Kaiser Permanente still plans to build a medical center in Kent on the former Kmart property but any specifics about a construction timeline or type of services remain unknown.
“The timeline and mix of services are still under review,” a Kaiser Permanente spokesperson said in a Feb. 9 email in response to questions from the Kent Reporter about the project.
Kaiser Permanente bought the property in December 2020 for $15 million and announced in January 2021 plans for a potential primary care, mental health and wellness facility at 24800 W. Valley Highway. Crews demolished the store and fenced off the property. Kmart closed in Kent in 2018 after opening the store in 1978.
What happens next and when, however, remains to be determined.
After it first announced the purchase and plans, the company has kept silent. A company spokesperson has sent a similar response to the Kent Reporter to questions about the project in September 2022 and January 2021.
The project is part of the company’s plan to increase access to health care for people in South King County, according to the initial statement. With continued population growth projected, this new facility will help meet those needs and provide access to primary care, mental health and wellness.
Kaiser Permanente has a primary care center on Kent’s East Hill at 26004 104th Ave. SE. The company also has South King County clinics in Federal Way, Burien and Renton.
Oakland, California-based Kaiser Permanente was founded in 1945, according to its website. The company includes Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and its subsidiaries The Permanente Medical Groups, which is in Washington.
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