Matt Kempton, CEO of South Bend, Wash.-based Willapa Harbor Hospital, is hosting a series of community meetings to educate people on the benefits of a new medical facility — and, subsequently, raise money for it, The Willapa Harbor Herald reported Jan. 24.
Between 2020 and 2023, Willapa Harbor Hospital experienced growth across multiple service lines. According to the hospital's website, inpatient volume rose 40%, primary care clinic visits rose 49% and surgery clinic visits rose 50%.
The hospital is running out of room at the current facility, the webpage says. Plus, it was built 70 years ago, and the aging infrastructure is failing.
A new community hospital would allow Willapa Harbor to expand needed service lines, chemotherapy, orthopedics and cardiology, and broaden access to primary care physicians. The website also touts benefits for training, retention and recruitment of local providers.
The new facility would cost $92 million, and the hospital has asked for a 30-year bond for $46 million. If the project comes to fruition, taxpayers would foot an average of $15 a month per $100,000 of assessed property value: in other words, "less than a trip to Olympia," the website says. Also, patients who pay property tax could receive reductions on their hospital bills for the amount they supported the hospital in property taxes.
Mr. Kempton is hosting five meetings to discuss the matter ahead of the Feb. 13 general election. If the bond passes, road construction would begin in 2024, with a facility groundbreaking in 2025 and a grand opening by 2026.