. The facility is planned for a plot of land next to the existing facility.

“I think it’s imperative to mention these are not dangerously mentally ill people,” she said. “These kinds of people are typically on SSI (Supplemental Security Income) disability. They get counseling and medication management. These are people who need quite a bit of assistance. This will provide guidance, supervision and support for them.”

The facility fills a gap in treatment in Grant County, Christian-Stoker said, adding she expects the building to be full once it is built.

“We don’t have anything in this county between the emergency room or acute care,” she said. “We have Grant County residents right now who live in Wenatchee or Spokane because something like this isn’t available.”

Along with employing people to construct the building, Christian-Stoker said about 24 new employees are expected to work in the facility.

Several state and county agencies sent letters of support to the SIP committee, including the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, the state Department of Social and Health Services, and Moses Lake Police Chief Dean Mitchell. These came along with letters of support from Moses Lake Community Health Center and Samaritan Hospital.

The SIP money will pay to get the land next to the current building “shovel ready,” Christian-Stoker said, adding they plan to demolish the existing building on the land, and start to get utilities to the area. 

While the grant and loan helps to move the project forward, the building is expected to cost about $3 million to $3.5 million to construct, she said.

“We’re looking for other funding,” Christian-Stoker said. “We have a grant application to the state Department of Public Works. We’re also looking at loan packages … The need is imperative.”