Dear Neighbors,  

In the past few weeks, I’ve seen some amazing corners of our community. I toured the HealthPoint facility on Tukwila International Boulevard, attended the opening of the Tukwila World Cup viewing lounge, and learned more about how Starfire Sports works with youth in our district. Keep reading for more information about these exciting developments! 

HealthPoint 

I toured the future Tukwila HealthPoint facility with the organization’s staff, construction team, and fellow elected officials. The new facility will include primary medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare, as well as a pharmacy and urgent care. They will offer pediatric, women’s, and substance use care, as well as nutrition services, family planning, vision and hearing screenings, and more. The building will also include a childcare facility. This is just phase one of this project. Phase two will include an additional building to complete the community hub.  

HealthPoint is clear they want this to be a wraparound health center that treats both acute symptoms and the causes of health concerns. They currently serve 100,000 patients a year, and 99% of them are low income, with 68% enrolled in Medicaid. Healthcare is more than what happens in a treatment room, and this facility acknowledges that and will provide services the community needs. 

As the federal government makes devastating cuts to Medicaid, Federally Qualified Health Centers like HealthPoint, which provide primary care to patients regardless of their insurance coverage, are becoming even more important to our communities. 

Some of you may remember this area used to house motels with some unsavory activity, so it’s especially exciting to see the land used now for such an uplifting purpose. This is a remarkable facility funded in part by our state’s capital budget, and I’m eagerly anticipating the grand opening later this year. 

I had a wonderful discussion with Anna and Adam from HealthPoint and BNB (the construction team). You can watch it here. 

Tukwila World Cup viewing lounge 

The City of Tukwila organized a World Cup viewing lounge in the old Sears store at Southcenter Mall, another example of how we’re using empty spaces for good. The free viewing area has three big screens, lounge areas, and an indoor soccer field play area. 

The state invested in improving infrastructure like our ferries, roads, and many facilities to make this World Cup enjoyable for visitors and beneficial for residents. I’m grateful Tukwila took this step so we could all enjoy the tournament and its long-term benefits. 

Check out my conversation with Mayor Tom McLeod here!  

Starfire Sports  

Continuing the soccer theme, I visited Starfire Sports and spoke with its president and CEO, Eric Olmstead. Eric told me all about how they’re reaching out to the community with programs like Kickstart, which not only offers mentorship to local youth for soccer but also academically in areas like science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. 

The Legislature has included many Starfire projects in past capital budgets, including a lighting retrofit that significantly reduced the organization’s utility costs. This most recent biennium, we earmarked money for Starfire Commons, an expanded field area with public restrooms. 

You can watch our conversation here! 

Other updates 

Here are some additional updates from my office: 

  • I toured the Lindbergh High School physical education department and saw how they’re succeeding. I also spoke with staff about how the Legislature can better support them. 
  • I toured the new Alaska Airlines Global Training Center in Renton, where all Alaska trainees will learn the important skills necessary to fly passengers safely. The 11th Legislative District has such a rich aviation history, and this center adds another chapter to that legacy while strengthening our local economy.  
  • I spoke about my progress on the public bank, and why it would be so effective for our community, with the Congolese Integration Network alongside other community partners like Sound Transit and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner.  

I’m always working on new policies for the next legislative session! If you have ideas for policies you think I should introduce next session or improvements to any bill you saw this session, please reach out! I’m sure you’ve thought, “There ought to be a law to …” 

Contact 

Below are some great ways to contact and keep in touch with my office.  

Phone: 360-786-7616 (during regular business hours; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) 

Email me! 

Sign up for my introduction sheet distribution list to see the new legislation introduced every day.  

If you’d like to schedule me to speak with your organization to talk about my important initiatives on public banking, social housing, universal healthcare, or other issues, please schedule something with my executive legislative assistant and scheduler, Sarah Reuben, at sarah.reuben@leg.wa.gov. 

Thank you for reading and following along this session, and for trusting me in this role to represent our district. 

Talk to you soon.
Bob