The UFCW 21 union will protest against Tacoma, Wash.-based CHI Franciscan Health's proposal to move Harrison Medical Center's services in Bremerton, Wash., to Silverdale, Wash.
The protest is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 8 at the Bremerton School District offices.
UFCW 21, which represents HMC workers, said in a news release it is in favor of a proposed Silverdale hospital expansion but wants CHI Franciscan to upgrade and keep an 85-bed hospital in Bremerton, according to a Kitsap Sun report.
CHI Franciscan officials have noted the costs involved with appropriately renovating the Bremerton facility — more than $200 million, an analysis showed — as well as the inefficiency and disruption involved, the report states.
The protest is scheduled on the same day as a state department of health reconsideration hearing regarding the viability of the Silverdale project. Kitsap Sun reports the department approved a certificate of need earlier this year, but a reconsideration hearing was scheduled following a petition from residents.
CHI Franciscan said project plans include a $484 million expansion of the Silverdale campus featuring a new acute care center, among other offerings. If completed, the expansion is slated to open in 2020.