Officials with the Redding Rancheria say the Native American tribe passed an important milestone in the construction of its $232 million Tribal Health Village being built in south Redding.
Crews recently installed the “last beam” at the massive health project which is set to open next year. The “last beam” is a builder’s rite traditionally held when the final structural beam is raised into place.
There’s much more work to be done before the building is fully completed, with the Tribal Health Village’s opening day not expected until the summer of 2027. But, during a ceremony earlier in May, members of the tribe gathered to write messages on the “last beam.”
“For us, we wanted to take that opportunity to bring our tribal members in and have them available to put a message on the beam … and embrace that into time. It’s kind of a nice milestone for the project,” said Glen Hayward, executive director of Redding Rancheria Tribal Health Systems.
Hayward said he dedicated his inscription in part to his present-day family and to the tribal “elders who came before us, who have been fighting for this for 25 or 30 years. It’s really an homage to them; the past and the present.”
What is the Redding Rancheria’s Tribal Health Village?
Groundbreaking for the facility happened in March 2025. The health center’s construction is two months behind schedule, which Hayward said is not bad for a project of its size, which remains “within budget.”
The three-story center is going up on land off Clear Creek Road, not far from the tribe’s Win-River Resort & Casino.
The Health Village is designed to be a place where people can see their cardiologist or dermatologist, get an accupuncture treatment, learn to cook healthy meals, work out in the pool or treat themselves to a spa day.
Recently, the decision was made to add outdoor services including pickleball, outdoor beach volleyball courts and outdoor basketball courts, said Hayward.
Hayward said the mission of the complex is to blend a whole-body wellness and preventative approach with both traditional and Western medicine. In addition, traditional gardens and orchards will be planted for food while the village will have a spa offering massages and other services.
At last year’s groundbreaking, Hayward told the audience that its health system “will set the new standard for health care.”
It will be the first tribally-owned health center in the country to offer a such wide array of treatments. At 185,000-square-feet, the complex will also be the largest tribal health center in California in terms of square footage, said Hayward.
Patients from the Redding Rancheria’s Tribal Health Center on Liberty Street in downtown Redding are expected to be transferred to the health village once it is completed.
Tribal Chairman Jack Potter Jr. said the construction of a health village has been a vision of tribal elders for more than 30 years and was part of the tribe’s original strategic plan from 1996.
Distinguishing the Redding Rancheria’s Tribal Health Village will be its 95,000-square-foot wellness center, which will offer massages, facials and Botox treatments as well as intravenous therapies of vitamins or IV fluids.
A total of 22,000 patients receive health care through the Redding Rancheria network of five health campuses, including people covered by Medicare, Medicaid and the Partnership HealthPlan of California, as well as people who covered by the group’s tribal health system and people who are uninsured.
The health village also still includes plans for a residential drug and alcohol detox center.
Also a year ago, the Redding Rancheria did not receive a California grant the group had hoped would jump start construction of its residential center, to be equipped with medical staff who are able to administer medication-assisted therapy to patients who are addicted to opioids or alcohol.
The effort to build the 30 bed, $95 million inpatient recovery and medical detox center is still moving forward with the tribe’s backing rather than the state grant, with initial plans now under development.
Construction on the tribe’s residential treatment center likely won’t start for at least a year and a half, Hayward said.
Michele Chandler covers public safety, reports on trials in Shasta County Superior Court, writes about restaurants and foodies and handles whatever else comes up for the Redding Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. Accepts story tips at 530-338-7753 and at mrchandler@gannett.com. Please support our entire newsroom’s commitment to public service journalism by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding Rancheria tribal health complex reaches construction milestone
Reporting by Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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